Vase modelled after a Chinese bronze vessel. Stoneware with thick opalescent blue glaze. Height: 278 mm. Diameter: 142 mm. Diameter: 80 mm (base). Diameter: 79 mm (mouth). Jun ware 鈞窯. Yuxian, Henan province 河南省, 禹縣. Yuan dynasty, about AD 1279–1368. On loan from Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art. PDF 57. British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum

Jun stoneware vase with bulbous body, long neck with two ornamental shoulders in the form of monsters swallowing fish, and a flattened and everted rim. The vase has thick, opalescent blue glaze with fine, close crackle.

Jun wares were made in many kilns throughout Junzhou prefecture (modern Yuxian) in Henan province from the Northern Song (AD 960–1127) until the Ming dynasty (AD1368–1435). Jun wares have relatively coarse stoneware bodies. In the Northern Song and Jin dynasties they appear to have been popular rather than imperial wares. Jun wares are characterised by opalescent blue, purple or even green glazes. 

Condition: There is overpainting at the point where the monster and fish handles meet the body of the vessel. This applies to both handles and it is assumed this covers the point where a join has been made between the handles and the body. A substantial crack along the body of the vessel and small area of lost glaze has also been covered with overpaint. Although a good colour match, the solid colour of this line (2mm wide) of this overpaint is quite visually distracting, especially where it covers the crack.
When viewed under UV the overpaint in both areas fluoresces indicating it was probably the same type of paint applied at the same time.

Treatment details: The overpaint was removed mechanically with a scalpel. In some places acetone was used to slightly soften the paint although this was not very effective so mechanical cleaning only was used for the majority of the vessel.

Following removal of the overpaint it was possible to see that the crack is stable. Removal of the overpaint also revealed a white fill material around the handles. In places this fill material was found to be covering the original ceramic and so was pared back with a scalpel until the original surface was visible. In some places a yellow/ brown material was visible near the handles under the fill material. This could have been a shellac or animal glue used to adhere the handles in position or as a previous fill. As the white fill material appeared to be stable, it was left in position, with the exception of those areas which had been covering original ceramic surface which were removed.

The white fill material was consolidated using 5% Paraloid B72 (methyl ethyl methacrylate copolymer) in acetone (propanone). The consistency of Modustuc (a propietry filler) was modified with small amounts of water to aid application as a fill material. It was then applied with a spatula to build the fill areas around each handle until they were flush with but not extending over the ceramic surface. This required several applications and abrasion of the fill material with Micromesh abrasive papers until a smooth fill was achieved. The Micromesh abrasive papers were wrapped around a cocktail stick in order that the abrasion was easily controllable and limited to the fill material only and not the original.

The white fill areas were retouched using Golden Acrylic colours mixed with Golden Porcelain Restoration glaze Matte Medium. During removal of overpaint and fill material it was found that the original ceramic had strongly blue coloured areas which had been covered up. The retouching of the fill material was therefore matched closely with these newly exposed colours. The result is that where the fill between the handles and body of the vessel was previously yellow/ green it is now much bluer in colour. A thin layer of Golden Porcelain Restoration GlazeMatte Medium was applied over the retouching. For this object it is desirable that after treatment the fill material is not at all distracting to the overall look of the vessel and that a close match is achieved.

The crack through the body of the vessel had some very small areas where the glaze had been lost revealing the yellower body underneath. Tiny amounts of Golden Acrylic colours were applied to these losses in order to make the line less instantly visible. Golden Acrylic colours were also applied to the larger loss of glaze where the cracks meet. This area was covered with a thin layer of Golden Porcelain Restoration Glaze Matte Medium to give it the same surface finish as the rest of the vessel.

Bibliographic reference: Yorke Hardy, Sheila, Tung, Ju, Kuan, Chun, Kuang-tung & Glazed I-hsing Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, University of London, Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, School of Oriental and African Studies, 1953

Pierson, Stacey, Illustrated catalogue of Ru, Guan, Jun, Guangdong and Yixing wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, University of London, Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, School of Oriental and African Studies, 1999