AN EXCEPTIONAL 'OIL SPOT' BOWL NORTHERN SONG – JIN DYNASTY |

with rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a rim bordered with a thin concave groove, unctuously enveloped overall save for the foot with a lustrous black glaze attractively suffused with an intricate pattern of iridescent purplish 'oil spots' of varying sizes, the glaze neatly stopping short of the lower body and foot, revealing the unglazed pale grey body, Japanese wood box

Collection of the Kano family, owner of the Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd (wood cover inscription).

The bowl is in very good condition with just a micro flake on the rim.
"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."

Many of the greatest teabowls of the yuteki ("oil spotting") tenmoku (or "Yōhen Tenmoku") type that have been passed down in Japan are the products of kilns in Shanxi and other parts of North China, and this piece is a fine example. The Tenmoku of the North China kilns are distinct from those of the Jian kilns for their grayish white clay, which is low in iron content and has a white or yellow cast. It was fired using charcoal as fuel. This piece has a black glaze covering both inside and outside and is densely covered with large and small silver spots; the whole bowl displays a reddish-purple cast. The oil spotting of Jian tenmoku is formed from multiple crystals containing fine creases, but on the oil spotting pieces of North China, the dots are like snowflake crystals. It is a small but elegantly shaped piece and the lines of the foot are clean-cut and sturdy. Iron slip has been painted over the exposed portion of the foot, indicating awareness of the black footed Jian tenmoku. Bowls of this form and with this attractive ‘oil spot’ glaze are discussed by Robert D. Mowry in the catalogue to the exhibition Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers. Chinese Brown-and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 1996, pp. 149-150, where it is suggested that they were made at kilns in Northern China, in imitation of the popular Jian tea bowls made in Fujian province. The author further notes that the ‘oil spot’ effect on these bowls was achieved by adding a layer of black slip under two layers of iron-rich dark brown glaze. 

A slightly smaller bowl from the Sir Percival David Collection, now in the British Museum, London, was included in the exhibition Imperial Taste. Chinese Ceramics from the Percival David Foundation, British Museum, London, 1989, cat. no. 9; two similar examples in the Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, were included in the exhibition Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers, op.cit., cat. nos 43a and b; another bowl was sold in our New York rooms, 15th September 2015, lot 8; and two further bowls were sold in these rooms, 5th April 2017, lot 1102 and 2nd April 2019, lot 3062, respectively. See also a similar example from the collection of Hirota Matsushige, founder of Kochukyo, and now in the Tokyo National Museum, published in the Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum: Chinese Ceramics I, Tokyo, 1988, cat. no. 610.