A 'LONGQUAN' CELADON 'TWIN FISH' DISH YUAN DYNASTY, 13TH/14TH CENTURY

the short tapering foot rising to the rounded sides, carved in relief with upright lotus petals to an everted rim, the interior moulded with two fish, covered in a bluish-green glaze

Collection of Francisco Capelo.

Francisco Capelo et. al., Forms of Pleasure. Chinese Ceramics from Burial to Daily Life, London, 2009, pl. 66.

This finely potted and glazed dish is in good overall condition with the exception of a 2mm., rim chip and associated 8mm., glaze line, a 1mm., rim chip and associated 5mm., glaze line, a 5mm., diam., flake to the outside edge of the footring, minor glaze firing imperfections including a small blister in the well, an iron-spot to the well, a burst glaze bubble to the side of the exterior, and glaze scratches.
"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."

Dishes of this popular 'twin-fish' design were made from the Southern Song period to the Yuan dynasty. For an early example see a dish in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts included in the exhibition Ice and Green Clouds: Traditions of Chinese Celadon, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, 1987, cat. no. 77, compared in the catalogue to various related dishes and shards both of the Song and Yuan periods, figs. 77a-g. Another Song example is published in Longquan qingci, Beijing, 1966, pl. 32; and one attributed to the Yuan dynasty is included in Celadons from Longquan Kilns, Taipei, 1998, pl. 218

A Yuan dish of this type, recovered from a ship wrecked off the coast of Korea in 1323, is published in Relics Salvaged from the Seabed off Sinan: Materials I, Seoul, 1985, pl. 11, figs. 13a-b; and another from the collection of the Ardebil Shrine in Iran is illustrated in T. Mitsugi, Chinese Porcelain Collections in the Near East: Topkapi and Ardebil, Hong Kong, 1981, vol. III, no. A230. Compare another closely related dish, from a Japanese private collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 11^th April 2008, lot 2995; and one of very similar size and decoration, from the Maeda family in Japan (by repute), sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27^th November 2007, lot 1753.