probably 11th century
In profile, this elegant cupstand resembles a small bowl resting on a high-footed saucer. Of circular form, the saucer portion sits on a tall, hollow, circular foot that is lightly splayed. The alms-bowl-shaped receptacle rises from the center of the saucer, its walls turning in delicately at the mouth. Although the receptacle was turned without a floor, the top of the saucer, to which it is fused, effectively closes the opening at the bottom of the receptacle so that is walls do not flow directly into the hollow footring. Semilustrous and slightly variegated, a russet-surfaced, dark brown glaze covers the entire piece, including the interior of the receptacle as well as the base and the inside of the footring; only the bottom of the footring was left unglazed. The receptacle and the saucer were separately turned on the potter's wheel and then luted together after drying. The glaze was applied by dipping, the smudges on the footring documenting the points where the potter held the piece while applying the glaze. The cupstand was fired right side up, standing on its own footring. A new, Chinese, red-fabric-covered storage box accompanies this piece.
H. 6.9 x Diam. 12.7 cm (2 11/16 x 5 in.)
Edward T. Chow, Geneva, Switzerland (1930s-1950s); Ruth Dreyfus, London (1950s-1969); Arthur M. Sackler (1969-1994); [Christie's, New York, December 1994], sold; to Marvin and Pat Gordon, San Franciso (1994-2009); [J.J. Lally & Co., New York, 2009], sold; to Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, 2009. Note: Edward T. Chow (1910-1980); Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)
Yaozhou ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over carved decoration. From the Yaozhou kilns at Tongchuan, Shaanxi province.
11th centuryChineseDing ware: porcelaneous white stoneware with ivory-hued glaze over incised decoration. From the Ding kilns at Quyang, Hebei province.
10th-11th centuryChineseNorthern black ware of Cizhou type: light gray stoneware with dark brown glaze, the russet markings in overglaze iron oxide
11th-12th centuryChineseDing ware: porcellaneous stoneware with ivory-hued glaze, the unglazed lip originally bound with metal. From the Ding kilns, Quyang county, Hebei province.
11th-12th centuryChineseDing ware: porcellaneous stoneware with ivory-hued glaze, the unglazed lip originally bound with metal. From the Ding kilns, Quyang county, Hebei province.
11th-12th centuryChineseYue ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over molded, carved, and incised decoration
10th-11th centuryChineseDing ware: porcelaneous white stoneware with ivory-hued glaze over incised decoration
11th-12th centuryChineseDing ware: porcellaneous stoneware with ivory-hued glaze, the unglazed lip originally bound with metal. From the Ding kilns, Quyang county, Hebei province.
11th-12th centuryChineseNorthern black ware of Cizhou type: off-white stoneware with dark brown glaze, the exterior with russet skin, the interior with russet markings in overglaze iron oxide
11th-12th centuryChineseDing-type ware: translucent, off-white porcelaneous stoneware with clear glaze
11th-12th centuryChineseRusset Ding ware: porcelaneous white stoneware with russet-surfaced dark brown glaze, the markings in overglaze iron-oxide. Probably from the kilns at Jianci villiage, possibly from those at East or West Yanchuan village, Quyang county, Hebei province.
11th-12th centuryChineseDing ware: porcellaneous stoneware with ivory-hued glaze over incised and carved decoration, the unglazed rim originally bound with metal. From the Ding kilns in Quyang county, Hebei province.
11th-12th centuryChinese