A BLACK AND CINNABAR LACQUER RECTANGULAR 'LONG-TAILED BIRD' TRAY SONG DYNASTY

of rectangular form with gently everted sides supported on a broad foot and recessed base, deftly carved through alternating layers of black and red lacquer to the ochre ground below with two long-tailed birds flying among peony blossoms wreathed in profuse foliage, with further sprays of chrysanthemum, hibiscus, lotus and camellia at the corners, all framed by a thick rim, the underside similarly carved with sprays of leafy camellia, chrysanthemum, peony and lotus, the recessed base lacquered in plain brownish-black

Collection of Honganji Temple, Kyoto.

Chūgoku Sō jidai no choshitsu/Chinese Carved Lacquerware of the Song Dynasty, Tokyo National Museum, 2004, cat. no. 19.

Yasuhiro Nishioka, ‘Chinese “Southern Song Style” Carved Lacquer, Centring Around the Work with the Signature of Lu Pu Zao’, Bulletin of the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, no. 10, 1992-4, pls. 12, 12a and 12b.

One of the long sides of the tray has been restored and the corners on all four sides have light restoration, but overall the condition is good.
"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."

Yasuhiro Nishioka, in ibid., pp. 18-27, discusses ten pieces of this type, including the present tray and lot 150 in this sale, five of which have needle-engraved inscriptions that include the maker’s name, Lu Pu. From these inscriptions Nishioka deduces that all ten pieces were made in Hangzhou, a prominent production place for lacquerwares, and two inscriptions bear cyclical dates which he suggests are Southern Song dates in the 13th century.

Although the subject of two long-tailed birds in flight amongst flowers and foliage emerged as a favoured motif in various art forms in the Song dynasty and remained popular in the Yuan and Ming periods, the present piece is unusual for the scene being depicted in a rectangular space. Another tray of this type, similarly carved with two birds amongst a ground of peonies, chrysanthemums and prunus flowers, was included in the Tokyo National Museum exhibition 2004, op.cit., cat. no. 18; and a much larger example with everted rim depicting two phoenixes amidst a busy, stylised floral ground, was exhibited in Sō Gen no bi. Denrai no shikki o chūshin/The Colors and Forms of Song and Yuan China. Featuring Lacquerwares, Ceramics and Metalwares, Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, Tokyo, 2004, cat. no. 89.