AN UNUSUAL CIZHOU DARK BROWN-GLAZED RIBBED JAR, ZHADOU

NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY, 11TH CENTURY

Details

AN UNUSUAL CIZHOU DARK BROWN-GLAZED RIBBED JAR, ZHADOU
NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY, 11TH CENTURY
The compressed lower body decorated with eight pairs of evenly spaced ribs formed by trailed white slip ending at the sharp edge of the shoulder, and decorated on the interior of the tall wide neck with six single ribs of slip that rise up the neck to the raised areas between the out-turned sections of the foliate rim, the white slip ribs showing tan through the dark brown glaze that covers the exterior and all of the interior except for the center exposing the buff-colored stoneware
3 7/8 in. (10 cm.) high, 4 5/8 in. (11.8 cm.) across, box

Provenance

Sotheby's, London, 12 June 1990, lot 173.

Literature

McCord, Song Ceramics, 2003, p. 52, fig. 6.

Exhibited

New Orleans Museum of Art, Heaven and Earth Seen Within, 2000, no. 25.
Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Hare's Fur, 1996, no. 60.

Lot Essay

The Cizhou kilns began manufacturing dark-glazed wares in the tenth century, during which time dark lacquer wares also came into vogue. The forms of these Cizhou wares are typically simple and elegant, and like their lacquer counterparts, the dark color emphasized the subtle shapes. Notable on this elegant jar are the vertical ribs of trailed white slip that, although applied with restraint, effectively accentuate the form.

It has been suggested that jars of this distinctive form may have functioned as waste receptacles for wine dregs or tea leaves. An olive-brown-glazed zhadou, with foliate rim from the Falk Collection was sold in these rooms, 20 September 2001, lot 74.

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