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Lot Essay
This superb basin is a classic example of Song-dynasty Ding ware, which has been celebrated by literati and officials since its inception for its refined forms and luminous glazes. Its prestige is reflected in the writings of the renowned Song scholar Su Shi (1037–1101), who praised Ding porcelains in his poem Shiyuan Jiancha (Tea Brewing in the Examination Hall). Interestingly, in 1093—some two decades after composing the poem—Su Shi was appointed Governor of Dingzhou, the region where the celebrated Ding kilns were located. His admiration for these wares helped solidify their status among later connoisseurs, including the Jin-dynasty scholar Liu Qi (1203–1259), who wrote: “Dingzhou hua ci’ou, yanse tianxia bai” (Decorated porcelain bowls from Dingzhou possess the finest white color under Heaven).
The present basin is particularly distinguished by its elegant form, fluidly carved decoration, and lustrous glaze of warm, even ivory tone. A comparable Ding basin of similar form, with a recessed base and carved daylily design on the interior, but of smaller size (18.7 cm. diam.) and decorated on the exterior with six shallow notches forming subtle lobes, is preserved in the Tokyo National Museum and illustrated in Oriental Ceramics: The World’s Great Collections, vol. 1, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1982, col. pl. 9. Another related Ding ‘daylily’ basin of smaller size (20.6 cm.) and featuring lobed notches on the exterior, was included in The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics – The Linyushanren Collection, Part I; Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, lot 2815.
Further comparisons may be drawn with Ding basins carved on the interior with daylilies and decorated on the exterior with both additional daylily motifs and six lobed notches. Among these is a basin of comparable size (24.5 cm diam.), designated an Important Cultural Property and now housed in The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka. It is illustrated in the exhibition catalogue Song Ceramics, Tokyo, 1999, p. 67, no. 30. Another closely related example, of slightly larger size (26 cm. diam.), is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated in Selection of Ding Ware: The Palace Museum’s Collection and Archaeological Excavation, Beijing, 2012, pp. 136–37, no. 52.
The present basin is particularly distinguished by its elegant form, fluidly carved decoration, and lustrous glaze of warm, even ivory tone. A comparable Ding basin of similar form, with a recessed base and carved daylily design on the interior, but of smaller size (18.7 cm. diam.) and decorated on the exterior with six shallow notches forming subtle lobes, is preserved in the Tokyo National Museum and illustrated in Oriental Ceramics: The World’s Great Collections, vol. 1, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1982, col. pl. 9. Another related Ding ‘daylily’ basin of smaller size (20.6 cm.) and featuring lobed notches on the exterior, was included in The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics – The Linyushanren Collection, Part I; Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, lot 2815.
Further comparisons may be drawn with Ding basins carved on the interior with daylilies and decorated on the exterior with both additional daylily motifs and six lobed notches. Among these is a basin of comparable size (24.5 cm diam.), designated an Important Cultural Property and now housed in The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka. It is illustrated in the exhibition catalogue Song Ceramics, Tokyo, 1999, p. 67, no. 30. Another closely related example, of slightly larger size (26 cm. diam.), is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated in Selection of Ding Ware: The Palace Museum’s Collection and Archaeological Excavation, Beijing, 2012, pp. 136–37, no. 52.