Probably Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279)

Deep brown, covered inside and out with a thick glaze, suffused with a variegated iridescent pattern of 'oil spots' stopping irregularly and pooling above the foot, exposing the brown wash over the gray stoneware body. body. The base with incised mark.

D. 4 9/16 in.

Provenance: A Columbus, Ohio Collector, Purchased 1981-1994

Note: Jian ware is a type of Chinese pottery originally made in Jianyang, Fujian province and is known in Japan as Tenmoku. It was simple stoneware, made with subtle effects in the glazes. In the Song dynasty they achieved a high prestige, especially among Buddhist monks and in relation to tea-drinking. They were also highly valued in Japan, where many of the best examples were collected. Though the ceramic body is light-colored, the wares normally are glazed in dark colors, with special effects such as the "hare's fur" "oil-spot" and "partridge feather" patterns caused randomly as excess iron in the glaze is forced out during firing.