LIAO or JIN 11th or 12th Century. Early Chinese Stoneware
A Rare Liao or Jin Mingqi Stoneware Model of a Cup and Stand. The Cup of Cizhou Type with White Slip and a Clear Glaze, the Stand with a Dark Iron-Oxide Glaze.
SOLD
- Condition
- Very good, two minute glaze frits to the rim of the cup c.1 or 2 mm. Please note this photograph was taken prior to cleaning. We have another rare Liao or Jin Mingqi stoneware model of a cup and stand with a dark crack to the rim SOLD
- Size
- Diameter : 9 cm (3 1/2 inches). Height : 7 cm (2 3/4 inches).
- Provenance
- N/A
- Stock number
- 21184
- References
- For a very similar pair of cups with stands see : Nobel Riders of the Plains and Deserts - Artistic Legacy of the Qidan (Art Museum and the Department of Fine Arts of The Chinese University of Hong Kong on 25 October 2004). For another Liao or Jin black and white cup and stand of this type see : The Malcolm Collection, Catalogue of Important Chinese Bronzes, Ceramics and Works of Art, Sotheby`s London, 29th March 1977, lot 153.
Photos
Information
This cup and stand is unusual in that it has been made as a model of a bowl and saucer rather than being one. The bowl was attached to its saucer during its manufacture, therefore it is a representation of a bowl and saucer, rather than being anything that could have been functional. This piece is an example of Mingqi, objects made specifically for burial, to be taken with you to the afterlife. The `Terracotta Army` is the most famous example of this type of burial object. Mingqi ceramics were not the only goods to appear in early Chinese tombs, objects that did function were also buried, some of these had clearly been worn or even damaged, presumably these were things belonging to the deceased that might have been used on a daily basis.