A 'YAOZHOU' TRIPOD CENSER SONG DYNASTY

the compressed spherical body rising to a waisted neck and below the broad square-section everted rim, all supported on three lion-paw feet issuing from lion masks, covered overall with a glossy olive-green crackled glaze, pooling to a darker tone at the recessed areas at the shoulder and rim

Acquired in Hong Kong, August 1990.

This censer is in good condition, but there is a scratch to the glaze (1.5cm long) to the upper surface of the rim, and minute shallow glaze chips to the interior. There is a circular firing crack (approx 3cm long) to the centre to the underside of the base. There are also two smaller firing cracks adjacent to this (8mm and 5mm). There is also a fine network of crackle running throughout.
"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."

Covered with a subtle olive-green glaze and devoid of decoration save for the mask-head legs, this is a rare example of Yaozhou ware from the Song dynasty. Located in the Shaanxi province, the Yaozhou kilns were inspired by Yue celadon-glazed ware from the northern Zhejiang province from the Five Dynasties period (907-960) and gained prominence in the Song dynasty (960-1279) for its distinctive green-glazed stoneware that appealed to the taste of the literati. Although the majority of their output was devoted to the manufacture of vibrantly carved or moulded dishes and bowls, they also created a small number of carefully and individually crafted ceramics, such as the present piece. A censer of this type, but of slightly larger size, from the Xiwenguo Zhai Collection, included in The Grandeur of Chinese Art Treasures: Min Chiu Society Golden Jubilee Exhibition, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 2010, cat. no. 100, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5^th April 2017, lot 3231; and another, but with a longer neck, was sold at Christie’s New York, 5^th June 1986, lot 172. Yaozhou tripod censers of this shape are more commonly seen decorated with various designs, such as one moulded with confronting bird marks divided by vertical notched flanges on the body, in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, included in the Museum’s exhibition The Masterpieces of Yaozhou Ware, 1998, cat. no. 105; and another carved with a band of double key-frets below the rim and scrolling lotuses on the body, illustrated in Julian Thompson, ‘Chinese Celadons’, Arts of Asia, November-December, 1993, p. 66, sold in these rooms, 15^th December 1981, lot 135 and again in our New York rooms, 7^th November 2008, lot 273.