A 'HENAN' RUSSET-PAINTED BLACK-GLAZED MEIPING NORTHERN SONG / JIN DYNASTY |

the ovoid tapering body rising to broad rounded shoulders surmounted by a short double-ringed mouth, freely painted in iron-oxide with an abstract design of two birds in flight reserved on a brownish-black glaze, the glaze stopping neatly above the foot ring to reveal the buff body, the countersunk base unglazed, Japanese wood box (3)

An apprx. 3.5 cm restored section at the rim. Overall with minor expected wear and firing imperfections.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Jars of this type are characterized by their freely painted designs, at times so succinctly executed that they tend towards abstraction. With a brush dipped in an iron-rich slip, the present vase was painted with three birds in flight, their wings and plumage rendered with short calligraphic strokes fired to a vibrant russet tone. A jar of similar proportions and painted with birds, in the collection of Robert M. Ferris, was included in the exhibition Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers. Chinese Brown-and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 1995, cat. no. 52; a slightly smaller one in the Meiyintang Collection, is published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, 1994, pl. 465; and a third was sold in these rooms, 7th February 1974, lot 154.