Beschreibung:

Katalognummer: CA0420-277 A RARE YULINTING BOWL, WITH A VERSE FROM ‘BOAT SONGS OF WUYI’ BY ZHU XI (1130-1200) China, Southern Song Dynasty, ca. 1184-1200. The conical bowl shows a finely crackled brown-black glaze, stopping in wavy lines with two distinct drops well above the broad foot, thus revealing the earthenware below. The interior is painted in overglaze gold or silver with the eighth verse from a poem by Zhu Xi (1130-1200) about the nine bends of the Jiuquxi River in the Wuyi Mountains, Fujian Province. The calligraphy is surrounded by bamboo groves. Most typical of Yulinting bowls, a distinct ridge runs around the body between the lower extent of the glaze and the foot on the outer wall. Provenance: Edward Pranger Oriental Art, Amsterdam. Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above in 2007 at PAN Amsterdam (invoice not available). Founded in 1995, Edward Pranger Oriental Art has established a global reputation for quality in the field of Asian art. Mr. Edward Pranger studied Chinese languages and culture at Leiden University, Netherlands, and Chinese Art History at the National Taiwan University. Dr. de Jong is a Dutch art historian and has been privately collecting Chinese art over decades. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts spanning from the Middle Ages to the modern era. In 2013, he published an extensive study of Chinese riding gear in “Dragon & Horse, Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond”. Between 1976 and 2009 he worked for numerous museums across the Netherlands and was the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch. Condition: Excellent condition with old wear and firing flaws. The gilding has mostly worn off, which is not a surprise given the time that has passed since it was applied. Expert comment: According to the present owner, Mrs. Rose Kerr, Honorary Associate of the Needham Research Institute in Cambridge, has commented this bowl as a “good piece” in 2018. Weight: 151.4 g Dimensions: Diameter 12.4 cm The Yulinting kiln-site is situated in a scenic area near Mount Wuyi in Fujian province. It occupies an area of six square kilometers. Excavations in 1998 and 1999 have uncovered remnants of a porcelainmaking workshop, two dragon kilns and some kiln-implements and porcelains. Among these are qingbai wares, black-glazed wares and celadons. Some of the black-glazed bowls bear gold or silver painted decoration and inscriptions. In Japan these are known as kinsaimoji temmoku, “Temmoku with gold painting and inscriptions,” and are valued highly for use in the tea ceremony. The site is dated from the 11th to the mid-13th century, coinciding with the hey-days of the Jian kilns. Zhu Xi (October 18, 1130 – April 23, 1200) has been described as the second most influential thinker in Chinese history, after Confucius. He was a Chinese calligrapher, historian, philosopher, politician, and writer of the Song dynasty. He was a Confucian scholar who founded what later became known as the “learning of principle” or “rationalist” school (lixue) and was the most influential Neo-Confucian in China. His contributions to Chinese philosophy include his editing of and commentaries to the Four Books, which later formed the curriculum of the civil service exam in Imperial China from 1313 to 1905, his emphasis on the process of the “investigation of things” (gewu) and meditation as a method for self-cultivation. The “Boat Songs of Wuyi” were written by Zhu Xi in 1184 and thereafter enjoyed great popularity. The verse on the present bowl is the eighth of nine songs. The complete poem consists of an introduction and nine verses or songs, each related to one of the nine bends of the Jiuqu stream. They can be found in Song Shichao (collection of Song poems), the dedication reads: “Ten Boat Songs of Wuyi written as a leisure-time pleasure in the studio, to be presented to my traveling companions for their mutual enjoyment.” Zhu Xi lived for many years ne