A LARGE JUNYAO TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER JIN – YUAN DYNASTY |

sturdily potted with a compressed globular body resting on three cabriole legs, each decorated with a mythical beast mask, all surmounted by a constricted straight neck and galleried rim, covered overall with an unctuous bluish-lavender glaze thinning to a pale mushroom tone at the edges and extremities and stopping short of the tips of the legs to showcase the grey body

Sotheby's London, 13th December 1988, lot 113.
Collection of the Tsui Art Foundation.
Christie's New York, 19th September 2006, lot 212.

Gems of Chinese Art: Selections of Chinese Ceramics and Bronzes from the Tsui Art Foundation, The Empress Palace Museum, Singapore, 1992, cat. no. 43.

There are shallow chips to the rim, the longest measuring approx. 2.6 cm. The incense burner is otherwise in good overall condition with expected wear, especially to the tips of the legs.
"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."

Impressive for its large size which is covered in a luminous, almost iridescent, glaze of lavender and blue, this incense burner is extremely rare. Vessels of these proportions are more commonly found with splashed glazes or more elaborately moulded decoration on the body. The present incense burner is only subtly decorated with mythical beast masks from which the legs issue, and the comparatively lack of applied decoration on the body draws attention to the clarity of the glaze and the subtle elegance of the form. A comparably sized incense burner, but with a light blue glaze, from the Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, is published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ru, Guan, Jin, Guangdong and Yixing Wares, London, 1999, pl. 95.

It was discovered in the 1980s that the blue tone of Jun ware was not created by pigments but is actually an optical effect. During firing, the glaze separates into light-scattering droplets of glass and when light passes through this ‘glass emulsion’ the blue spectrum of light is reflected, giving the ware its bright blue colour. The thickness of the glaze is a critical factor in creating these optical blues. It has been thought that this was a consequence of multiple glaze layers, but analyses of sectioned shards done at the kiln sites indicate that only a single layer is applied and that the depth of glaze is attributable to the thick body, as water from the glaze is absorbed by the porous biscuit, resulting in a more substantial covering.