Page 89 - March 23, 2022 Sotheby's NYC Fine Chinese Works of Art

Fig. 1 A white glazed jar, Sui dynasty ©Palace Museum, Beijing.
Fig. 2 A large white glazed jar, Sui dynasty. Sotheby’s Hong Kong,
圖一 隋 白釉罐 ©故宮博物院，北京 19th November 1984, lot 131.
圖二 隋 白釉罐 香港蘇富比，1984年11月19日，編號131
Large and impressive white-glazed jars from the Sui dynasty white glaze and large body skillfully executed, represents the
(581-618), as beautifully glazed and shaped as this piece, technical advances made during the Sui period, which laid a
are rare. Wares of this type are testimony to an important solid foundation for the further development of white wares
achievement in the history of Chinese ceramics. They belong in later dynasties, such as Ding ware of the Song (960-1279).
to some of the earliest high-fired stonewares with a white Distinguished by its glaze, size and shape, this vessel has
body and transparent glaze, not only in China but in the few recorded counterparts. Compare a covered wine offering
world, examples of which are extremely rare. Although such jar of this form, excavated from the tomb of the official Ji
wares still tend to have a relatively thick body, they are so Wei, who was buried in 610 near Xi’an in Shaanxi province,
similar to the later developed true porcelain that it is not illustrated in Käte Finsterbusch, Zur Archaologie der Pei-Ch’i
always easy to make a distinction between the two.
(550-577) und Sui-Zeit (581-618), Wiesbaden, 1976, pl. 49,
While the emergence of stonewares can be traced back to fig. 10, and discussed in an article by Zhi Yan in Wenwu, no. 2,
earlier dynasties, it was around 6th century that the firing 1977, p. 57, where it is reproduced in a line drawing, fig. 1, no.
technique made a major step forward. According to the 5. A white-glazed jar of closely related form to the present
Palace Museum, Beijing, the white wares excavated from piece, but of smaller size, measuring 19.2 cm in height, and
the tomb of Li Jingxun of the fourth year of Daye in the Sui lacking a cover, is preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing
dynasty (608), which belonged to the daughter of an official (accession no. xin-39093), illustrated in The Complete
with close connections to the court, demonstrate a huge Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of
improvement in glaze quality compared to the white wares the Jin and Tang Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 58 (fig.
unearthed from the tomb of General Fan Cui of the sixth 1). Another slightly smaller jar, also of beehive shape, but
year of Wuping in the Northern Qi dynasty (575). The firing without a cover, was formerly in the collection of Dr Ip Yee,
technique in the Sui dynasty was much more mature so that later sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th November 1984, lot
a whiter color could be achieved. The present jar, with its 131 (fig. 2).
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