A 'JIZHOU' INSCRIBED BOWL SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the interior decorated with three medallions enclosing the 'Three Friends of Winter', two with Chinese characters reading chun (Spring) and mei (plum), the third character indecipherable, all reserved in brown against the variegated, milky buff ground, the exterior covered in a 'tortoiseshell' glaze of dark brown color mottled in beige falling short of the knife-pared foot

Chugoku meito ten: Chugoku toji 2000-nen no seika [Exhibition of Chinese Pottery: Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics], Tokyo, 1992, no. 52.

The exterior has been polished, and there is a tiny chip on the rim.
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.

This group of bowls with quatrefoil motifs enclosing auspicious phrases was popular throughout south China during the Southern Song period. It is unusual to find bowls of this type with three floral medallions enclosing a single character, and no other examples appear to have been published. Related bowls, each with three medallions but enclosing auspicious four-character phrases are in the Jiangxi Provincial Museum illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji [Complete series on Chinese Ceramics], Shanghai, 1999-2000, vol. 8, pl. 217; and another in Chugoku no toji. Temmoku, Tokyo, 1999, pl. 53.