A FINE QINGBAI CUP NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY

delicately potted of upright rounded form, with three raised ribs below the tapering foot, rising to a tapering rim, covered in a consistent pale blue-tinged glaze

Collection of Francisco Capelo.

Francisco Capelo et. al., Forms of Pleasure. Chinese Ceramics from Burial to Daily Life, London, 2009, pl. 60.

The cup is in very good condition with the exception of very minor glaze firing imprefections including faint iron-spots to the interior and one to the exterior and a slightly un-even pooling to the glaze on the interior.
"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."

This exquisite form appears to be rare although a very similar vessel, both in form and size, is illustrated in Heaven and Earth Seen Within. Song Ceramics from the Robert Barron Collection, New Orleans, 2000, p. 116, pl. 43, where it is described as a water pot and attributed to the manufacture of the kilns at Fanchang county in Anhui province. It is also noted, ibid., p. 116, that excavations at the Fanchang kiln site and tomb excavations at Anhui have uncovered virtually identical water pots, and further two examples were discovered, along with forty other Qingbai porcelains, in a tomb datable to 1087 in Susong county, Anhui province. Another similar pot is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, published in Stacey Pierson (ed.,), Qingbai Wares: Chinese Porcelains of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, London, 2002, pl. 26, and two further examples sold in our New York rooms, 21/22^nd September 2005, lot 55, and 23^rdMarch 2004, lot 621.

The present pot is also comparable to a small finely potted zhadou, from the Meiyintang collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Volume Three (II), London, 2006, pl. 1587, particularly the lower lobe of the vessel.