Chinese Cizhou-style Painted Stoneware Bowl, Song to Yuan Dynasty type

Name: Chinese Cizhou-style Painted Stoneware Bowl, Song to Yuan Dynasty type
Brand: bruinsma
Availability: LimitedAvailability

Ancient Chinese stoneware bowl with black hand-painted floral motifs on a white slip, showing a crack and an unglazed bottom. - view 1

1/3

Estimated value

$150 - $650

Rarity

Average(4/10)

CHINESE CIZHOU-STYLE PAINTED STONEWARE BOWL, SONG TO YUAN DYNASTY TYPE: IDENTIFICATION

A stoneware shallow bowl featuring underglaze slip-painted decoration in dark brown/black iron pigment over a creamy white slip ground. The interior well depicts a central stylized floral or whirlpool medallion surrounded by radial petal-like motifs and concentric bands. The exterior walls are decorated with two rows of rhythmic comma-shaped 'feather' or 'leaf' strokes, a characteristic hallmark of the Cizhou kilns. The unglazed foot reveals a coarse, buff-colored stoneware body with visible kiln grit.

Compare with other ceramic pieces in the archive: Alabaster Urn-Shaped Vase, Han Dynasty Style Glazed Ceramic Boar Figurine, Chinese Blue and White 'Three Friends of Winter' Stem Cup, Ming Style.

SCARCITY

Average55-70%

CommonLegendary

Typical antique shop fare. Requires some searching but regularly available. This is where most genuine antiques fall.

Rarity 4/10. Curiosa currently catalogues 101 ceramics items at rarity 4 or higher.

Typical Characteristics

Standard antique shop items
Regularly available
Moderate collector interest

Confidence Factors

Cizhou-ware is widely reproduced in Jingdezhen using traditional materials
Surface encrustation on the base appears somewhat consistent with burial but can be simulated
The brushwork is competent though slightly rigid compared to peak Song examples

How does authenticity detection work?

CERAMICIST'S ASSESSMENT

Asian Art Specialist

East Asian Art Expert

The stylistic markers for Cizhou stoneware are present and the material logic (body color vs slip) is consistent with the type, but standard reproduction risks in this category prevent a higher score.

KEY EVIDENCE

1Diagnostic Cizhou 'leaf' or 'comma' motif on an exterior registers
2Buff stoneware body with high-fired slip-painting technique
3Unglazed foot with significant kiln debris characteristic of Northern kilns
4Presence of spontaneous iron-brushwork characteristic of Yuan era provincial production

UNCERTAINTIES

•The uniform appearance of the hairline crack suggests potential simulated aging
•Lack of 'tea staining' or organic residues in the crazing of the interior

WHAT WOULD IMPROVE CERTAINTY

→Inspect the hairline crack under UV light to check for modern adhesives or restoration
→Perform a tongue test or water drop test on the unglazed foot to assess porosity/age
→Compare the base grit with documented shards from the Guantai kiln site

CONDITION & GRADE

Grading breakdown

Not applicable; however, the presence of structural cracks and surface pitting significantly impacts valuation compared to pristine museum examples.

Condition

A visible vertical hairline crack extends from the rim through the body into the well. Significant surface abrasions and kiln adhesions are present on the interior; the footrim shows significant oxidation and encrustation.