A RARE SANCAI-GLAZED POTTERY EWER TANG DYNASTY

superbly potted, the ovoid body rising from a tall splayed foot to a double-waisted neck, all below a wide pinched mouth attached to the shoulder by an arched double-strap handle with a tabbed thumb-piece, the body with three horizontal bands of grooved circles, applied with crisply molded floral crests and stylized palmettes, all beneath splashed straw, green and amber glazes, stopping unevenly to reveal the buff body at the base, Japanese wood box (3)

Acquired in Japan in the 1960s (by repute).

The handle has been broken and reattached. Black light examination indicates that there was a break at the base of the neck which has been restored. There are scattered areas of glaze loss and restoration to glaze loss and minor chips to the spout, the body and most prominently to the lower two/thirds of the base. The base is slightly uneven.
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 flamboyant ewer encapsulates the international spirit and the opulent atmosphere at the Chinese court in the first half of the Tang dynasty (618-907), which saw an unprecedented rise in the ingenuity and skills of the country’s artisans who strove to meet the rising demands of an affluent and discerning aristocracy. With the increased commercial and cultural exchange with Western Asia through the Silk Road, Chang’an emerged as an international metropolis par excellence. Its sizable communities of foreign residents from across Asia allowed craftsmen to come into contact with an abundance of styles and techniques, which they quickly synthesized in creating the aesthetic trends of the period.

The present piece, although unique, belongs to an extremely small group of ewers modeled with a pinched mouth and decorated with floral appliques. The application of these sprig-molded reliefs, which evokes the encrustation of precious metal objects with jewels and pearls, were widely used in the Northern Qi period, and their popularity continued into the Tang dynasty, when fanciful floral and foliate palmette motifs appeared in a multitude of myriad versions on artifacts of various media, including textiles, silver and ceramics.

A ewer of similar form, but with a variation of floral appliques, was included in the exhibition Sui Tō no bijutsu [Arts of the Sui and Tang Dynasties], Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, Osaka, 1978, cat. no. 91; another, covered almost entirely in a blue glaze, in the Fuji Art Museum, Tokyo, is illustrated in Sekai tōji zenshu / Ceramic Art of the World, Tokyo, 1976, vol. 11, pl. 39; a third, of more globular shape, from the collection of George Eumorfopoulos and now in the British Museum, London, is published in R.L. Hobson and A.L. Hetherington, The Art of the Chinese Potter, London, 1923, pl. XV; and two further examples are illustrated in Masterpieces of Chinese and Korean Ceramics in the Ataka Collection, Tokyo, 1980, pls 48 and 49.

Compare also a sancai censer decorated with similar applique, included in The Special Exhibition of Tang Tri-Colour, National Museum of History, Taipei, 1995, cat. no. 80; and another from the collection of Howard C. Hollis, included in the exhibition The Arts of the T’ang Dynasty, Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, 1957, cat. no. 197.