well potted with an incurved rim standing on a low foot, the exterior and base covered in a thick glossy black glaze suffused with metallic spots of varying sizes, the glaze stopping short of the footring 

C.C. Teng, 1997.

The overall condition is very good, except for a short firing crack of approx. 0.8 cm, mainly to the interior mouth, with an associated hairline of approx. 1.7 cm from the rim and related glaze crackles on the interior. There are also some original burst bubbles near the foot.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Well potted of pleasing proportion and outstanding finish, enveloped in an intricate pattern of metallic purplish spots, this is a fine example of its type, most likely produced at the Huairen kilns in Shanxi. In operation from the Jin dynasty to the end of the Ming dynasty, the Huairen kilns were renowned for their oil-spot bowls with dense metallic spots. These metallic spots were formed when oxides of iron segregated themselves from the iron-saturated glaze during firing, and crystallised on the surface during cooling. It is believed to have been discovered accidentally by potters of the Jian kiln in Fujian, during the Northern Song dynasty. This type of glaze was so popular that it was soon copied at several other kilns. Some scholars affirm that this type of teaware was highly praised by Song dynasty literati, who compared the pattern to that of a partridge, thus named zheguban (‘partridge spots’). It can be exemplified by contemporary verses such as “to absorb Spring dews among partridge spots”. For more detailed discussions on ‘oil-spot’ teawares, see for example Lu Chenglong, ‘Riben suo ding guobao zhong de zhongguo ciqi [the Chinese ceramics among the National Treasures in Japan]’, Gugong bowuyuan yuankan [Palace Museum journal], no. 1, 2003, and Rober D. Mowry, Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers. Chinese Brown- and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400, Cambridge, 1995, p. 222.

Used for tea ceremony, bowls of this type were especially popular in Japan where they are known as yuteki (‘oil-spot’) temmoku. Several examples can be found in Japanese museums, such as one designated as a 'National Treasure' by the Bunkacho (Agency for Cultural Affairs), in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, exhibited together with two further related bowls, one from the Tokugawa Art Museum and the other from the Nezu Institute of Fine Arts in Kyoto, in Karamono temmoku [Chinese temmoku], MOA Art Museum, Atami, 1994, 1994, cat. nos. 2-4. A further bowl in the Ryoko-in Temple, Kyoto, is published in Chugoku no toji. Temmoku [Chinese ceramics, tenmmoku], Tokyo, 1999, pl. 24.