Page 59 - Sotheby's NYC September 21 2022 Important Chinese Art

Fig. 1 A ‘Guan’ tripod censer, Song dynasty, illustrated in
Ju and Kuan Wares. Imperial Wares of the Sung Dynasty,
Related Wares and Derivatives of Later Date, Oriental
Ceramic Society, London, 1952, cat. no. 52
圖一 宋官窰三足爐，圖載於《Ju and Kuan Wares. Imperial
Wares of the Sung Dynasty, Related Wares and Derivatives of Later
Date》，東方陶瓷學會，倫敦，1952年，編號52

Guan yao, the fabled ‘official ware’ specially created for the wares modeled on the official ware of the Northern Song.
imperial court of the Southern Song (1127-1279) in Hangzhou Somewhat later, another kiln at Hangzhou produced a
in south China, is amongst the most desirable and certainly similar but lesser ware. The basic message of these reports
one of the rarest types of Chinese ceramics. Its elegant, appears to be supported by archaeological research, since
unassuming simplicity belies its technical sophistication, and two different kiln sites have been explored at Hangzhou, one
showcases Chinese potters at the height of their ingenuity, at Wuguishan, south of the former imperial city, the other at
technical capabilities and aesthetic vision. Laohudong on the site formerly occupied by the imperial city.
Because of their locations and the different qualities of the
When the Southern Song court looked to commission a
new official ware, the forms of archaic ritual bronzes or sherds recovered, the Wuguishan kiln has been interpreted as
jades provided the most important inspiration. During this the (lesser) Jiaotanxia kiln; the Laohudong kiln as the exalted
time, archaic bronzes and jades had begun to be excavated, Xiuneisi manufactory. It is difficult, however, to link the best
researched and collected as symbols and witnesses of a examples of guan ware to either kiln site.
blessed era of Chinese history, due to their central function in The form of the current incense burner is extremely rare,
important state rituals in antiquity. but two closely related examples are published: one from
The present incense burner is not directly copied, but clearly the Heeramaneck Collection, illustrated in Warren Cox, The
based on an archaic bronze li vessel. The exquisite, unctuous Book of Pottery and Porcelain, vol. I, New York, 1970, fig. 292,
glaze of the present vase with its smooth pleasing texture, and another from the collection of Richard Bryant Hobart,
milky-blue tint and subtle gloss was achieved through sold at Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 12th December
gradual application of multiple layers and presumably 1969, lot 201, and included in the exhibition Ju and Kuan
successive firings. The dark blackish-brown body visible on Wares. Imperial Wares of the Sung Dynasty, Related Wares
the feet adds depth to the glaze and gravitas to the whole and Derivatives of Later Date, Oriental Ceramic Society,
object, as it subtly accentuates the shape. London, 1952, cat. no. 52 (fig. 1). A guan tripod incense
burner also modeled after an archaic bronze li vessel, but of
Guan ware is mentioned and lauded already in contemporary more rounded ovoid form, formerly in the collections of Enid
texts of the Southern Song period. According to those and Brodie Lodge and J.T. Tai, was sold in these rooms, 22nd
texts, Xiuneisi, the Palace Maintenance Office, set up a March 2011, lot 183, and more recently at Christie’s Hong
kiln in the new capital, present day Hangzhou, to produce Kong, 29th May 2018, lot 2902.

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