A RARE 'QINGBAI' BUDDHIST LION-SHAPED PILLOW NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the lower section finely modelled with a powerful Buddhistic lion holding a brocade ball in its mouth and with its head turned towards a small cub, with a fierce expression and bearing its teeth and claws on an oval base carved with overlapping lotus petals in relief, supporting a lobed kidney-shaped upper surface, finely incised with a design of foliage around a central flower head

Collection of Francisco Capelo.

Francisco Capelo et. al., Forms of Pleasure. Chinese Ceramics from Burial to Daily Life, London, 2009, pl. 62.

This pillow is in good condition except for restoration to the front right leg of the cub and an area to the upper arched surface of the top. The TL test photograph shows a very small chip to the edge of the upper surface and additional restoration to two of the teeth and three restored claws - one just beneath the replaced cub leg, one on the left foreleg of the lion (around the side of the picture in the catalogue) and then one claw missing on the back left leg which is out of picture.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Qingbai pillows are rare and the present piece is exceptional for the confidently moulded figures and exquisitely incised details. From the elegant design on the upper surface to the intricate combed curved lines that cover the body of the larger lion and the remarkable modelling of the facial features and paws of the two creatures, this piece is extremely rare and only one other pillow featuring a striding lion is known; see one with a more simplified figure of a lion illustrated in the Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, vol. 8, Shanghai, 1999, pl. 196.

Compare pillows with various figural supports, such as one made in the image of two fiercely-wrestling lions, such as one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 155; another modelled with two fighting dragons, sold in these rooms, 7^th June 2000, lot 103; and a third with the support in the form of a reclining lady, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, included in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 12, Tokyo, 1977, pl. 23.

The lion on the present pillow embodies the attributes of both male and female through its brocade ball and cub respectively. The fierce expressions, bushy eyebrows, triangular teeth, and delicate rendering of fur are characteristic of figures of lions made in the Hutian kilns of Jingdezhen. For an incense burner in the shape of a seated lion, see one published in Chai Kiln and Hutian Kiln, Guangzhou, 2004, p. 70; and a figure of a Buddhist lion with a brocade ball, in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, included in Stacey Pierson (ed.), Qingbai Ware: Chinese Porcelain of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, London, 2002, pl. 116.