A RARE 'YAOZHOU' BOTTLE VASE NORTHERN SONG / JIN DYNASTY |

of elegant pear shape, the rounded body tapering into a waisted neck and sweeping out to a trumpet mouth, supported on a low, neatly cut foot, all covered in a translucent olive glaze permeated with a network of fine crackle, the glaze stopping neatly above the foot revealing the buff gray body, the recessed base partially glazed

Mathias Komor, New York, January 1951.
Collection of Myron S. (1907-1992) and Pauline B. (1910-2000) Falk, coll. no. 182.
Christie’s New York, 16th October 2001, lot 39.

Chinese Ceramic Masterpieces, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, 1947.

Karen Thomson, ed., The Blema and H. Arnold Steinberg Collection, Montreal, 2015, pl. 142.

Overall in good condition with scattered small firing imperfections and craquelure to the glaze. The body is very slightly unevenly potted.
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.

With the establishment of the Northern Song dynasty, the Yaozhou, Baofeng, and Linru kilns superseded those of the Yue in producing celadon wares. The present vase is notable for its elegant profile, a feature heightened by its unadorned surface and lustrous grayish-green glaze. Larger examples with more opaque glazes were exhibited in Song Ceramics, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1999, cat. no. 17., and in Song Ceramics from the Kwan Collection, 1994, Hong Kong Museum of Art, cat. no. 92. See also one with a slightly less waisted neck and similar glaze to the present piece, illustrated in The Masterpieces of Yaozhou Ware, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1997, pl. 110.