SONG DYNASTY (960-1279)

Cizhou vases covered with a green glaze and with painted, rather than carved, decoration are extremely rare. Also unusual is the distinctive ovoid shape of the present lot and the decoration of unusually large, lush blossoms. Compare, however, the Cizhou vase covered with a similar green glaze and with floral decoration rendered in black slip from the George Eumorfopoulos Collection illustrated by R. Hobson, Catalogue of the Chinese, Corean and Persian Pottery and Porcelain, vol. 3, London, 1926, pl. LII, C285.

The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. C299d79 is consistent with the dating of this lot.