Chinese Ge-Type Cracked Bowl
Possibly Southern Song Dynasty, 12th-13th Century.
The deep rounded bowl with gently flared rim, covered overall in an unctuous ivory glaze suffused with a dense network of dark 'iron-wire' and golden 'golden-thread' crackles jinsi tiexian. The rim and foot bound in metal, now with a dark patina. The glaze stops neatly above the foot, revealing the dark brown body beneath. Contained in a fitted Japanese wooden box tomobako.
The box lid inscribed in ink: Henan Province Bowl / Sung Dynasty.
Diamenter: 5 1/4 in. (13.75 cm); 3 1/8 in. (8.3 cm) high
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Condition
Expected old wear to the metal mounts. The glaze with a few small glaze losses to the crackle edges and minor fritting to the rim. A small area of glaze flaking to the center of the interior base. No restoration. The box with wear and old English/Chinese inscriptions, consistent with age.
Catalogue Note:
Ge ware, one of the 'Five Great Kilns' of the Song dynasty, is the most elusive and revered of all Chinese ceramics. Defined by its thick, opaque glaze and dramatic dual crackle, genuine Southern Song examples are extraordinarily rare. This bowl displays the classic jinsi tiexian crackle: bold dark lines intersected by a finer network of golden threads.
The metal-bound rim is a traditional Japanese mounting, indicating this piece entered a Japanese tea ceremony chanoyu collection centuries ago, where Song wares were treasured above all others. The old wooden box with bilingual attributions further confirms its early entry into a scholarly collection. To hold a Song Ge bowl is to hold a piece of the Song aesthetic ideal: the beauty of imperfection, age, and restraint.
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