Good Fortune Auction House Announces Very Special Autumn Auction of an Extremely Rare Northern Song Guan Ware with Dragon Mark
With the only known white dragon mark on one side of its jewel toned body, this Guan ware bowl is possibly the only existing piece in this category, used by the famous art connoisseur Northern Song emperor Huizong himself.
LAMBERTVILLE, NJ, March 28, 2011
Good Fortune Auction House announces its very special Autumn 2011 auction of an extremely rare Northern Song Guan ware with a dragon mark.With the only known white dragon mark on one side of its jewel toned body, this Guan ware bowl is possibly the only existing piece in this category, used by the famous art connoisseur Song emperor Huizong himself.
Covered overall with jade green and pink glaze suffused with a crackle of deep black and golden-brown color, thinning to brownish purple on the rim and reaching evenly to the bottom edge of the foot, this feature is known as the 'Gold and Iron Threads'. The base of the bowl was left unglazed to expose a natural dark brown clay body, also known as the 'Iron-foot'. It was caused by chemical reactions during firing because of the high concentration of iron contained in the clay, unlike later pieces which were given a brown wash instead to mimic this special effect.
The deep inlay like elongated black lines interspersed with shorter golden-brown lines inside and out formed a rhythmic and balanced design resembling the tortoise shell pattern which is much revered in Asian cultures. Symbol of longevity and fortune, the longer and denser the lines the better. The Chinese word addressing the emperor is 'Wan Sui', which can be literally translated into ten thousand years of life. 'Sui' shares the same pronunciation with crackles. The dense crackles of this Guan ware amount to ten thousand or more, implying its imperial status.
The glaze is very smooth but not shiny, in accordance with emperor Huizong's aesthetics and the dominant beliefs and religion of the Northern Song society. Strong influence of Taoism which stresses on moderation and understated beauty shows through in this piece.
The use of semi-precious or precious stones as glazing materials for the imperial ware is part of what makes the Northern Song Guan ware un-replicable. A striking similarity can be detected by comparing it with the Ru ware of the same period. The jewel toned glaze shifts with intriguing subtle colors in reaction to light, presenting unpredictable and marvelous hues to the human eye.
The fact that this is the only known piece of Northern Song Guan ware with a dragon mark suggests that this bowl was used by emperor Huizong himself, which adds so much more significance to this already exceptional piece.
The current owners are private collectors and Asian art connoisseurs in the United States. This Guan ware was purchased by the family in the early 20th century, and said to have originated from the former Qing imperial court. This astonishing treasure has been passed through several generations.
We welcome everyone who loves Asian art to participate in the bidding. Our company will keep strict privacy policy throughout the process to ensure a successful transaction. A private viewing will be held on invitation only basis, and the sellers reserve the right to accept a firm bid before the auction commences.
Regarding this very special auction event, Good Fortune Auction's President David L. Chung, CFA made the following remarks: "We are very proud to bring this rarest of rare treasures to meet potential bidders. With the tremendous growth of the Chinese art market in recent years, benefiting from China's economic renaissance, more and more exciting auction events like this one will come to fruition."
Commenting on the potential value and the auction process for this event, Mr. Chung continued: "Emperor Huizong is a highly influential figure in Chinese art history, best known for his artistic sense and patronage of Chinese art through the establishment of the Royal Academy of Paintings and the imperial kiln. His art works are the most sought after throughout China's collection history, from Ming and Qing emperors to scholars and commoners. The Song Huizong imperial kiln operated under the auspices of the court, and only produced Guan ware for imperial use. Products not meeting strict quality standards were broken into small pieces and buried. Therefore, very few Guan ware exist today, let alone one with a dragon mark. The cultural, artistic and historical significance and rarity of this piece compel us to value it in the highest range of the current Chinese art market. We will start the auction at 50 million usd, we encourage potential bidders to contact us to make a one percent returnable deposit and become qualified bidders for the next step."
For inquiries please contact David L. Chung, CFA, at (609) 807-8880 or email: goodfortunellc@hotmail.com
Photo can be viewed at: http://goodfortunellc.tumblr.com.