A CHINESE JIZHOU PAINTED BOWL Song Dynasty The rounded sides rising from a short tapered foot, covered in a thick black glaze that falls short of the foot and thins to a russet tone at the rim, the interior painted in brisk buff brushstrokes with an abstract design, 11.5cm diameter Provenance : English private collection formed around 1950s. 宋 吉州黑釉窯盞 來源： 英國私人收藏。 Note: Jizhou ware is a Chinese pottery originating from Jiangxi province in Southern China, and was produced over a period of five centuries, ending abruptly in the 14 th century. These tea bowls hold a special place in the history of Chinese ceramics, with tea-drinking becoming widespread during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and remained popular throughout the Song Dynasty. The ceramics pieces were an important part of the tea drinking ceremony, and these wares were used by Emperors, officials, monks and ordinary people alike. The enduring influence of these wares can be felt today. Bernard Leach (1887-1979), the ‘Father of British Studio Pottery’, was greatly influenced by these wares, and utilised their forms, glazes and decorations as part of his own practice. Leach would coin the phrase ‘Sung [Song] standard’, which he believed was a level of authentic and unpretentious artistry that all contemporary potters should aspire to.