A RARE YULINTING BOWL, WITH A VERSE FROM 'BOAT SONGS OF WUYI' BY ZHU XI (1130-1200) China, Southern Song Dynasty, ca. 1184-1200. The conical bowl shows a finely crackled brown-black glaze, stopping in wavy lines with two distinct drops well above the broad foot, thus revealing the earthenware below. The interior is painted in overglaze gold or silver with the eighth verse from a poem by Zhu Xi (1130-1200) about the nine bends of the Jiuquxi River in the Wuyi Mountains, Fujian Province. The calligraphy is surrounded by bamboo groves. Most typical of Yulinting bowls, a distinct ridge runs around the body between the lower extent of the glaze and the foot on the outer wall. Provenance: Edward Pranger Oriental Art, Amsterdam. Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above in 2007 at PAN Amsterdam (invoice not available). Founded in 1995, Edward Pranger Oriental Art has established a global reputation for quality in the field of Asian art. Mr. Edward Pranger studied Chinese languages and culture at Leiden University, Netherlands, and Chinese Art History at the National Taiwan University. Dr. de Jong is a Dutch art historian and has been privately collecting Chinese art over decades. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts spanning from the Middle Ages to the modern era. In 2013, he published an extensive study of Chinese riding gear in "Dragon & Horse, Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond". Between 1976 and 2009 he worked for numerous museums across the Netherlands and was the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch. Condition: Excellent condition with old wear and firing flaws. The gilding has mostly worn off, which is not a surprise given the time that has passed since it was applied. Expert comment: According to the present owner, Mrs. Rose Kerr, Honorary Associate of the Needham Research Institute in Cambridge, has commented this bowl as a "good piece" in 2018. Weight: 151.4 g Dimensions: Diameter 12.4 cm The Yulinting kiln-site is situated in a scenic area near Mount Wuyi in Fujian province. It occupies an area of six square kilometers. Excavations in 1998 and 1999 have uncovered remnants of a porcelainmaking workshop, two dragon kilns and some kiln-implements and porcelains. Among these are qingbai wares, black-glazed wares and celadons. Some of the black-glazed bowls bear gold or silver painted decoration and inscriptions. In Japan these are known as kinsaimoji temmoku, "Temmoku with gold painting and inscriptions," and are valued highly for use in the tea ceremony. The site is dated from the 11th to the mid-13th century, coinciding with the hey-days of the Jian kilns. Zhu Xi (October 18, 1130 - April 23, 1200) has been described as the second most influential thinker in Chinese history, after Confucius. He was a Chinese calligrapher, historian, philosopher, politician, and writer of the Song dynasty. He was a Confucian scholar who founded what later became known as the "learning of principle" or "rationalist" school (lixue) and was the most influential Neo-Confucian in China. His contributions to Chinese philosophy include his editing of and commentaries to the Four Books, which later formed the curriculum of the civil service exam in Imperial China from 1313 to 1905, his emphasis on the process of the "investigation of things" (gewu) and meditation as a method for self-cultivation. The "Boat Songs of Wuyi" were written by Zhu Xi in 1184 and thereafter enjoyed great popularity. The verse on the present bowl is the eighth of nine songs. The complete poem consists of an introduction and nine verses or songs, each related to one of the nine bends of the Jiuqu stream. They can be found in Song Shichao (collection of Song poems), the dedication reads: "Ten Boat Songs of Wuyi written as a leisure-time pleasure in the studio, to be presented to my traveling companions for their mutual enjoyment." Zhu Xi lived for many years near Mount Wuyi, where he founded a school and devoted himself to teaching and writing. When at leisure, he enjoyed boating on the Jiuqu stream, and he wrote his "Boat Songs of Wuyi" in imitation of the local boating songs he would hear during this pursuit. The rarity of this bowl is documented by K. Y. Ng in an article published in Kaikodo Journal No. 24 in 2008, updated in 2016. In 2008, Ng writes that black-glazed tea bowls in Jian style with gold or silver painted landscapes and poetic inscriptions were a significant invention of the Yulingting kilns, and extant pieces are "extremely rare". Only a handful have been found in Japan. The piece in the Aso collection is termed a densei-hin or handeddown piece, not recently excavated but rather treasured for hundreds of years since its arrival from the continent, most likely during the 13th or 14th century in the luggage of some monk returning home. Another example in Japan is in the Ogura collection. In 2016, Ng added that after the discovery of the bowl with the verse introducing the ten poems, three more Yulinting bowls depicting scenic spots at the fifth, sixth, and eighth bend turned up in the market. In 2016, the Tea Ware Museum in Hong Kong acquired these bowls to add to their existing tea ware collection. "As far as I know, there are only two more tea bowls decorated with gilt landscapes and poems by Zhu Xi from the Yulinting kiln in China. One is in a Canton private collection, published in Huanwuzhizhi, March 2009, Guangdong People's Press, China, pages 141-142, which depicts a scenic spot at the 5th bent [sic]. The other one is in a Shanghai private collection." The personal involvement of Zhu Xi in the invention and possibly even the production of this bowl seems possible, because Zhu Ki lived in close proximity of the Yulinting kiln for many years and no ceramics with writings by Zhu Ki were ever produced outside this kiln. According to K. Y. Ng, it is likely that these bowls were produced in sets of ten, one introductory example and one for each bend of the river Jiuqu. Given the effort that was invested in the quality of these bowls, it also seems possible that production was at least coordinated with Zhu Xi, especially because he lived so close. Given that Zhu Xi was one of the most important calligraphers of his time, it can even be speculated that the characters on some of these bowls were painted by the master himself. With an associated box. (2) Literature comparison: 1. Inaugural Exhibition, Vol. 1. Chinese Ceramics, The Museum of East Asian Art, Bath 1993, p. 161. 2. Black Porcelain from the Yeung Wing Tak collection, Hong Kong 1997, no. 100, p. 205. 3. The Multiplicity of Simplicity, University Museum & Art Gallery of the Hong Kong University, Hong Kong 2012, no. 110, p. 269. Further reading: 1. K. Y. Ng, Song Dynasty Black-glazed Tea Bowls from the Yulinting Kilns at Mount Wuyi, published in Kaikodo Journal No. 24 in 2008, updated in 2016. 罕見遇林亭窯黑釉描金朱熹《九曲放棹歌》詩文盞 中國，南宋，約1184-1200。 圓錐形盞，直口、斜腹，淺圈足，口沿部有圈棱。施黑釉，釉層較薄呈醬色，足无釉，露灰色胎。盏外腹无纹，盏心有描銀图案，盞内壁釉上飾有描金和朱熹（1130-1200）的《九曲放棹歌》第八曲。四周竹林包圍。最典型的遇林亭盞。 來源：阿姆斯特丹Edward Pranger Oriental Art收藏。Drs. Koos de Jong 2007年購於上述收藏(發票已遺失)。建立於1995年的 Edward Pranger Oriental Art 收藏在亞洲藝術領域以其高質量著稱。Mr. Edward Pranger 先生在荷蘭萊登大學攻讀過中國語言與文化，并在台灣國立大學攻讀過中國藝術史。Drs. Koos de Jong是一位荷蘭藝術史學家，幾十年來他一直私人收藏中國藝術品。他撰寫了數百篇文章和幾本書，內容涉及從中世紀到現代的荷蘭美術和裝飾藝術。2013年，他在《Dragon & Horse：Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond》中發表了有關中國騎馬裝備的詳盡研究。1976年至2009年間，他曾在荷蘭的許多博物館工作，並曾擔任登博世歐洲陶瓷工作中心的主任。 品相：品相良好，老磨損以及燒製瑕疵。描金 幾乎已脫落。 專家評論：根據現任藏家所述，劍橋大學Needham研究所名譽研究員Rose Kerr女士在2018年評論此碗是"好品"。 重量：151.4 克 尺寸：直徑12.4 厘米