Footnotes

北宋/金早期 鈞窯天藍釉撇口小碗

Provenance:
Mr Alfred Clark (1873-1950) and Mrs Ivy Clark (1890-1976), collection label no.624
Spink & Son Ltd., London
Emmanuel Christofides (1928-2020), Athens and London, acquired from the above on 22 June 1977

Published and Exhibited:
Orangerie des Tuileries, Arts de la Chine Ancienne, Paris, 1937, no.529
Oriental Ceramic Society, Sung Dynasty Wares: Chün and Brown Glazes, London, 1952, no.72
Oriental Ceramic Society, Ju and Kuan Wares: Imperial Wares of the Sung Dynasty, Related Wares and Derivatives of Later Date, London, 1952, no.18
Musée Cernuschi, L' Art de la Chine des Song, Paris, 1956, no.35
Oriental Ceramic Society, The Arts of the Sung Dynasty, London, 1960, no.47
D.Priestley and M.Flacks, A Life in the Company of Song Ceramics, London, 2017, pp.28-29, no.8 (published and illustrated)

來源：
Alfred Clark先生 (1873-1950) 和Ivy Clark 夫人(1890-1976)，藏品標籤編號624
倫敦古董商Spink & Son Ltd.
Emmanuel Christofides (1928-2020)，雅典和倫敦，於1977年6月22日從上處獲得

展覽著錄：
杜樂麗橘園，《Arts de la Chine Ancienne》，巴黎，1937年，編號529
東方陶瓷學會，《Sung Dynasty Wares: Chün and Brown Glazes》，倫敦，1952年，編號72
東方陶瓷學會，《Ju and Kuan Wares: Imperial Wares of the Sung Dynasty, Related Wares and Derivatives of Later Date》，倫敦，1952年，編號18
亞洲藝術博物館，《L' Art de la Chine des Song》，巴黎，1956年，編號35
東方陶瓷學會，《The Arts of the Sung Dynasty》，倫敦，1960年，編號47
D.Priestley和M.Flacks，《A Life in the Company of Song Ceramics》， 倫敦，2017年，第28-29頁，編號8 （著錄插圖）

Alfred Clark (1873–1950) was a New York-born collector who became a naturalised British subject in 1921 after marrying Ivy nee Sanders (1890-1976). A pioneer in sound reproduction and film, he produced the first moving picture films with plot and continuity at the Edison Laboratory in Orange, New Jersey, in 1895. In 1907, he founded the Musée de la Voix in the Archives of the National Opera, Paris. An active member of the Oriental Ceramic Society, Clark served on its Council almost continuously from 1934 to 1948. Together with his wife, he was a generous contributor to the Royal Academy's 1935–36 exhibition. In 1936, they donated a Song-dynasty stoneware dish to the Museum and continued to donate and sell Chinese and Japanese works in the 1970s, solidifying Clark's reputation as a significant patron of Asian art. See R.Davids & D.Jellinek, Provenance: Collectors, Dealers and Scholars: Chinese Ceramics in Britain and America, Oxford, 2011, pp.112-117.

The shape of this bowl is rare, distinguished by its gently everted rim that rises elegantly from a short foot. While Jun wares are celebrated for their opalescent glazes and subtle variations in form, this particular profile deviates from the more commonly seen deep or conical bowls. The delicately flared rim lends an air of refinement and suggests a level of precision in potting that sets it apart from standard utilitarian forms.

Counted among the esteemed 'Five Classic Wares' of the Song dynasty, Jun wares are celebrated for their enchanting predominantly blue glazes. What sets this vivid blue apart is that it was not achieved through the use of pigments but rather through an optical phenomenon: minute glassy particles suspended in the glaze scatter blue light, creating its luminous and mesmerising hue. This innovative glazing technique exemplifies the Song potters' sophisticated understanding of materials and their dedication to subtle yet profound beauty.

Unlike other Song dynasty wares, Jun ceramics utilised a dense yet slightly porous clay body that complemented their simple, robust forms. This material quality allowed artisans to focus on unadorned yet elegant shapes, perfectly demonstrated by this exquisite example. The present lot embodies the tactile allure and refined aesthetics that have captivated scholars and collectors for centuries. Its impressive provenance, further evidenced by the array of collector's labels affixed to it, attests to its enduring appeal and its cherished place in the history of Chinese ceramics.

Compare with a related but larger Junyao bowl, Northern Song dynasty, (20.3cm diam.) of similar form with an everted rim, from the collection of Rolf Cunliffe, 2nd Baron Cunliffe of Headley (1899–1963). It was later sold at Bonhams London, 11 November 2002, lot 26, and illustrated in Collectors, Curators: Connoisseurs: A Century of the Oriental Ceramic Society 1921–2021, London, 2021, p.177, no.54.