A RARE AND LARGE 'YUE' CHICKEN-HEAD EWER SOUTHERN DYNASTIES |

the tall ovoid body rising from a flat foot and surmounted by a tall tapering neck rising to an everted galleried mouth, the body encircled by double ribs and applied with two small double lug handles centering a mock spout modeled as a chicken's head, set with a slender arched strap handle with a dragon head terminal biting the rim, applied with a thick olive-green glazed pooling at the rings and stopping irregularly above the foot to reveal the stoneware body, two Japanese wood boxes (5)

Sotheby’s London, 15th December 1981, lot 121.

Overall in good condition with a small chip to the eye of the chicken head at the spout. With scattered frits to the edges, areas of wear to the glaze, and expected firing imperfections.
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.

Ewers of this type, with a mock spout, are known as ‘heavenly chicken ewers’, emblematic of their function as tomb wares. These ewers began to be produced in the Jin dynasty (265-420) by the Yue kilns in Zhejiang province, but they were soon copied by other southern manufactories and later adopted by northern celadon kilns. Ewers with chicken-head spouts are known in various sizes and proportions, their popularity attributed to the auspicious connotations of chickens, which were believed to be able to exorcise evil and cure diseases.  

A similar ewer was unearthed at Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, and is illustrated in Historical Relics Unearthed in New China, Beijing, 1872, pl. 141; and another with elaborate sprig-molded reliefs and attributed to the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577), is illustrated in Liu Liang-yu, A Survey of Chinese Ceramics 1. Early Wares: Prehistoric to Tenth Century, Taipei, 1991, p. 152 (top right).