This high fired bowl has straight high foot and steep gently rounded sides rising to a straight rim. It is covered overall in a creamy-white slip and transparent glaze, the well with five small spur marks, the glaze finishing unevenly above the unglazed foot revealing the light grey stoneware body.
A possible origin of this bowl is Guantai kilns in Cixian County, Hebei. Plain white bowls from the Guantai kilns have been found in Julu, Hebei, a town flooded in 1108, which was discovered in 1918. According to the Guantai excavation report, the shape of this bowl would place it in the second half of the 11th century (see no.9 in figure in last photo)
Period: Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)
Size: Height 8 cm, diameter 18.1 cm
Condition: Good condition, wear, chip to the foot
Provenance: From the collection of Wilfrid Fleisher (1897-1976), thence by descent in the family. Wilfrid’s father, Ben Fleisher, moved from his native United States to Japan where he in 1908 started the first English-language newspaper, soon to become the most influential English-language newspaper in the Far East.
Wilfrid grew up in Japan and worked as Editor-in-Chief on The Japan Advertiser. He became interested in Chinese and Japanese works of art early on and amassed a substantial collection during the 1920s and 1930s, predominantly ceramics and jades.
At the outbreak of the Second World War the Fleishers had to leave Japan and later on Wilfrid and his family settled down in Sweden. The collection has been handed on in the family.
SKU: 199
References: There is a related bowl in the Freer Gallery of Art Collection, also with five spurmarks in the well.
More info: Northern White Ware
