The conical bowl is well potted on a short foot, the exposed white rim suffused with a russet-glaze fading to an olive/black to the centre, the reverse similarly spectacularly coloured, the foot rim unglazed.
This 'Ding' bowl belongs to one of the rarest and most highly prized groups of Song wares. 'Ding' vessels covered with russet and black glazes are extremely rare and the glaze found on this bowl is especially lustrous and glossy. The thin potting of the very fine white body, as seen exposed at the foot and equally visible through the slip at the rim, and the perfectly shaped conical form of this bowl are characteristic of the finest 'Ding' vessels developed in the Dingzhou kilns at Quyang, Ding county, Hebei province in the Northern Song period.
The closest comparable example to the present piece is the 'Ding' bowl in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, Mass., of classic conical form with variegated deep russet glaze with small brown flecks, illustrated in Robert D. Mowry, Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers, Cambridge, Mass., 1995, pl. 16. Mowry, ibid., p. 112, also mentions a related unpublished russet 'Ding' bowl in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco that has the same shape, foot rim type and exposed ring of body clay above the foot, but its glaze has a more intense russet skin, and it lacks the flecks found on the Sackler bowl.
See also a black 'Ding' bowl decorated with the pattern of 'partridge feathers' in brown glaze, from the collections of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Bernat and the Manno Art Museum, Tokyo, sold in Sotheby's New York rooms, 7/11/1980, lot 91, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 28th October 2002, lot 515; another black 'Ding' conical bowl sold at Sotheby's London, 15/5/2013, lot 35.
In addition, a smaller dark 'Ding' bowl with prominent russet splashes, in the Hebei Provincial Museum, published in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan. Taoci juan, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 346.
14.3cm diameter
Estimate $35,000 - $55,000
Overall in good condition.
The opinions expressed in the condition reports are a guide only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Prospective buyers are encouraged to seek further information or request additional images during our pre-sale period where Leonard Joel staff are available for advice. Please note condition reports can be amended during the pre-sale period, so we strongly suggest any interested bidders check the published condition report available on the website before the auction commences. Leonard Joel makes no guarantee of the originality of mechanical or applied components. Absence of reference to such modifications does not imply that a lot is free from modifications.
Collection of Dr. Jonathan Broido (1941 - 2008).
Dr. Jonathan Broido was a professor of mathematics and philosophy. He received his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and lectured in the US, Israel and the UK, in philosophy, mathematics, AI and interdisciplinarity. He was also an avid collector and lecturer on antiques and rugs - known in particular for his expertise and love of Asian ceramics and rare and archaic Turkoman weavings. He travelled throughout Asia acquiring pieces, as well as making finds in London's antique markets and the US.
Sotheby's London, 10/06/2004, lot 266.
Sworders, Essex, UK, 19/5/2023, lot 20.
Important Chinese & Asian Art
AUCTION
Sale: LJ8825
11:00am - 25 October 2026
Hawthorn
VIEWING
Thurs 22 - Sat 24 October, 11am - 5pm
2 Oxley Rd, Hawthorn VIC
CONTACT
Luke Guan
luke.guan@leonardjoel.com.au
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