Lot 63
  • 63

A 'YAOZHOU' MOLDED 'BOYS' BOWL NORTHERN SONG / JIN DYNASTY

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description

  • ceramic
of conical form, rising from a short foot to a flared rim, the interior crisply molded with a playful scene depicting three boys in various poses each grasping the stems of lotus flowers, all against dense combed foliate motifs, covered overall in a warm olive-green glaze

Condition

There are glaze frits to the rim, glaze pulls to the exterior of the rim and near the base. There are two burst glaze bubbles to the interior under the rim. The bowl is slightly warped.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The depiction of boys playing amidst flowers was popular during the Song dynasty, appearing not only on ceramics but also textiles and other media. The lotus in Chinese is known as lian, and is a homophone for the word 'continuous' or 'successive, and so the depiction of boys and lotus together create the wish for continuous birth of distinguished sons, lian sheng guizi.

See a related bowl depicting four boys instead of three, included in the exhibition Song Ceramics from the Kwan Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, no. 83, and subsequently sold in our London rooms, 12th November 2003, lot 80; and another illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, vol. 1, 1994, no. 427. See also a Yaozhou dish from the Gordon collection depicting three boys, sold Christie's New York, 24th March 2011, lot 1114.