A LARGE 'JUN' PURPLE SPLASHED BOWL SONG TO MING DYNASTY

superbly potted with deep rounded sides rising from a slightly splayed foot, applied overall with a rich glaze of milky lavender blue suffused with a pale crackle and transmuting to a mushroom colour at the rim, the interior decorated with vibrant splashes of purple, the glaze stopping irregularly above the neatly cut foot revealing a reddish-grey ware

There is a restored hairline crack of approx. 1.5 cm to the rim, but the bowl is otherwise in overall good condition. There are also some typical imperfections in the glaze including two burst air bubbles on the exterior, a few specks ad small unglazed patch of approx 2 by 0.5 cm near the rim on one side.
"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."

‘Jun’ bowls of this large size are unusual and the present piece is remarkable for its understated elegance, offset by its splendid colouration which displays a range of blue and purple tones. Rose Kerr in Song Dynasty Ceramics, London, 2004, p. 34, notes that the splashes found on ‘Jun’ wares are made through the application of copper with a brush, which merged with the bluish glaze when fired, resulting in unique and abstract designs. 

‘Jun’ bowls of this large size are more commonly known without the purple splashes; see nine bowls of this type, all attributed to the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in A Panorama of Ceramics in the Collection of the National Palace Museum. Chün Ware, Taipei, 1999, pls 68, 73-79 and 85; another in the Idemitsu Museum, Tokyo, published in Sung Ceramics, Tokyo, 1979, pl. 68; and a further bowl in the Kwan collection, included in the exhibition Song Ceramics from the Kwan Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 37.

Jun ware is included as one of the ‘Five Classic Wares’ (wu da yao) of the Song dynasty, and derives its name from the kiln near Juntai terrace within the north gate of the Yuzhou prefecture in Henan province, where they were produced from the end of the Northern Song period (960-1127) to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Much admired for the beauty of its glaze which varies from a thick opaque sky blue to brilliant mauves, lavenders and purple, it was discovered in the 1970s that the blue tone was not created by pigments but was actually an optical effect. During firing the glaze would separate into light-refracting droplets of glass and when light passed through the blue spectrum of light was reflected to achieve its bluish hue.