A RARE JIZHOU PHOSPHATIC-SPLASHED TRIPOD CENSER, SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY

拍品描述

A RARE JIZHOU PHOSPHATIC-SPLASHED TRIPOD CENSER, SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY Expert’s note: Tripod censers such as the present lot are exceedingly rare, both within the surviving production of the Jizhou kilns and in the broader corpus of Song-dynasty glazed stoneware. Only a very small number of vessels of this form are recorded in public and private collections, among them a Jizhou tortoiseshell glazed example (see literature comparison). Their scarcity reflects two principal factors: censers were produced in far smaller numbers than tea bowls, since a single incense burner might serve an entire household or altar whereas drinking vessels were required in multiples; moreover, repeated exposure to heat and ash, together with frequent handling and the inherent vulnerability of the projecting tripod feet, considerably diminished their prospects of survival over the centuries. Tea bowls therefore represent the primary and most widely encountered form for the celebrated glazes of the Jizhou kilns and provide a clearer point of comparison. The strong prices achieved at auction by such bowls underscore the enduring desirability and appreciation of these complex glaze effects. Given that bowls are comparatively abundant, while censers of the present type are of extreme rarity, the current work—combining a highly prized glaze with an uncommon form—must be regarded as of great significance. China, 1127-1279. Finely potted with a compressed globular body supported on three short conical feet and surmounted by a short waisted neck with a wide everted rim. The exterior is covered in a lustrous dark brownish-black glaze, liberally decorated with milky splashes of cream and greenish-blue hues running freely in different directions, and thinning to brown on the interior decorated with a grooved spiral and above the feet where the glaze stops slightly irregularly revealing the buff ware. Dimensions: Diameter 12.5 cm With a wood storage box. (2) The yellowish-milky white 'phosphatic' splashes that decorate the black-glazed wares of this type are applied after the initial glazing. These splashes are sometimes poured on the ware while it is held on its side, to create a decorative trail down the body. Literature comparison: Compare a related Jizhou phosphatic splashed jar, dated to the 12th-13th century, 13.5 cm in diameter, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 2001.137.2. Compare a related Jizhou tortoiseshell glazed tripod censer of similar form, dated to the Southern Song dynasty, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, record number BATEA : 643. Compare a related Jizhou phosphatic splashed incense burner, dated to the 13th century, 12.5 cm in diameter, in the National Museum of Asian Art, accession number S2012.9.3140. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4 April 2015, lot 2810 Price: HKD 625,000 or approx. EUR 86,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related glaze with similar milky splashes that freely run in different directions. Note the different form and that Song-dynasty tea bowls are much more common than censers such as the present lot.

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