A 'JIAN' 'HARE'S FUR' BOWL SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the robustly potted body with deep rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a slightly everted rim, covered overall with a lustrous black glaze suffused with russet 'hare's fur' streaks extending from the rim down the interior and exterior, the glaze falling short of the foot to reveal the purplish-brown stoneware body

The bowl is in overall good condition with some minor scratches to the interior.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Although bowls of this type were made in large quantities by the Jian kilns in Fujian province, the present bowl is exceptional for its lustrous glaze. It displays all the major characteristics of wares of this type in an exemplary fashion: the delicate and even russet-brown striations reminiscent of hare's fur, the rich glaze forming a thick wall around the body and pooling towards the foot, and the faint groove below the rim for ease of secure gripping and slow drinking. From literature it is known that the very best quality Jian bowls were carefully selected as tribute from Fujian to the court. Jian teabowls were renowned for their unique suitability for tea drinking as the fine foam of the whisked powdered tea contrasted attractively against the dark glaze of the vessel. The thickness of the glaze helped keep the beverage warm and protected the hands of the drinker against scalding.

See similar bowls of this type, including one from the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, included in the Museum’s exhibition Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers, Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers, Chinese Brown- and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-600, Cambridge, 1995, cat. no. 79; another, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 204; another bowl with a metal-bound rim in the Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto, illustrated in Chugoku no toji.  Temmoku. Tokyo, 1999, pl. 39; and a fourth in the Meiyintang Collection, also with a metal-bound rim, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, vol. 1, 1994, no. 530.