Page 8 - Important Chiense Ceramics and Works of Art, Christie's.pdf

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A DING WHITE-GLAZED MELON-SHAPED EWER Because most of these lobed ewers were unearthed in the
FIVE DYNASTIES-NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY (907-1127) northeastern part of China, and some of them were indeed fired
within Liao territory, for example at Longquanwu in Beijing, many
The ewer is delicately potted with a hexalobed body rising to
scholars in the past identified ewers like the present lot as ‘Liao
an inverted lipped mouth covered with a strap appliqué. The wares’. However, this is inaccurate. Most of these lobed ewers,
shoulders are surmounted by a rope twist handle terminating whether they are coarse or fine, were in fact fired at the Ding kilns.
in three separate straps, each with a triangular moulded peony In 2009, the School of Archaeology and Museology at Beijing
appliqué. The pale bluish glaze stops just at the foot, and the University and the Hebei Cultural Relic Research Institute conducted
partially unglazed base is incised with the character nan (south). a joint excavation at the Ding kilns in Hebei. The Jianciling kiln site
5 in. (12.5 cm.) high, box produced Ding wares of the finest quality. Sherds of similar lobed
ewers were unearthed from the stratum dating to the late Northern
HK$800,000-1,200,000 US$110,000-150,000 Song period, and one can conclude finer types of Ding ewers were
produced at this kiln site. Lobed ewers of lesser quality were found
in the kiln sites of Yancun and Yebei, from stratum dating to the Jin
̪͟ ٬೐ ೜⒌‰ᛉམዡᙰ૑ dynasty (fig. 4). Thus it is likely that some of the coarser lobed ewers
found in northeast China mentioned previously were fired at these
᫉଍⣌ԋ☑Ⓔ⎉ᝳ㩨ݩतῂ㞐ݏ᳭ჺᯧ᳭㉹卻᳭໸౗२ kiln sites.
(' 卼卿㌴༰⯝ទஎ㢙Ԡᙷջ⛾भǯ The present ewer has a very distinct form, and is smaller than ewers
typically used for tea whipping or wine pouring. It is intriguing to
The result of C-Link Research & Development Limited
Thermoluminesence Analysis number 2371GF02 is consistent with the speculate on its function. Its form in the shape of a melon might
dating of this lot. give us some hints. The imagery of melons forms the rebus guadie
mianmian (numerous melons borne on never-ending vines), a phrase
The current ewer has a clay body that is exceptionally fine and white, which conveys the wish for abundant offspring. As early as the Tang
characteristic of the finest and most prized Ding wares. The way this dynasty, vessels were made in melon forms encapsulating such
ewer was glazed is also noteworthy. It is fully glazed, with exception auspicious wishes. The current ewer is potted with a very small
of a very slim ring on the inner rim of the foot ring, on which the glaze opening obstructed by a horizontal strut, which would inevitably
had been scraped off to support firing on spurs. Such meticulous affect its practicality as a functional water container. Hence it is more
glaze application is rarely seen and represents the finest technique likely that it serves as a decorative piece with auspicious symbolism.
of spur-firing. Only one comparable example with the same method One comparable example is a set of wine vessels, including a wine
of glazing on the foot and with equally fine body and glaze is known, ewer and warming bowl, excavated from the Liuhuantun Hoard
which is a Ding example from the imperial tomb of the Northern in Fuyu County, Jilin province (fig. 5). Their noticeably small sizes
Song Empress Yuande (943-977), mother of the Song Emperor and impractical features suggest that they were not intended to be
Zhenzong, in Gongyi, Henan. Such connection suggests that the functional, but as decorative items to convey fortuitous wishes, or as
current ewer shares characteristics distinctive to Ding wares which gifts, or to be used in rituals.
were produced as tributes for the Imperial family during the mid-to- (Excerpt translated from the Chinese essay by Qin Dashu pp. 4-5)
late Northern Song period.
Ding ewers of melon form are very rare. A majority of Ding wares
are of bowls and dishes, while moulded ewers with appliqué are
rare exceptions. A small number of Ding melon-form ewers have
been excavated, mostly in the territory of the Liao state, spanning
across the mid-Northern Song to mid-to-late Jin dynasties. The
most similar example to the present lot is a Ding ewer of closely
comparable shape, glaze and clay body, excavated from no. 6 tomb
located at Qahar Right Front Banner Haoqian Unit in Inner Mongolia
(fig. 1). A gilt-bronze face-mask uncovered at the site suggested a
Liao period dating to around 1032 to 1064. Another ewer of similar
form was excavated from the tomb of the Liao official Zhao Kuangyu,
dating to 1060, in Mouzhangzi village, Chaoyang, Liaoning province
(fig. 2). However, this ewer is carved on the body with naturalistic
plantain leaf motifs, which are stylistically different from plantain
leaves seen on Ding wares from the late Northern Song period, but
more typically seen on Longquanwu wares fired in Beijing. The glaze
and clay body of this ewer are also characteristic of Longquanwu
wares. Towards the late Northern Song dynasty, lobed ewers tend to
be made with taller and slimmer forms, with less pronounced lobes,
gradually departing from the shape of melons. One such example is a
ewer, decorated on the body with appliqué vines and incised butterfly
motifs, unearthed from a Liao tomb in Nanningzi Village, Chaoyang,
Liaoning province, dating to the late Liao period (fig. 3). Towards
the Jin dynasty, ewers further move away from melon form to pear-
shaped form, with longer spouts and even less pronounced lobes,
and are often undecorated. Their workmanship is also noticeably less
refined than the ones made in mid-to-late Northern Song dynasty.
base
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