Page 99 - Sotheby's May 10th 2017 London Important Chinese Art

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PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTOR

A QINGBAI STEMCUP AND STAND
SONG DYNASTY

delicately-potted, the cup with deep rounded sides rising from
a short spreading foot, the stand with a stepped, dished rim,
centered by a raised tapering platform with galleried rim, all
resting on a spreading pedestal foot, covered overall in a pale
blue translucent glaze
(2)
12 cm, 4¾ in.

The delicate potting and elegantl design of the present cup and
stand were originally inspired by silver and gold prototypes.
The porcelain versions were often preferred over the metal
ones for tea drinking as the ceramic body retained the heat of
the beverage and yet could be held without burning the hand.
A similar cup and stand was excavated in 1965 in Nancheng,
dated to 1057, and is illustrated in Dated Qingbai Wares of
the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1998, p. 45, no.
13. Compare also a cup and stand in the Victoria and Albert
Museum, London illustrated together with a similar stand
in silver illustrated in Song Yun: Sichuan Yao Cang Wenwu
Jicui (The Charm of Song: Cultural Artefacts from Hoards in
Sichuan), Beijing, 2006, p. 135.

£ 5,000-6,000
HK$ 48,300-58,000 US$ 6,300-7,500

202

A QINGBAI EWER, COVER AND BASIN
SONG DYNASTY

the ewer with ovoid body rising from a short spreading foot to
a narrow cylindrical neck, carved with a broad peony band at
the shoulder divided by a strap handle on one side and a short
curved spout on the other, the cylindrical cover surmounted by
a seated lion nial, the basin with deep rounded sides carved
with a continuous leafy peony band, all covered in a pale blue
crackled glaze
(3)
The ewer, 23 cm, 9 in.

£ 8,000-12,000
HK$ 77,500-116,000 US$ 10,000-14,900

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IMPORTANT CHINESE ART 97