A LARGE 'CIZHOU' SGRAFFIATO 'PEONY' VASE SONG/JIN PERIOD

the globular body rising from a tapering recessed base to a short broad neck with everted rim, covered overall with a thick lustrous dark chocolate-brown glaze, superbly carved through to the buff ground with a broad band of meandering leafy blossoming peony, all between line borders and a band of overlapping stiff leaves at the base and a leafy scroll band at the shoulder, the footring unglazed

Sotheby's London, 8th November 2006, lot 61.

The jar is in good overall condition and is covered in a nice lustrous dark chocolate glaze. There is a ca. 1.5 by 3.5 cm area of restoration to the outer rim and some glaze flakes. There are several losses to the glaze, some restored, grit adhered to the body and light glaze scratches. There is a tiny dent on the side of the body.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This jar belongs to a well-known type of Cizhou ware, but the large fluidly rendered flower-scrolls are particularly elaborate and pleasantly laid out on the vessel surface. The jar is also unusually elegant in outline compared to the more commonly found globular shapes. The sgraffiato technique used to decorate this jar, in which the design is carved through two different types of slip, one black and one white, helped achieve a spectacular contrasting effect in the design. Although several jars of similar form and design are known, they are quite individual in style, apparently produced one by one and not in a series, and can differ considerably both in their proportions and in the rendering of the scroll and enclosing borders. This jar is also unusual for its glazed rim. Jars of this type are generally left with an unglazed rim as a cover would have concealed the rim.  

See a related Cizhou jar from the Scheinman collection, included in the exhibition Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Mass., 1995, cat. no. 69; and another jar of this type, from the Malcolm collection exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, London, in the winter of 1936-37, sold in these rooms, 29th March 1977, lot 149.