Page 194 - Sotheby's Fine Chinese Art NYC September 2023

770
AN EXCEPTIONAL ‘JIAN’ ‘NOGIME TEMMOKU’ This type of glaze was so popular that it was copied by
TEA BOWL several northern kilns, which applied a dark brown slip to the
SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY unglazed part at the base to hide their light grey or brown
stoneware body. These ‘oil-spots’ were formed when oxides
Japanese wood box (3) of iron segregated themselves from the iron-saturated glaze
Diameter 4⅝ in., 12 cm.
during firing and crystallised on the surface during cooling
(Robert D. Mowry, Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge
PROVENANCE
Feathers. Chinese Brown- and Black-Glazed Ceramics,
Japanese Private Collection, Kansai Region.
400-1400, Cambridge, 1995, p. 222).
Bowls with this exquisite dappled black glaze with striking A similar Jian bowl with a metal rim mount, from the
iridescent ‘hare’s fur’ and ‘oil spot’ markings are among the collection of the Tokyo Bunkacho, the Agency for Cultural
most celebrated products of the Song dynasty kilns at Jian, Affairs, Tokyo, registered by the Japanese Government as
in northern Fujian province. The desirability of these bowls an Important Cultural Property, was included in the Special
coevolved with the tea-drinking tradition of the period.
Exhibition. Chinese Ceramics, Tokyo National Museum,
At that time, Chan Buddhist priests prepared, imbibed, and Tokyo, 1994, cat. no. 198, and again in Song Ceramics, Tobu
served tea for its beneficial effects on the body and mind. Museum of Art, Tokyo, 1999, cat. no. 76, together with a
The elaborate preparatory process – which involved scraping related oil-spot bowl with larger spots from the Museum of
tea from a pressed cake, drying it, grinding it, putting it Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, which is designated as a National
through a sieve, selecting the finest resulting powder, Treasure, cat. no. 74.
mixing it into a paste with warm water, and gradually For other examples of similar quality sold at auction, see the
adding additional water while simultaneously whisking it ‘Jian’ ‘temmoku’ from the Aoyama studio, sold in our Hong
into a frothy beverage – played a central role in religious Kong rooms, 8th April 2023, lot 3674, and another from the
ceremonies. It also became fashionable in elite social circles. Plesch and Pilkington Collections, sold in our Hong Kong
Sacred and secular enthusiasts alike sought to master the rooms, 6th April 2016, lot 12 and again 9th October 2020,
art of tea-making, with praise awarded to the person who lot 31.
achieved the richest froth.
The intrinsic qualities of Jian bowls made them particularly ⊖ $ 80,000-120,000
suited for tea preparation and enjoyment. In size and form,
they were comfortable to hold. Their heavy potting had an 南宋 建窰禾目天目茶盞
insulating effect, keeping the tea inside hot while protecting
the fingers from the heat. Their speckled black glazes, 來源
subtly imbued with the spectral colouration of refracted 日本關西私人收藏
light, heightened the aesthetic experience of a well-formed
white froth. Additionally, Jian bowls were made in the same
province as the empire’s prized teas, providing another link
between the vessel and its contents.
Jian artisans experimented within this ceramic type
with dazzling results. By manipulating body and glaze
compositions, kiln temperatures, the cooling process,
and allowing for the interventions of chance factors in the
firing process, Jian ceramicists created wares that display
the full potential of the iron oxide glaze. One of the most
desirable and extremely rare effects is ‘oil spot’, in which
tiny shimmering circles appear on the glaze. It is difficult
to achieve because the craftsman must interrupt the firing
between the moment when the spots form and the moment
when they dissolve into streaks. Most ‘oil spot’ examples
today are found in Japan, where they have long been prized
and known as yuteki temmoku (oil-spot temmoku).

384 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11275 385