Page 198 - Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art II

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE ASIAN COLLECTOR
2342
AN EXTREMELY RARE DINGYAO VASE
NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY, 10TH CENTURY

With rounded sides beneath the straight neck and everted mouth rim, the vase is covered
overall with a transparent glaze of creamy white color that falls to the edge of the foot where
the fne white, porcellaneous ware is exposed.
9¿ in. (23.2 cm.) high, box

$280,000-350,000

PROVENANCE:

Sotheby’s London, 12 June 2003, lot 103.

Created at the Ding kilns, this extremely rare vase dates to the Northern Song period, as indicated
by the exceptionally meticulous fnish, the white body, the ivory-hued glaze, and the occasional
small glaze run in characteristic teardrop form. Unembellished, the vase relies upon tautness of form,
harmonious proportions, and sublime glaze color for its aesthetic appeal.
With an ovoid body and a neck that is wide in proportion to the body, this Ding vase descends
from the white-ware bottles fashioned in north China during the Tang dynasty, such as the example
unearthed in Xi’an and now in the Xi’an Institute of Cultural Relics Preservation (See: Liu Yunhui,
Zhou Kuiying, and Wang Xiaomeng, eds., Shaanxi, vol. 15 in Zhongguo Chutu Ziqi quanji / Complete
Collection of Ceramic Art Unearthed in China, Beijing: 2008, p. 68, no. 68.) However, with a smooth,
lustrous, evenly colored glaze, with walls of even thickness, and with a thin, everted lip that thickens
at its outer edge, this bottle is more refned than those produced during the Tang, which explains its
Northern Song date.

北宋 定窯白釉瓶

(base)

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