An extremely rare and outstanding heirloom Jian 'nogime tenmoku' tea bowl, Southern Song dynasty | 南宋 建窰兔毫禾目天目茶盞

Passed down in Japan since medieval times, thence in the collection of Baron Fujita Denzaburō (1841- 1912).

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5th April 2015, lot 2835.

自中世紀於日本傳世，後入藏於藤田伝三郎男爵（1841-1912年）收藏

香港蘇富比2015年4月5日，編號2835

'Hare's fur' glazes of this radiant type, which have been passed from hand to hand over the centuries in Japan, are exceedingly rare. The humble appearances of these tea bowls made them appropriate for use in Buddhist temples, and they were held in great esteem in the Song dynasty (960-1279). Dramatically contrasting to the white foam of whipped tea, bowls enveloped in this lustrous black glaze were greatly appreciated and soon gained popularity beyond the monastic circles. Emperor Huizong (r. 1101-25), well known for his love for tea, stated that the black-glazed tea bowls, especially those decorated with 'hare's fur' like the present example, were the most desirable. Together with whipped tea, Song dynasty 'Jian' tea bowls are believed to have arrived in Japan in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) when Zen Buddhism was introduced, and have since then been greatly treasured.

A similar bowl was included in the exhibition Karamono tenmoku [Chinese tenmoku], MOA Art Museum, Atami, 1994, cat. no. 6. This exhibition catalogue, where a few important heirloom tenmoku tea bowls preserved in Japan were juxtaposed with a large sample of excavated specimens from the kiln site, impressively documented the wide range of qualities and the excellence of the examples collected in Japan. Another bowl with a similar glaze appearance in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, was included in the exhibition Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers. Chinese Brown- and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Mass., 1996, cat. no. 83. Only one sherd with a similar glaze effect is illustrated in J.M. Plumer, Temmoku. A Study of the Ware of Chien, Tokyo, 1972, p. 59, pl. 8.

Baron Fujita Denzaburō (1841-1912), was among one in a line of select former owners of this bowl; the eminent Meiji-period entrepreneur, industrialist and master of tea ceremony had assembled an unrivalled collection of Song dynasty tea wares and many other exceptional East Asian works of art. His heirs, following in their father's footsteps, had also inherited his passion and founded the renowned Fujita Museum in Osaka in 1954, preserving thousands of artworks amassed by the enthusiastic collector. Among the distinguished repertoire, the museum houses nine National Treasures and over fifty Important Cultural Objects, as officially immortalized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan, with the most notable being the legendary Yohen Tenmoku.

兔毫者，舉世稀珍，釉色盈潤光潔，與建窰名品油滴相類，唯紋式有異。細觀兔毫其紋，纖俊秀逸，宛若清清細雨，隨雲起，破長空醉舞，飄然落，又如屢屢銀波，伴明月，邀靜夜輕風，拂水過。建窰兔毫，謙素而內斂，多為佛寺所用。黑盞鬪茶，擊拂見白花，清晰可辨，易於觀色，宋人盡皆追之。徽宗趙佶，鍾迷茶事，曾言道，「盞色貴青黑，玉毫條達者為上」。鐮倉日本，舶入大宋精髓，尚建盞、研茶道、修禪門，人盡奉之，以為致珍。

可見一相類盌例，展於《唐物天目》，MOA美術館，熱海，1994年，圖版6。此展編錄數件日本傳世天目，兼有大量出土標本，集眾之所成，尤見其品別之精廣。另見一例，藏紐約大都會博物館，展於《Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers. Chinese Brown- and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400》，哈佛藝術博物館，劍橋，馬薩諸塞州，1996年，圖版83。亦見一相類瓷片，錄於 J.M. Plumer，《Temmoku. A Study of the Ware of Chien》，東京，1972年，頁59，圖版8。

此重要茶盌為藤田伝三郎男爵（1841-1912年）舊藏，藤田氏乃日本明治時代實業家、大阪商界一代大亨、以及和歌和茶道大師，數十年間，蒐藏多件頂級宋代茶器及東洋古美術珍品。其後人於1954年於大阪創立藤田博物館。該館為日本最為重要的文博機構之一，雅蓄數千件藤田氏珍藏，包括九件國寶級文物和五十多件重要文化財產，以曜變天目最為人所知。