China, 1115-1368. Finely potted, the shallow rounded sides supported on a short circular foot, covered in an ivory-white slip and decorated to the interior in red and green to depict a stylized lotus blossom enclosed by a line band below the rim, the slip and glaze stopping irregularly to the exterior revealing the buff-gray ware.

Provenance: David Baker, London, United Kingdom, 20 June 2006. Collection of Nicolas de la Mare Thompson, no. 261, acquired from the above and thence by descent. The base with an old inventory label, ‘261’. Established in 1978, David Baker Oriental Art is known for early ceramics, jades, and works of art from China, Japan, and Korea. Baker was also instrumental in the founding of Asian Art in London in 1998. Nicholas de la Mare Thompson (1928-2010) was the grandson of the author Walter de la Mare; his brother was the highly respected Chinese art expert, Julian Thompson, who was Chairman of Sotheby's Asia from 1992 to 2003. He came from a family of collectors that included Richard de la Mare, one of the founding directors of Faber and Faber. Nicolas bought what he loved, what he thought had merit, and not what was said to be good, he certainly did not buy anything because it was fashionable. He would react to an object sensing that it was right for his collection and above all because he loved the feel of it in his hands. Nicolas was a committee member of the Oriental Ceramics Society. He approached the Society in the same way as he approached his understanding of Chinese ceramics, by stripping it down and starting again, using clear, empirical thinking. Nicolas thought it important that the Society should be run for the benefit of every member and was adamant that it should be open to all.
Condition: Good condition with wear and firing irregularities including small firing cracks, spur marks, kiln grit, and glaze recesses. Minor fritting to the rim, light scratches, few small nicks to unglazed exterior probably stemming from the manufacture. Touchups. The rim with few old repairs.

Weight: 368.3 g
Dimensions: Diameter 17.5 cm

Cizhou polychrome decoration first appeared in the late 12th to early 13th century and represents the earliest overglaze enameling in Chinese ceramic history. This technique entails two firings. On pieces like the present bowl, a milky-white slip was applied to the clay body and a colorless transparent glaze was applied over the top and then fired. Lead-fluxed overglaze enamels were applied to the surface of the fired glaze and the vessel was fired a second time at a lower temperature. The Chinese term for Cizhou polychrome wares, honglü cai, is derived from the most popular overglaze colors in the Cizhou palette: red and green. Popular decorative themes on Cizhou polychrome bowls include floral patterns and aquatic scenes.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related Cizhou bowl with peony, dated to the Jin dynasty, in the Tokyo National Museum, accession number TG-780.

Auction comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 9 November 2018, lot 282
Price: GBP 4,000 or approx. EUR 6,400 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A ‘Cizhou’ polychrome dish, Yuan/Jin dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, colors, lotus motif, and size (17 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New Yorkm, 15 September 2016, lot 711
Price: USD 13,750 or approx. EUR 16,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A polychrome-decorated Cizhou deep bowl, Jin dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related decoration and floral motif with similar colors. Note the different form and the size (19.2 cm).