FIVE DYNASTIES (907-960)

Details

AN INSCRIBED XING WHITE-GLAZED ‘YING’ SHALLOW BOWL
FIVE DYNASTIES (907-960)
The bowl is of shallow conical shape, the slightly rounded sides rising from a bi foot to a lipped rim, all under an opaque white glaze with a faint turquoise tinge, the base incised with the character ying.
6 in. (15.2 cm.) diam., box

Provenance

A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1990s

Brought to you by

Chi Fan Tsang

chinese@christies.com +852 2760 1766

Lot Essay

Wang Zhangqi in his article (‘Xi'an shi chutu "Hanlin", "ying" zikuan Xing yao baici guan’, Wenwu, 2002, vol. 4, pp. 83-83) offers the suggestion that ying refers to the Bai bao da ying ku (the Imperial Repository of a Hundred Treasures). This is believed to have been established in the Kaiyuan period (AD 713-741) of the Tang dynasty, and was a treasury for the personal use of the emperor (mentioned in the Jiu Tangshu and the Xin Tangshu - the Old History of the Tang dynasty and the New History of the Tang dynasty, respectively). Certainly Xing wares were used at the Tang court and were presented to the Emperor as tribute, so it is possible that some Xing wares, specifically designated for the Emperor's personal collection, could have been inscribed in this way.

More from The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

View All