A ‘JUN-IMITATION’ BRUSH WASHER, MING DYNASTY
China, probably Juntai in Henan province, c. 15th-16th century. Resiliently potted with deep rounded sides supported on a short and rather broad foot, rising to an everted rim with a distinctively overhanging lip. The mouth festooned with five lobed petals, serving as the brush rests. Covered overall in a rich, opaque, finely crackled, streaked glaze of sky-blue and lavender tones, thinning to mushroom at the edges, with the foot rim left unglazed revealing the ware, partially burnt to orange in the firing.


Provenance:
French trade.

Condition:
Very good condition with expected old wear, traces of use mostly to the well, and firing irregularities, such as including pitting, glaze recesses, and kiln grit. The foot slightly polished, possibly the result of extended usage over centuries, with some nibbling to foot rim.

Weight: 499.9 g
Dimensions: Diameter 19.1 cm


Expert’s note:
Although in the Song and Yuan dynasties Jun wares do not seem to have had a very high status, from the early Ming period onwards they acquired a very high reputation among collectors. Several Qing emperors had a particular predilection for Song dynasty Jun wares and encouraged potters to recreate their thick luscious glazes of intense coloration. However, earlier imitations of this flamboyant glaze, which had an immense appeal to the literati and nobility of the Ming dynasty, exist as well.

As Jessica Harrison-Hall explains, Linru on the Ru River in Henan was the main production center for jun wares in the Song dynasty. They are particularly appealing and were made in lavender blue, purple, purple-splashed blue and green. The blue color is achieved by an unmixing of the glaze into silica- and lime-rich glasses at high temperatures while the purple color results from extra copper ore painted on to the glazed but unfired vessel. Such colors inspired major European studio potters, like Bernard Leach, to experiment with Chinese glazes.

The shape of the present brush washer shares some similarities to Ming dynasty wares produced at Jingdezhen from the Chenghua to the Wanli reign. Song-style glazes were much appreciated in the late Ming era, but following more recent excavations in China it now seems likely that this brush washer dates to the early 15th century and was made not at Jingdezhen, but at Juntai in Henan province. See (Li Baoping, ‘Numbered Jun Wares: Controversies and New Kiln Site Discoveries, in Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 71, 2006-2007, pp. 65-77).


Literature comparison:

Compare a related Jun dish with a similar glaze, 14.2 cm diameter, dated to the Ming dynasty, 1368-1435, in the British Museum, registration number PDF.54. Compare also a related jun-type lavender-glazed dish, Ming Dynasty, 17.5 cm diameter, dated 1400-1435, in the British Museum, registration number 1936,1012.88.
The feet of both items above are remarkably similar to the foot of the present lot, where the naked ware, burnt to orange in the firing, and worn down through centuries of usage, clearly denotes a Ming dynasty origin.



Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 October 2016, lot 3641
Price: HKD 3,800,000 or approx.
EUR 503,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare ‘Jun-imitation’ handled washer, late Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related glaze. Note the different form.




明代仿鈞釉筆洗

中國，可能來自河南鈞台，約十五至十六世紀。五瓣葵口外翻，深弧腹，圈足。五瓣葵口可作為筆擱。整體施不透明、天藍色和淡紫色釉，邊緣處變薄，足部邊緣未上釉，露胎，在燒製中局部燒成橙色。


來源：
法國古玩交易。

品相：
狀況極好，有磨損，洗中有使用痕跡，燒製不規則，如凹坑、釉面凹陷和窯砂。足部略有拋光，邊緣有一些磕損。

重量：499.9 克
尺寸：直徑 19.1 厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的1368-1435年明代鈞釉盤，14.2 厘米 直徑，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號PDF.54。比較一件相近的1400-1435年明代仿鈞釉盤，17.5 厘米 直徑，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1936,1012.88。
上述兩件盤的足部與本拍品的足部極為相似，其中裸露的器物在燒製中被燒成橙色，並且經過數百年的使用而磨損，顯然表明了他們是來自明代。



拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2016年10月5日，lot 3641
價格：HKD 3,800,000（相當於今日
EUR 503,000
）
描述：明末仿鈞天藍釉板沿洗
專家評論：比較非常相近的釉面。請注意不同的的外形。