Page 26 - Sothebys Important Chinese Art April 3 2018

ABSTRACT PAINTING

REGINA KRAHL

This colourful little bowl is one of the most spectacular ‘bubble’ ‘Jun’ ware is also unusual among the important Song wares
bowls preserved from the Jun kilns of Henan province. The in being thickly potted, thus lending itself to simple shapes.
dramatic, variegated, deep purple colouration that covers most Among the various ‘Jun’ ware bowl shapes, perhaps the most
of the inside, and the attractive, intense bluish-red pattern on delightful is that of these small bowls, probably used for wine,
the bright blue glaze on the outside, where the colour has been with their well-rounded, plump and pleasing forms, elegant in
applied in a bold movement, forming an undulating pattern, profile because of the small foot and in-turned lip, appealing to
give this bowl a distinct identity. Junyao pieces of this calibre hold in one’s hands and to drink from.
have the timeless beauty of abstract paintings.
‘Jun’ wares were produced by many different manufactories
This vessel, in the West known as a ‘bubble’ bowl, is one of in Henan, including the Ru kilns at Qingliangsi in Baofeng,
the rare pieces fully warranting that name, since the glossy as evidenced by archaeological excavations, see Baofeng
glaze on its inside evokes a most striking soap-bubble illusion: Qingliangsi Ruyao/Ru Yao at Qingliangsi in Baofeng,
Reflected lights seem to float high above the walls on an Zhengzhou, 2008, col. pl. 183; and Gugong Bowuyuan cang
imaginary soap bubble rising over the rim, rather than to stem Zhongguo gudai yaozhi biaoben [Specimens from ancient
from the glaze surface inside. Chinese kiln sites in the collection of the Palace Museum],
vol. 1: Henan juan [Henan volume], Beijing, 2005, passim. The
‘Jun’ ware, with its ravishing purple-and-blue colour
centre of production, where the finest wares were produced,
combination, is one the most daring creations in the history
was located in the modern county of Yuxian, in the former
of Chinese ceramics and certainly the most flamboyant of the
region of Junzhou, where several kilns have been excavated
major wares of the Song dynasty (960-1279). It is exceptional
and where bowls such as this were made; fragments of plain
also because its basic, bright sky-blue glaze colour derives
blue and purple-splashed ‘bubble’ bowls excavated there are
not from a pigment but from an optical illusion – indeed not
illustrated ibid., pl. 447.
unlike the blue of the sky – as minute spherules of glass in the
glaze are scattering blue light. The red derives from a copper- Although many fine ‘bubble’ bowls with fewer purple splashes
rich pigment applied to the blue glaze, which is difficult to are known, few show a glaze of such breathtaking vibrancy
control in the firing and thus particularly unpredictable in its as the present piece. As comparisons, two of the best extant
outcome. This chance effect is part of the ware’s attraction, examples come to mind, the two ‘bubble’ bowls from the
making every piece unique, with individual patterns and tonal Edward T. Chow collection, both also with deep overall
variations created as if by nature. purple colouration inside and a more distinctly painted
purple ‘pattern’ outside, both sold in our London rooms, 16th
Song connoisseurs were extremely advanced in their taste. If
December 1980, lots 264 and 265 (figs 1 and 2); the former
the aristocracy in most regions and periods generally valued
was sold again in these rooms from the T.Y. Chao collection,
expensive materials, complex forms and designs, and reliable
19th May 1987, lot 209, and at Christie’s New York from the
precision in their artefacts, the Song ruling elite, right up to the
Jingguantang collection, 16th September 1998, lot 359; the
imperial court, was able to appreciate simplicity, asymmetry
latter in our London rooms, 7th June 2000, lot 93.
and abstraction. Only thus can one explain the high regard
for vessels such as this bowl, which could be the work of a
contemporary artist, a thousand years ago.

24 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比