A white Ding bowl with rolled lip – Five Dynasties
Thinly potted and of a conical, slightly rounded shape with a rolled lip and a straight shallow foot ring. The white body is covered overall in a transparent glaze except for the base. It gives a high and clear tone when tapped with a finger.
Similar bowls were found at the Ding kiln site located in Jianci Village and Dongxi Yanchuan village in Quyang County, during excavations in the 1960s and onwards. The thickness of the early Ding bowls (Late Tang/Five Dynasties) varied considerably. Most bowls were relatively thick, but there were also thin-walled specimens, like this example, showing good translucency. Photo no. 13 shows the various bowl-shapes of the early Ding bowls found at the kiln site. This shape matches that of No. 7 in the drawing.
Period: Five dynasties (907-960)
Size: Diameter 11.8 cm, height 4.1 cm, weight 82 g
Condition: Good condition, minor wear and firing flaws, some grit on/above the base, two star-shaped cracks to the sides (see last photos), only visible under UV-light, no further cracks or repairs found.
Provenance: From a British private collection
SKU: 243
References: See Chinese Ding Ware, Chen Wenzeng, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Fine Arts Publishing House, 2014., Figure 11-23 (for shape and design), Figure 11-33 (shards)
