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A Chinese white glaze xingyao pentalobe tea cup, Late Tang to…
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Sydney
Date:
26-Nov-2013
Lot No.
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Description:
A Chinese white glaze xingyao pentalobe tea cup, Late Tang to Five Dynasties, 10th century, elegantly shaped in the form of a prunus blossom with a faintly recessed rim to the centre, covered inside and out with a glaze of slightly greyish tone falling short at the foot rim to expose the white biscuit, 13 cm diam., 4 cm high, Footnote: Compare a similar cup catalogued in Watson, William, Tang and Liao Ceramics, Thames and Hudson, 1984, P.135. According to Watson, the five-lobed shape is 'one of the most elegant forms produced in answer to late Tang fashion as dictated by silverware'. In Regina Krahl's 'Bright as silver, white as snow - white wares of north and south China', Krahl offers readers a clear lineage of the development of the Xing and Ding of Hebei in the North, and Qingbai in the south. They peaked in their quality one after another with close connections and imitations amongst each other. During the mid-Tang dynasty the quality of Xing kilns increased and their wares became more distinctive, with a more porcelaneous body, smoother glaze. The Ding kilns closely copied Xing ware during the period without quite reaching its quality until the Northern Song dynasty. Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province was active from at least the Five Dynasties period onwards. It's production is known by the descriptive term qingbai which characterises the colour as bluish-white, which was characteristic of Xing and early Ding wares (compare lot 215 and 214). Qingbai wares developed in a similar manner as Ding: as dishes and bowls became thinner during the Northern Song dynasty, they were fired upside down to prevent warping, the rim being left unglazed and later bound in metal. Towards the end of the Southern Song and in the following Yuan dynasty moulded designs largely replaced carved ones (See Lot 216)
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Antiquities: Asian