A RARE DARK BROWN GLAZED STONEWARE ‘HARE’ LIME POT, ANGKOR PERIOD
Lot 128 - SING0925

Khmer Empire, 11th-13th century. The vessel supported on a flat, oval base and modeled in the form of a highly stylized crouching rabbit, its rotund body resting on the ground with legs tucked around it, extending into a small tail and a whimsical head with long upright ears, bulging eyes, and carved nostrils. The junctions between the limbs and the body are decorated with incised dotted lines. The pot with a circular opening at the top and covered in an opaque dark brown glaze, stopping irregularly before reaching the base to reveal the underlying buff-colored ware.

Provenance: Private collection of A. Hansen, Denmark. Mr. Hansen (b. 1955) is a retired Danish Supreme Court lawyer and lifelong collector with a deep passion for history and culture. His collecting journey began at the age of eight with stamps, encouraged by his father, and quickly developed into a serious pursuit. By 1982, his specialized collection of Greenland postal history earned international recognition. Following this success, Mr. Hansen turned his focus to fine art and antiquities, beginning with Danish art and later expanding into East and Southeast Asian artifacts after an inspiring Japanese exhibition in 1985. Over the following decades, his collection grew to include mostly ceramic artworks from Annam, Khmer, Burmese, and Thai origins, acquired through reputable collectors and auction houses.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, with old wear and typical firing irregularities, signs of glaze oxidation and fine craquelure, as well as sparse notches.

Weight: 583.0 g
Dimensions: Length 15.7 cm

By the late 6th or early 7th century, Khmer potters adopted the potter’s wheel, greatly improving vessel production. A Khmer inscription from 674 even compares the act of creation to the turning of the wheel. Early ceramics were occasionally decorated with slip and pigment, a practice largely abandoned after 800 AD with the rise of glazed stoneware.

The first glazed ceramics in Southeast Asia outside of direct Chinese influence appeared under Khmer kings Indravarman I and Yasovarman I (ca. 880–940). By the 11th century, Khmer wares featured refined, gray-toned clay and the introduction of zoomorphic motifs, such as the stylized rat on the present vessel. After 1100, animal-shaped containers often displayed applied moldings, incised patterns, and glossy brown glazes, with gourd-shaped forms becoming especially popular.

Khmer potters made animal-shaped containers and lidded small jars to be used for holding lime paste, one of the ingredients in the betel quid. Made from areca nut and lime paste wrapped in a fresh betel leaf, the betel quid was chewed as a digestive and stimulant but also had an important role in hospitality and in social and religious rituals. Pottery containers for lime paste were made in graduated sizes, for use by individuals or larger groups, and glazed with both green and brown glazes.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related covered lime pot in the form of a rabbit, Khmer Empire (present-day Thailand), Angkor period, dated second half of the 12th century, 12.7 cm long, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1986.506.3a, b. Compare a related brown glaze stoneware lime pot in the form of a rabbit with cover, Khmer Empire (present-day Cambodia), dated mid-12th century, 9.5 cm high, illustrated in: Diana Stock (ed.), Khmer Ceramics 9th-14th Century, Singapore, 1981, p. 101, no. 44.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 18 September 2003, lot 279
Price: USD 5,019 or approx. EUR 8,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Khmer bronze-glazed rabbit-form lime pot, 11th-12th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form of the vessel, decorative style, and glaze. Note the smaller size (13.7 cm).