A CIZHOU PAINTED AND INCISED 'PHOENIX' JAR JIN – YUAN DYNASTY |

sturdily potted with a robust ovoid body surmounted by a short neck, the exterior painted in black over a white slip with two large phoenix soaring amidst cloud scrolls

A private Japanese collection, by 1980.

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, p.206, fig. 252.  

As visible in the photo, there are typical flakes to the slip, minor bruises to the mouth and foot and other general surface wear. Traces of adhesive at 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. 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."

This jar is a remarkable example of a rare group of Cizhou wares with motifs both painted and incised through layers of black and white slip. Wares of this type are discussed by Yutaka Mino in the catalogue to the exhibition 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, p. 198, where he suggests that they originally evolved from sgraffiato wares. He further notes that while painted and incised wares may have originated in the Northern Song period, they became popular only in the Jin, concurrently with the decline of the sgraffiato technique. See also a related Cizhou jar painted and incised with birds, dated as Jin / Yuan, sold in our New York rooms, 11th September 2019, lot 508, and another from the Manno Art museum, illustrated in Toji Taikei, Jishuyo, vol. 39, Gakuji Hasebe, Heibonsha, 1974, no. 69.