China, 1127-1279. Thickly potted, of deep conical form, the gently rounded sides rising from a short foot to an indented groove beneath the rim, the interior and exterior covered with a thick black lustrous glaze, with a brown glaze at the rim extending to 'hare's-fur' striations to the sides, the glaze stopping irregularly above the foot forming three large drops and revealing the dark grayish-brown stoneware body underneath.

Provenance: Momoyama Gallery, Luxembourg. A private collection in the United States, acquired from the above. A copy of the sale bill and authenticity guarantee, signed by Richard van Norten, dating from 5 May 2019, describing the piece as a Chinese nogime tenmoku chawan, dating the piece to the Song dynasty, c. 960 AD, and stating a purchase price of USD 2,500 or approx. EUR 2,900 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompany this lot.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, minuscule losses, and manufacturing flaws including firing cracks, firing flaws, glaze recesses, a glaze drop near the foot smoothened with minor associated losses. The wood base with minor old wear and expected age cracks.

Weight: 277.7 g
Dimensions: Diameter 12.5 cm

With a kiri wood storage box and a good shifuku silk pouch. (4)

This classic Jian ware tea bowl has finely streaked ‘hare’s fur’ markings with an iridescent sheen. This effect depends upon various factors such as the kiln atmosphere, and kiln temperature. Due to the uncertainty in firing, the wastage rate at Jian kilns was relatively high.

These bowls were held in high esteem by the Song Emperors and scholar-official class. Cai Xiang (1012-1067), the famous calligrapher and high official in the Northern Song court designated the ‘hare’s fur’ tea bowls from Jian’an the most appropriate utensil for serving tea in his two-chapter treatise entitled Cha lu (A Record of Tea). He believed the white tea looked best in black-glazed bowls and the slightly thicker walls of Jian wares help to retain the heat of tea. By the early twelfth century, the connoisseurship of Jian tea bowls was further developed by Emperor Huizong (1082-1135). In his treatise on tea, Daguan chalun (A Discourse on Tea in the Daguan Era), he commented that ‘the desirable color of a tea bowl is bluish black and the best examples display clearly streaked hairs.’

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3156
Price: HKD 500,000 or approx. EUR 67,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A jian 'hare's fur' tea bowl, Southern Song dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, glaze, color of the ware, and size (12.1 cm)



南宋建窯兔毫盞
中國，1127-1279年。侈口，深腹壁，小圈足，器內口沿下有一道淺凹槽。胎骨厚重，施罩黑釉，釉色濃稠烏黑，帶有流動性，器外壁施釉不及底，釉層上薄下厚，口沿呈現赭褐色“褐口邊”，外底邊有積釉流淌的垂釉痕跡，釉表帶黃色條縷絲紋，類似野兔毫毛。

來源：盧森堡Momoyama Gallery藝廊；美國私人收藏購於上述藝廊。隨附發票和正品證書複印本，Richard van Norten簽名，時間為2019年5月5日，斷代為宋代，售價USD 2,500 或相當於EUR 2,900 (根據通貨膨脹率)。
品相：品相極佳，輕微磨損，小缺損，製造缺陷包括燒製裂紋、釉面凹陷，足部附近的釉滴有相應的修補、已平滑。木底有輕微的磨損和年代裂縫。

重量：277.7 克
尺寸：直徑12.5 厘米

日本木盒，稱絲質内襯。 (4)

經典建窯茶碗上兔毫紋，散發著彩虹般的光澤。這種效果取決於很多因素，例如窯爐溫度。由於燒製的不確定性，建窯的廢品率較高。

宋代文人之間盛行點茶、鬥茶的活動，為襯托熱水點茶的白色茶沫，以及便於分辨水痕，厚胎保溫的建窯黑釉盞遂成為當時流行的品類，也是茶詩中經常提及的茶器。北宋著名書法家、朝廷大臣蔡襄（1012-1067）在他的兩章《茶錄》一文中，將建安的兔毫盞定為最合適的茶具。他認為白茶放在黑釉碗裡最好看，而建陶稍厚的壁有助於保持茶的熱度。 到十二世紀初，徽宗皇帝（1082-1135）進一步推廣茶道。在他的茶論《大觀茶論》也曾認為茶碗的理想顏色是青黑色。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2016年11月30日，lot 3156
價格：HKD 500,000（相當於今日EUR 67,500）
描述：南宋建窯兔毫盞
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形、釉面、陶色和尺寸 (12.1 厘米)。