Page 16 - Nov 2019 Hong Kong SOtheby's Chinese Art

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Comparisons to the present piece, with its charming
PROPERTY FROM AN OLD ASIAN FAMILY COLLECTION
applied florets to reproduce ‘drum nails’, are mainly found
A SUPERB AND RARE YAOZHOU CELADON in the form of wasters discovered at the kiln site. One
‘PEONY’ BOX AND COVER well-preserved box and cover recovered from the kiln site,
NORTHERN SONG – JIN DYNASTY of similar form and design, but with an additional foliate
scroll around the centre, its glaze turned a very dark tone
probably a chess box, swiftly incised around the exterior with especially where it pooled, is published together with some
nine cash coins between rows of small impressed florets, chess pieces in Songdai Yaozhou yaozhi/The Yaozhou
the slightly domed top carved with a large bloom borne on a Kiln Site of the Song Period, Beijing, 1998, col. pl. XI’; also
curling stem and wreathed by undulating foliage illustrated are fragments of boxes similar to the present
13.2 cm, 5¼ in. piece or with additional carving, pl. LXXXIX, figs 1-3, and
p. 332, fig. 167: 1-12; and similar covers, with applied or
HK$ 400,000-600,000 impressed florets, or lacking florets altogether, pl. XCIV, figs
US$ 51,000-76,500 3-5, and p. 346, fig. 172.

北宋至金 耀州窰青釉劃花蓋罐 The complete example from the kiln site was included in
the exhibition The Masterpieces of Yaozhou Ware, Museum
of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1997, pl. 76, together with a
This drum-shaped vessel, probably made to contain chess miniature version from the collection of the Tokyo National
(weiqi) pieces, is exquisitely potted, decorated, glazed and Museum, cat. no. 77, and a later version with more yellowish
fired and, not surprisingly, exceedingly rare. The Yaozhou glaze, attributed to the Jin dynasty (1115-1234), also
kilns at Huangpu, southwest of Tongchuan city in Shaanxi excavated from the kiln site, pl. 89.
province, which had gained renown through their pale green A closely related Yaozhou box and cover of the same size
vessels with deep, large-scale carving in the Five Dynasties from the collection of the Chang Foundation, Taipei, similarly
period (907-960), became China’s major suppliers of high- incised with peonies at the top but left undecorated around
quality celadon wares in the Northern Song dynasty (960- the sides, illustrated in James Spencer (comp.), Selected
1127). While they turned to producing bowls and dishes with Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Chang
incised or moulded designs on a vast scale, they also created Foundation, Taipei, 1990, cat. no.37, was sold in these
a small number of vessels in other shapes, which were rooms, 3rd October 2017, lot 2, from the Le Cong Tang
generally given particular attention and thus remained rare. collection.

OTHER VIEW
14 SOTHEBY ’S CHINESE ART