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Lot Essay
Large white-glazed jars from the Sui dynasty, as beautifully glazed and shaped as this piece, are rare. Wares of this type are testament to an important achievement in the history of Chinese ceramics and they belong to some of the earliest high-fired stonewares with a white body and transparent glaze, examples of which are extremely rare.
While the emergence of stonewares can be traced back to earlier dynasties, it was around 6th century that the firing technique made a major step forward. According to the Palace Museum, Beijing, the white wares excavated from the tomb of Li Jingxun of the fourth year of Daye in the Sui dynasty (608), demonstrate a huge improvement in glaze quality compared to the white wares unearthed from the tomb of General Fan Cui of the sixth year of Wuping in the Northern Qi dynasty (575). The firing technique in the Sui dynasty was much more mature so that a whiter colour could be achieved. The present jar, with its white glaze and large body skilfully executed, represents the technical advances made during the Sui period.
Compare a white-glazed jar of closely related form to the present jar, but of smaller size, measuring 19.2 cm in height, and lacking a cover, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, accession no. xin-39093, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Jin and Tang Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 58 (fig. 1). Another slightly smaller jar, also of beehive shape, without a cover, was formerly in the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, later sold at Hong Kong Sotheby’s, 19 November 1984, lot 131.
While the emergence of stonewares can be traced back to earlier dynasties, it was around 6th century that the firing technique made a major step forward. According to the Palace Museum, Beijing, the white wares excavated from the tomb of Li Jingxun of the fourth year of Daye in the Sui dynasty (608), demonstrate a huge improvement in glaze quality compared to the white wares unearthed from the tomb of General Fan Cui of the sixth year of Wuping in the Northern Qi dynasty (575). The firing technique in the Sui dynasty was much more mature so that a whiter colour could be achieved. The present jar, with its white glaze and large body skilfully executed, represents the technical advances made during the Sui period.
Compare a white-glazed jar of closely related form to the present jar, but of smaller size, measuring 19.2 cm in height, and lacking a cover, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, accession no. xin-39093, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Jin and Tang Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 58 (fig. 1). Another slightly smaller jar, also of beehive shape, without a cover, was formerly in the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, later sold at Hong Kong Sotheby’s, 19 November 1984, lot 131.