Coupe en  grès, Junyao,.Chine, dynastie Song (960-1279). Photo Sotheby's

A fine 'Jun' lotus bud waterpot, China, Song Dynasty (960-1279)

la forme évoquant un délicat bouton de lotus, reposant sur un court pied évasé, le pourtour et l'intérieur recouverts d'une belle glaçure caractéristique bleu ciel allant vers le pourpre, la couverte s'arrêtant au-dessus du pied découvrant l'oxyde orangé du grès, la base émaillée, boîte japonaise en bois (2): 8,3 cm, 3 3/8 in. Lot 54. Estimation 40,000-60,000 EUR

PROVENANCE: Acquired from Mayuyama Ryusendo, Tokyo.

CATALOGUE NOTE Together with 'Guan', 'Ge', 'Ru', and 'Ding' wares, 'Jun' ware forms one of the five famous wares of the Song dynasty as defined by collectors of later periods. The thick unctuous glaze often ends in thick drops just above the foot and is ideally suited to the simple, fluid vessel forms. With its well-proportioned form resembling a lotus bud covered on the interior and exterior with a beautifully rich pale blue glaze the present waterpot is a fine example of this type of ware.

'Jun' lotus bud waterpots of this elegant form and distinctive glaze are held in major public and collections worldwide; compare, for example, a lotus bud water pod, formely in the collection of the British Rail Pension Fund, sold in these rooms, 12th December 1989, lot 85; another example in the Meiyintang Collection is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, 1994, pl. 393. compare also a also a fine 'Jun' lotus bud waterpot sold in our London rooms, 12th May 2005, lot 145.

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie. Paris | 13 Jun 2012, 10:30 AM www.sothebys.com