A rare 'Cizhou' russet-painted black-glazed handled jar, Jin dynasty

Sotheby's London, 9th November 2005, lot 231.

Black wares reached the height of their popularity during the Song and Jin dynasties, and the present lot is a superb example of its type. The kilns of northern China were among the most innovative ceramic centers of this period, celebrated for their expressive painted decoration and robust forms. Jars such as the present lot, covered in a lustrous blackish-brown glaze and enlivened with russet-painted decoration, reflect the kilns’ mastery of iron-based pigments and their confident synthesis of function and visual impact. One of the most striking features of the present lot is its inventive handle, fashioned in imitation of a twisted rope. By incorporating this humble, everyday object, the potter transformed an otherwise simple black jar into a work of remarkable ingenuity and freshness.

See a closely related example with a similar rope-twist handle, previously in the Cunliffe Collection, sold at Bonhams London, 11th November 2002, lot 37 and another previously in the Yangdetang Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th November 2016, lot 3124.