CIRCA 1710-15

For a discussion of the subtle decorative technique employed on this bowl, see Malcolm D. Gutter, Through The Looking Glass: Viewing Böttger And Other Red Stoneware, San Francisco, 1998, figs. 7 and 8, where a saucer in the author's collection with a metallic finish to the rim and cavetto around a matt centre is illustrated and discussed. It has been argued by some that this type of subtle decoration was in fact the product of inadvertent over-firing, but the precision of the dividing line between the different surfaces would suggest otherwise. Although the metallic finish to the exterior of the present lot does not cover the entire surface consistently, the browner part of the surface still bears a slight sheen and is quite different from the reddish-brown matt interior. This difference, together with the precision of the edge of the metallic finish on the upper side of the rim, supports Gutter's suggestion that these rare pieces were 'intentionally slipped' and 'then fired with great control'.