The small Cizhou bowl of open, globular form above a small short foot. The rounded body with a thick inverted rim and decorated with six flowerheads to the exterior, in the form of five olive-brown dots around a sixth dot in the centre. The body covered in a creamy slip with a clear overglaze, stopping above the foot.
A shallow Cizhou bowl with dotted design (Five Dynasties-Northern Song dynasty, 10th-11th century)
Description
Dimensions: 7.5cm high, 12.5cm diameter
Provenance:
Spink & Son, London, 15 September 1983 (invoice)
A private Belgian collection
The small Cizhou bowl of open, globular form above a small short foot. The rounded body with a thick inverted rim and decorated with six flowerheads to the exterior, in the form of five olive-brown dots around a sixth dot in the centre. The body covered in a creamy slip with a clear overglaze, stopping above the foot.
The Cizhou kiln in modern-day Handan, Hebei Province produced porcelain featuring white glaze and black patterns which was exported to the Middle East on a large scale. Craftspeople drew experience from gold handicrafts, applying gilding and carving techniques in creating porcelain. They used tools to engrave patterns on the surface instead of using brush pens. These innovative products soon gained popularity across the north part of China and were then exported overseas. Many of the vessels produced by the Cizhou kiln were intended for daily use and include teapots, wine containers, bowls and vases, reflecting the lifestyle of the people in the Song Dynasty.
Compare a similar example exhibited by Kaikodo, New York in ‘Elegant Solutions’, March-April 2015, no. 4. Another, near identical bowl is in the collection of the Cizhou Kiln Museum, and was included in the Hangzhou Museum exhibition ‘Cizhou Kiln Porcelain’, 2020-2021.
