12th Sep, 2025 11:00
Three Single Owner Collections of Asian Art
127
A SMALL BROWN GLAZED STONEWARE ‘HARE’ LIME POT, ANGKOR PERIOD
€150
€300
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
Khmer Empire, 11th-13th century. The egg-shaped vessel, supported on four stout feet, modeled in the form of a stylized rabbit, its well-rounded body extending into a short upright tail and an amusing head with long erect ears, set closely together, bulging eyes, and an incised snout, all encircled by a decorative band of incised lines. The pot with a small circular opening at the top and covered in an opaque brown glaze, which stops irregularly before reaching the lower section of the vessel, revealing 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 with ancient wear and typical firing irregularities, signs of weathering, small notches to the head of the animal, and minor areas with soil encrustation. The vessel standing unevenly and evidently misses its stopper.
Weight: 159.1 g
Dimensions: Length 7.2 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 closely related lime pot in the form of a smiling rabbit, Khmer Empire (present-day Cambodia or Northeast Thailand), dated 12th-13th century, 14.0 cm long, in the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, accession number 7913C72, and illustrated in: Dick Richards (ed.), South-East Asian Ceramics: Thai, Vietnamese, and Khmer from the Collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia, 1995, p.172, no. 133 (left). Compare a closely related rabbit lime pot, Khmer Empire (present-day Cambodia), dated 12th century, 12.5 cm long, in the Museum Rietberg, Zürich, inventory number TG 702.
Khmer Empire, 11th-13th century. The egg-shaped vessel, supported on four stout feet, modeled in the form of a stylized rabbit, its well-rounded body extending into a short upright tail and an amusing head with long erect ears, set closely together, bulging eyes, and an incised snout, all encircled by a decorative band of incised lines. The pot with a small circular opening at the top and covered in an opaque brown glaze, which stops irregularly before reaching the lower section of the vessel, revealing 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 with ancient wear and typical firing irregularities, signs of weathering, small notches to the head of the animal, and minor areas with soil encrustation. The vessel standing unevenly and evidently misses its stopper.
Weight: 159.1 g
Dimensions: Length 7.2 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 closely related lime pot in the form of a smiling rabbit, Khmer Empire (present-day Cambodia or Northeast Thailand), dated 12th-13th century, 14.0 cm long, in the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, accession number 7913C72, and illustrated in: Dick Richards (ed.), South-East Asian Ceramics: Thai, Vietnamese, and Khmer from the Collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia, 1995, p.172, no. 133 (left). Compare a closely related rabbit lime pot, Khmer Empire (present-day Cambodia), dated 12th century, 12.5 cm long, in the Museum Rietberg, Zürich, inventory number TG 702.
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Auction: Three Single Owner Collections of Asian Art, 12th Sep, 2025
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We are delighted to present three incredible single owner collections of Asian art, each assembled by distinguished European collectors: Dr. Koos de Jong (lots 1-126), A. Hansen (127-186), and Paolo Bertuzzi (lots 187-224). Learn more.
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