A massive Lingwu brown-glazed sgraffiato 'peony' jar, Western Xia dynasty | 西夏 靈武窰黑釉剔牡丹紋罐

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo, September 2005.

繭山龍泉堂，東京，2005年9月

This enormous jar belongs to a rare group of wares from the Xixia (also known as Tangut or Western Xia) dynasty in the northwest of China. Located 50 kilometres south of the capital, Yinchuan, the Lingwu kiln centre in modern-day Ningxia was one of the major sites of ceramic production under the Xixia and has garnered significant international interest since its excavation in the 1980s. 

Strongly influenced by Cizhou and Ding wares from the neighbouring Song state, the potters of Lingwu masterfully employed the popular sgraffiato technique; carving into the chocolate-brown glazed surface to reveal the sandy-white clay body below. The lush peony design on this jar accentuates its heavily thrown yet voluptuous form. Also noteworthy is the design’s varied treatment of negative space: on one side, the dark background is carved delicately in waves of geometric hatching; on the other, it is stripped away completely in a moment of drama.

Smaller examples of Xixia jars decorated with similar techniques are published in Ma Wenkuan, Ningxia Lingwu Yao / Ancient Porcelain Kilns at Lingwu, Ningxia, Beijing, 1988, passim; others are included in the Meiyintang Collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, 1994, pls 451-455. Another related wine jar with handles was sold in our New York rooms, 13th September 2017, lot 99.