A RARE RUSSET-SPLASHED DARK BROWN-GLAZED TRUNCATED VASE, TULU PING NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY |

sturdily potted with a body of compressed form tapering to a flat base, surmounted by rounded shoulders and a short waisted neck and flared rim, applied overall with a lustrous dark brown glaze extending onto the interior of the neck and falling neatly just above the base, further liberally decorated with russet-brown splashes of varying sizes, the base with an unglazed outer ring revealing the grey ware and applied with blackish-brown glaze in the centre

Collection of Dr Johannes Hellner (1866-1947), Stockholm.
Christie's New York, 20th March 2001, lot 202.
Sotheby's New York, 23rd March 2011, lot 517.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Kina och Norden: i form och glasyr ur Hellnerska samlingen/Chinese and Scandinavian Ceramics: A Selection from the Hellner Collection, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, 1970, cat. no. 39.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, Tokyo, 1982, vol. 8, pl. 159.

A 5.5 cm section of the rim shows signs of restoration and there is a 2 cm section on the opposite side showing signs of retouching where the glaze may have flaked.
"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."

The russet-coloured spontaneous splashes applied over the lustrous dark brown glaze must have evolved naturally from the experimental nature of competing Song dynasty kilns which produced black and brown-glazed wares for the thriving domestic and export tea ware market. On the present vase, the applied matte, iron-red glaze contrasts dramatically with the brilliant dark brown glaze beneath. The use of this glaze technique is particularly effective on this truncated form of vase, as the thin, viscous glaze and splashes condense around the small, flat mouth-rim, gathering lightly around the shoulders, gradually elongating as the glaze drapes around the sides. As no two 'splashes' can be the same, the random, serendipitous character of this decorative technique must have been a large part of its appeal to the Song literati. Vases of this form and decoration are rare. Compare a closely related example with a shorter neck, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. III (ii), 2006, no. 1510. A similar example, although of smaller dimension and more vigorously applied splashes, is illustrated in Sekei toji zenshu/ Ceramic Art of the World, Tokyo, 1977, vol. 12, p. 244, pl. 246.

Dr Johannes Hellner (1866-1947), a Swedish jurist and politician, was the Foreign Minister during World War I. After retiring from all official obligations, Hellner began to study and acquire Chinese ceramics in 1925, and in 1928 he co-founded Kinaklubben, which became the Swedish branch of the Oriental Ceramic Society in the early 1930s. While monochrome pieces from the Ming and Qing featured prominently, the primary focus of his collection was on Tang and Song ceramics.