A 'Jun' sky-blue-glazed bowl, Jin dynasty | 金 鈞窰天藍釉盌

The lustrous sky-blue glaze of this bowl is traditionally considered to be the most desirable color for monochrome Jun wares. One of the ‘Five Classic Wares’ (wu da yao) of the Song dynasty (960-1279), Jun ware was much admired over the centuries by both Chinese and Western connoisseurs for the beautiful depth and intensity of its glaze, which varies from a thick opaque sky-blue to brilliant mauves and lavenders.

A related bowl attributed to the Song or Jin dynasty is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, 1994, pl. 387. For examples sold at auction, see a slightly larger bowl from the Le Cong Tang Collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms 3rd October 2017, lot 3; another sold in the same rooms 5th June 2020, lot 356; and one sold in our London rooms 11th May 2016, lot 204.