A RARE BROWN LACQUER ALMS BOWL SONG DYNASTY |

exquisitely modelled with a compressed globuar body rising from a rounded base to an incurved rim, attractively covered overall with brown lacquer

There are expected crackles, minor flakes to the interior and light surface wear. The bowl is otherwise very well preserved in good condition.
"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."

Fashioned to sit perfectly in two cupped hands, this bowl is unusual for its uniformly rounded form which features no foot or base and was probably placed on a stand. Bowls of this form, which formed one of the four essential possessions of Buddhist monks and were used to solicit food from the laity, are best known from the images of Bhaisajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha, who is often depicted holding a related alms bowl in his left hand. See a larger black lacquer alms bowl with a flat base and a cover, attributed to the Five Dynasties to the early Northern Song period, excavated in 1978 from Futian gongshe, Jianli, Hubei province and now preserved in the Jingzhou Museum, Jingzhou, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji feilei. Zhongguo qiqi quanji [Compendium of Chinese lacquer], vol. 4. Sanguo – Yuan, Fuzhou, 1998, pl. 67. This form experienced a renaissance during the Qianlong period (r. 1736-1795) and was reinterpreted in a wide variety of media; for example see a Qianlong mark and period cloisonné enamel alms bowl decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, Enamels, vol. 2, Cloisonné in the Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl. 261; and a spinach-green jade alms bowl decorated overall with writhing dragons, from the Thompson-Schwab collection, sold in our London rooms, 9th November 2016, lot 26.