A black-glazed russet-painted jar, Jin dynasty / Yuan dynasty | 金 / 元 黑釉鐵鏽花紋罐

Christie's New York, 21st September 2004, lot 206.

來源

紐約佳士得2004年9月21日，編號206

It is uncommon to find black-glazed vessels boldly decorated with large and evenly arranged brown splashes as can be seen on the present piece. Dark wares of similar form were more often found with painted decoration of birds or plants; those featuring purely abstract brushwork such as this are rare. The russet brushstrokes on this jar not only have a strong calligraphic quality that would have appealed to the literati of the time, but also have an abstract element that gives this vessel a strikingly contemporary feel. With a smooth and dark surface which reflects light almost like a mirror, this glossy black jar is exceptionally impressive.

Kilns in Northern China, especially those in Henan, Hebei, and Shandong provinces, were particularly active in producing black wares. Since around the twelfth century, potters had begun to add painted decoration on dark-glazed vessels, both in the form of representational designs and more abstract markings. Painted with simple spots or strokes that favor elegance over extravagance, these wares possess a minimalistic beauty that aligned very closely with the aesthetics of the time.

Compare a taller, more olive-shape vase with a similar pattern, included in the exhibition Chinese Ceramics from the Prehistoric Period through Ch’ien Lung, Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, 1952, cat. no. 207; a jar with slightly irregular markings, now in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (accession no. B70P15), illustrated in He Li, Chinese Ceramics, London, 1996, pl. 311; a baluster vase painted with markings more similar to the present piece sold in our London rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 163; and a wide-mouthed jar more with splashes of various sizes sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 11th July 2020, lot 120.