Page 84 - March 23, 2022 Sotheby's NYC Fine Chinese Works of Art

295

PROPERTY FROM AN AMERICAN PRIVATE COLLECTION 隋 / 唐 七世紀 大理石蓋瓶
AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE WHITE MARBLE
PEAR-SHAPED BOTTLE AND COVER 來源
SUI / TANG DYNASTY, 7TH CENTURY 紐約蘇富比2005年9月22日，編號297
(2)
Height 12⅜ in., 31.5 cm

PROVENANCE
Sotheby’s New York, 22nd September 2005, lot 297.
It is extremely rare to find vessels of this early date made
of marble, a medium that was then used for carving figural
or animal sculptures. A few white marble vessels, such as a
footed cup, a shallow dish and a box, have been excavated
from a Tang dynasty tomb in Xingyuan village, Yanshi, Henan
province, illustrated in Kaogu, no. 10, 1984, pls 7:6 and 8:2,
with line drawings on p. 911, figs 9:1 and 6 and p. 912, fig.
10:4. Another Tang cup stand carved with floral and cloud
motifs was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2010,
lot 3234.
Vessels of similar form, particularly with the characteristic
neatly fitted, recessed cover, are known since the late 6th
century in white stoneware and closely resemble this white
marble version. A Sui dynasty (581-618) small covered
jar of depressed pear-shape with a countersunk cover,
excavated at Houchuan, Shanxian, Henan province is
illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji / Complete series on
Chinese ceramics, vol. 5, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 13; a smaller
white stoneware bottle of similar form but lacking the cover,
is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the
Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, 1994, pp 120-1, pl. 197;
another is illustrated in Masahiko Sato, Chinese Ceramics. A
Short History, New York and Tokyo, 1981, p. 53, fig. 74.
$ 80,000-120,000

164 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N10917 165