Page 96 - Sothebys HK Dragon Emperor April 2024

A legacy of the Southern Song dynasty, exclusively with a glossy coloured [glaze] that was lustrous and
made for the imperial court, guan (‘official’) wares from translucent. They were treasured [by everyone] in the
Hangzhou are extremely rare and highly sought after. realm. Subsequently, a different new kiln was established
They are renowned for their elegant form and unctuous at Jiaotanxia [which produced wares that were] greatly
glaze, emulating a restrained beauty which embodies the different from [that produced at the] old kiln.’
aesthetics of the period.
With its angularity enveloped in multiple layers of
It is a story of success from wreckage and despair. opaque jade-celadon glaze, the present vase stands for
Having failed to defend their territory against the the refined taste of the Song, celebrating the delicate
Jurchens in the north, the Song court withdrew to the balance between lines and curves, appealing to the
south of the Yangtze River and established its capital at senses of sight and touch. The dark brown surface
Lin’an in Hangzhou. Despite a sense of insecurity, the underneath is revealed where the glaze thins, crackles or
retreat brought peace to the empire, allowing all forms retracts, adding a veneer of sophistication to the vessel.
of arts and culture to revive and flourish. Official kilns
were established in Hangzhou to produce refined wares Continuing the practice of the fabled Ru kiln of the
in celadon Northern
glazes with A legacy of the Southern Song dynasty, exclusively Song dynasty,
veined crackles artisans of
that had once made for the imperial court, guan wares [...] are the Southern
exclusively renowned for their elegant form and unctuous glaze, Song official
defined the kilns sought
esteemed emulating a restrained beauty which embodies the inspiration
northern aesthetics of the period. not only from
Ru wares. archaic bronzes
Improving on but also exotic
their stylistic simplicity, with an emphasis on archaism glassware. Glass vessels imported from the Near East
favoured by the scholars of the period, the southern were cherished in ancient China, as evidenced by a glass
manufactory succeeded in creating elegant objects of its mallet vase discovered in the Liao dynasty tomb of the
own right that captured the zeitgeist. princess of State Chen, which closely resembles the
porcelain counterparts from Ru and Laohudong sites
One of the earliest references to guan kilns may be (see Mori Tatsuya, ‘Ruyao yu Nansong guanyao: Shaozao
found in Tan zhai bihen [Composed measures from the jishu he qizhong bijiao [Ru kiln and Southern Song
Tan Studio], written by the Southern Song scholar Ye dynasty official kiln: Comparison of firing techniques
Zhi: ‘The kiln [site] at Xiuneisi, referred to as the inner and types of wares]’, Gugong Bowuyuan bashiwu huadan
kiln, inherited the production [method] of the ancient Songdai guanyao ji guanyao zhidu guoji xueshu yantaohui
capital and produced celadon wares that used clear lunwenji [Essays presented at the Palace Museum 85th
clay as standard. [These wares were] extremely fine anniversary international conference of Song dynasty

fig. 1. A facetted glass bottle vase, Near East, possibly Iraq fig. 2. A guan ware yellow-glazed octagonal vase, Southern Song dynasty, h.
or Iran, 10th-11th century, h. 14.9 cm, Corning Museum of 21.8 cm, excavated from Jiaotanxia kiln site, mouth and neck restored based
Glass, Corning, NY, accession no. 54.1.107. Image licensed by on heirloom examples
The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY (www.cmog.org),
under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
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