AN UNUSUAL RUSSET-SPLASHED BROWN-GLAZED TRUNCATED VASE, TULU PING NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY

of tulu ping form with the broad shoulder of the body tapering towards the flat base, surmounted by a short constricted neck and flared mouthrim, applied over all save for the unglazed base with a glossy warm brown glaze pooling in thick uneven drops around the foot, the body liberally decorated in russet splashes running down the sides and ringed by vivid blue haloes

Sotheby's London, 7th June 2000, lot 99.

Good overall condition with just extensive surface wear and scratching especially around the broadest part of the shoulder. The base of the jar has several attractive pools of glaze, one of these has been bruised, and the glaze lost. The colour in reality is darker and more lustrous than the catalogue photo, which has more of an orange tint.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Featuring an elegant slim mouth,  a broad or round shoulder and a stout body, the truncated meiping or 'prunus vase' shape enjoyed popularity for a brief period in the Northern Song (960-1127) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties, and was produced by some of the most important ceramic centres in China. It is however extremely rare to find a truncated meiping with splashed decoration, and the present piece differs from known examples in its attractive warm brown glaze and the light-coloured splashes ringed by a vivid blue halo and appears to be unique.

Compare four truncated meiping covered with a black glaze decorated with russet splashes, one illustrated in Sekai tōji zenshū/Ceramic art of the World, vol. 12: Sō/Song Dynasty, Tokyo, 1977, no. 246; one in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 3, no. 1510; one sold at Christie's New York, 20th March 2001, lot 202, and again in our New York rooms, 23rd March 2011, lot 517, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, Tokyo, 1982, vol. 8, pl. 159; and the fourth sold in our New York rooms, 26th March 1971, lot 88.

For truncated meiping of similar form, see also a 'Ding' vase with peony design in brown slip from the famous Ataka collection and ranked as Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government, illustrated in The Beauty of Asian Ceramics: From the Collection of the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, Osaka, 2014, pl. 20; and a 'Yaozhou' vase with persimmon glaze, sold at Christie's New York, 20th September 2002, lot 293, and again in our New York rooms, 23rd March 2011, lot 560.

The truncated meiping form is most common among 'Cizhou' wares, although they tend to differ in glaze and decoration from the present piece; compare, for example, three white-ware vases with black painted designs in Yutaka Mino, Freedom of Clay and Brush Through Seven Centuries in Northern China: Tz'u-chou Type Wares 960 - 1600 A.D, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, 1980, pls. 87-89; and a white-ware vase with white slip sgraffitto peony design, included in the exhibition Charm of Black and White Ware: Transition of Cizhou Type Wares, Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, Osaka, 2002, cat. no. 34.