Six-lobed Dingyao Dish                           

Northern Song dynasty, second half of 10th to early 11th century                 

Ding ware: white porcelaneous stoneware with ivory-tinged glaze

Ding kilns, Quyang County, Hebei Province

Diameter 21.5 cm   Height 4.6 cm                           

This delicately potted dish rests on a high, slightly splayed foot. Its walls are widely everted horizontally, flaring elegantly to a thin lip with six-lobed rim, the lobes indicated by slight ridges inside and incisions outside. The dish is covered with a creamy-white, ivory-tinged glaze collecting in 'tear drops,' characteristic of Ding ware, on the exterior and base of the dish. The foot-rim and mouth-rim are unglazed revealing the porcellaneous clay body.

The elegant, six-lobed shape and the exceptionally thin potting and light weight of this dish suggest that it was made in direct imitation of contemporary Northern Song dynasty lacquer wares of the 10th and 11th centuries, epitomizing the simple elegance of Northern Song dynasty aesthetics.   

Similar Examples:

Six-lobed Ding ware dishes of this type are extremely rare and this dish appears to be the largest example recorded. For two smaller examples, see:

In the Barlow Collection:

Michael Sullivan, Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades in the Collection of Sir Alan and Lady Barlow, London, 1963, pl. 42b.

In the Meiyintang Collection:

Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994, p. 199, pl. 347.