ewer BM-1936-1012.206

Period:Northern Song dynasty Production date:960-1020 (Peter Lam dating 2021)
Materials:porcelain
Technique:glazed
Subjects:phoenix,flower
Dimensions:Height: 13.50 inches

Description:
White porcelain ewer, decorated with a phoenix-head and a design of flowers and leaves. Covered in a green-tinged glaze, at one time this ewer had a spout, but does not seem to have ever had a handle. The crisp carving of the ornament, with its slightly modelled relief, is extraordinarily executed. This piece is widely regarded as the finest example of the phoenix-headed vessel type, but the provenance is debated. Similar vases are known from Liao territory, while a more squat form is known from Guangdong province and Southeast Asia. Sherds of a ware similar to the BM ewer have been found at the Xicun kiln site, Guangzhou.
IMG


Comments:Peter Lam’s Hills Gold Medal Lecture to the OCS of OCtober 2021 will be published in the forthcoming Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society. Peter has revisited the Eumorfopoulos phoenix headed ewer and attributed new dating and new provenance to this beautiful piece. Michaelson 2006:This ewer is widely regarded as the finest known example of the phoenix-head vessel type. Because of the extremely fine modelling of its head, this ewer has been described by scholars as monumental, magnificent and one of the finest Chinese ceramics ever produced. There are no other surviving examples of a head so intricate.It is not established whether it was made in a northern or southern kiln, as such phoenix-headed ewers were made in Liao territory in the north as well as at the Xicun kiln site in Guangdong province in the south. Its similarity to a more vase-like form may point to a northern origin, but no closely comparable examples have yet been excavated.