A RARE DINGYAO PERSIMMON-GLAZED CUPSTAND SONG DYNASTY |

modelled after the lacquer prototype with a cup-shaped receptacle, supported on a circular dish and a hollow gently splayed foot, covered overall save for the footring with a copper-russet glaze thinning at the edges, the unglazed footring revealing the white body

Collection of Zhang Ling, member of the Kau Chi Society, Hong Kong, prior to 2000.

The mouthrim of the cup has a restored chip of approx. 2 cm, and two hairline cracks of approx. 1.5 cm. An area of approx. 7 cm of the dish-shaped flange has been retouched with overpaint to conceal a few rim chips, which is opposite to another tiny restored flake.
"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."

Cupstands covered in this soft persimmon glaze were a relatively rare product of the Dingzhou kilns at Quyang in Ding county. A persimmon-glazed cupstand of similar proportions in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collections of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 86; another in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, is illustrated in Rose Kerr, Song Dynasty Ceramics, London, 2004, pl. 40; and one with a lobed dish, in the St Louis Art Museum, was included in the exhibition Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 1995, cat. no. 13. See also a cupstand sold in these rooms, 5th April 2017, lot 3204; and another from the collections of Arthur M. Sackler and Ruth Dreyfus, sold at Christie’s New York, 1st December 1994, lot 155.

The close dialogue between craftsmen working in different media in the Song dynasty is particularly evident on monochrome wares. The elegant and unassuming form of this piece, and its delicate persimmon glaze recalls examples made in lacquer. Furthermore, both porcelains and lacquers of this type were fitted with thin metal rims: to protect the unglazed lip of Ding ware as the vessels were fired upside down, and to prevent chipping along the delicate lacquer edges.