Alain.R.Truong

A black-glazed russet-splashed vase, Jin dynasty

A black-glazed russet-splashed vase, Jin dynasty. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the body of elegant pear shape rising from a short spreading foot to a tall flaring neck with a rolled rim, covered overall with a rich lustrous brown-black glaze stopping just above the base, freely painted in russet with three large stylized birds. Height 11 7/16  in., 29 cm

Exhibition: Zhongguo taoci jingpin zhan [The Exhibition of Chinese Ceramics of Eight Dynasties], National Museum of History, Taipei, 1987, p. 40.

Notes: See a related pear-shaped vase in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, published in Robert D. Mowry,Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers. Chinese Brown- and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400, Cambridge, 1995, no 52, where the author suggests that these bottles with this type of decoration only appeared in the Jin period, and therefore a Northern Song date is unlikely for dark-glazed bottles with painted decoration. 

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM

A black-glazed russet-splashed bowl, Northern Song / Jin dynasty

A black-glazed russet-splashed bowl, Northern Song - Jin dynasty. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

rising from a short straight foot to deep rounded sides with an incurved rim, applied overall with an unctuous black glaze faintly suffused with gold speckles and five russet splashes on the interior and dotting the exterior rim, the glaze thinning towards the base and stopping just short of the foot revealing the buff-colored body, the incurved rim dipped into white slip and covered with a transparent glaze. Diameter 6 in., 15.2 cm

Notes: Bowls covered in a dark glaze with three to five evenly spaced splashes or medallions were produced at a number of Cizhou-type kilns in the 12th / 13th centuries. The white rims on vessels like the one on the present example, may have been inspired by the wide silver bands found on the rims of upper-class wares of the Song dynasty such as Ding ware. 

For a closely related bowl with five russet medallions, see one published in Michael Sullivan, Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades in the Collection of Sir Alan and Lady Barlow, London, 1963, pl. 51c; and another from the Scheinman Collection included in the exhibition, Born of Earth and Fire, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, 1992, cat. no. 62; and another in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, vol. 3, 2006, no. 1514.

See also a bowl from the Robert Barron collection of shallower form, illustrated in Robert D. Mowry, Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers. Chinese Brown- and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400, Cambridge, 1995, no. 41, previously sold in these rooms, 12th June 1984, lot 206, and again, Christie's New York, 30th March 2005, lot 305. 

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM

A black-glazed and russet jar, Song dynasty

A black-glazed and russet jar, Song dynasty.  Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of ovoid form with a sloping broad shoulder set with a waisted neck and an everted mouth rim, covered overall in a glossy black glaze profusely splashed with vivid russet floret medallions, the rim further dotted with russet, the glaze stopping neatly above the white-slip painted footring. Height 8 1/2  in., 21.5 cm

Notes: The simple but effective use of applying clusters of russet brushstrokes to form a dramatic contrast with the lustrous dark brown glaze reflects the adventurous techniques and variety that define ceramic production of the period. The russet-colored splashes are thought to have evolved naturally from the experimental nature of competing Song dynasty kilns which produced black and brown-glazed wares for the thriving tea market. This vase is a particularly successful example of this glaze technique as the round floral motifs accentuate the swelling shoulders while providing an effective contrast with the narrow neck. As no two ‘splashes’ can be the same, the serendipitous nature of this decorative technique must have appealed to the Song literati.

The iron-rich glazes of black wares are described by Nigel Wood in Chinese Glazes, London, 1999, p. 137, as seeming to ‘evoke the very earths of China’ as their main raw materials were often sourced from the clays, river-muds and silts of both north and south China. From the Tang dynasty black-glazed stonewares began to make significant contributions to Chinese ceramics, with the best pieces produced at the kilns near the Yellow River. Minimalist forms that were often inspired by nature and covered with monochromatic glazes soon led to painted and splashed designs which were achieved by exploiting lighter overglazes on the dark ground or firing temperatures. Black wares were revived in the Song dynasty and the potters skillfully manipulated their materials to capture a likeness of other materials, such as oil-spot, ‘hare’s fur’ and 'partridge feather' markings.

Vases of this form with floral medallions are rare and are more commonly known covered overall in irregular splashes. However, see a Jizhou vase, with related painted floral medallions on a black-glazed ground, illustrated in Chugoku no toji. Temmoku. Tokyo, 1999, pl. 80. Compare other vases covered in irregular russet-colored splashes from the Winifred Gray Whitman collection, sold in these rooms, 30th May 1973, lot 318; another sold at Christie’s New York, 4th December 1982, lot 431; and a third example, but with a longer body, in the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrated in Robert D. Mowry, Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers, Chinese Brown- and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-600, Cambridge, 1995, pl. 35. Compare also a related bottle with splashed design, recovered at Julu xian, Hebei province, now in the British Museum, published in the British Museum Guide to Pottery and Porcelain of the Far East, London, 1924, fig. 32; and another from the Warren E. Cox collection, sold in our London rooms, 12th December 1977, lot 13. 

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM

A black-glazed and russet jar, Song dynasty

A black-glazed and russet jar, Song dynasty. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of compressed baluster shape, the wide mouth surmounted by a short tapering neck, applied overall with a rich and glossy black glaze accented with two russet-colored birds in flight, the glaze stopping at the foot to reveal the buff body. Height 5 7/8  in., 15 cm

Literature: Dan-jiong Tan, Zhongguo taoci shi [History of Chinese Ceramics], Volume Two, Taipei, 1985, p. 492.

Notes: See two related black-glazed jars, one of almost identical size, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, vol. 3, 2006, no. 1517; and another in the Victoria and Albert Museum, of larger size, illustrated in Nigel Wood, Chinese Glazes, London, 1999, p. 145, where the author discusses the possibility that the designs were painted beneath the glaze with an iron-rich slip, unlike the russet glazes that were 'splashed', which was the preferred technique with northern blackware.

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM

Hailee Steinfeld wore Andrew Gn PreFall 2015 ikat-inspired embroidered gown at the Vanity Fair Oscar party

Hailee Steinfeld wore Andrew Gn PreFall 2015 ikat-inspired embroidered gown at the Vanity Fair Oscar party - PF 2015 look #14

A black-glazed sgraffito jar, Jin - Xixia dynasty

A black-glazed sgraffito jar, Jin - Xixia dynasty. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

he ovoid body rising from a recessed base to a short broad neck with a flat lipped rim, carved through the lustrous dark brown glaze to the buff body with a broad and narrow band of dense scrolling foliage. Height 10 3/4  in., 27.2 cm

Notes: See a related sgraffito vase from the Meiyintang Collection also attributed to the Jin / Xixia dynasty, but with a small mouth in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, vol. 1, 1994, nos. 454 and 455. 

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM

A black-glazed sgraffito vase (yuhuchunping), Jin - Yuan dynasty

A black-glazed sgraffito vase (yuhuchunping), Jin - Yuan dynasty. Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the pear-shaped body surmounted by a slender waisted neck flaring to a trumpet mouth, covered overall with a rich dark brown glaze boldly carved through to the buff body with a wide band of peony blossoms between a slanting key-fret band encircling the shoulders and incised rings below, the glaze thinned and irregularly applied above the foot, the base unglazed - Height 11 1/2  in., 29.2 cm

Exhibition: Zhongguo taoci jingpin zhan [The Exhibition of Chinese Ceramics of Eight Dynasties], National Museum of History, Taipei, 1987, p. 39.

Notes: Related vases with bands of leaf scrolls and keyfret are illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol. 10, Tokyo, 1980, no. 193; and another in the Meiyintang Collection illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, vol. 3, 2006,  no. 1526.

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM

A 'Cizhou' painted 'Bird and Flower' meiping, Jin - Yuan dynasty

A 'Cizhou' painted  'Bird and Flower' meiping, Jin - Yuan dynasty. Estimate 25,000 — 35,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of slender ovoid form, the gently rounded shoulder rising to a small neck with a splayed angular mouth, freely painted around the body in iron-brown with birds and butterflies among foliage, between registers of further foliage all on a white-slip ground, covered overall in a transparent glaze, save for the low ring foot revealing the buff-colored body. Height 15 1/8  in., 38.3 cm

Literature: Chugoku meito ten: Chugoku toji 2000-nen no seika [Exhibition of Chinese Pottery: Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics], Tokyo, 1992, no. 34.

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM

A 'Cizhou' painted box and cover, Northern Song - Jin dynasty

A 'Cizhou' painted box and cover, Northern Song - Jin dynasty. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

with straight sides and a slightly domed cover, painted in brown over a white slip with a stylized floral spray, all under a clear glaze, the shallow box similarly covered in a white slip and clear glaze with an unglazed footrim (2). Diameter 4 5/8  in., 11.7 cm

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM

A 'Cizhou' inscribed meiping , Song dynasty

A 'Cizhou' inscribed meiping , Song dynasty. Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of slender ovoid form, the gently rounded shoulder rising to a small neck with everted rim, finely painted on the central panel with a scene of the mute man being enlightened by Lu Dongbin, and a poetic inscription on the other side titled Du ya xiansheng shi, all between two bands of scrolls above and petal lappets below, the footring and base unglazed to reveal the buff-colored body. Height 12 7/8  in., 32.7 cm

Notes: The inscription on the vase may be translated as:

The wind blows through my sleeves as I enter Hedong
I spend the night in the ancient Qituo Temple 
The people of the world are bound by their constraints 
I carry my divine sabre across the southern peak

Lord Lu. 'The Deliverance of the Speechless Man' Poem.

Lu Dongbin was a Tang dynasty poet and scholar who later became one of the Baxian (Eight Immortals). He is often depicted with his sword used to dispel evil spirits. According to the Quanzhen school of Daoism, becoming enlightened is like a mute finding his voice. People bound by their constraints cannot become enlightened. The scene and poem depicted on the present vase illustrate this analogy. 

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM