A RARE PAIR OF 'YAOZHOU' CARVED ‘LOTUS’ DISHES NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY

each sturdily potted with a slightly concave interior, with an upturned rim rising from slanted sides above a low foot, finely and freely carved to the centre with a fanciful lotus bloom and large leaf borne on scrolling stems, covered overall in a bright celadon glaze of olive-green colour draining from the rim and pooling to deeper shades in the recesses, the knife-pared footring left unglazed

Matthias Komor, New York, 1954.
Cox Family Collection.
Sotheby’s New York, 20th March 2012, lot 31.

The dish pictured on the left in the catalogue photo is in overall good condition. There is expected minor glaze wear to the leaf and some expected natural pinholes and crackles from firing. The other dish is in overall good condition except for a small and shallow flake to the exterior of the foot, approx. 0.4 cm in diameter, and a very faint hairline crack extending from the rim into the dish. There is typical crazing and natural pinholes to the glaze and a grit to the interior mouthrim between 2 and 3 o'clock as visible in the catalogue illustration.
"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 carved with this lyrical design are held in important museums and private collections worldwide; one in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji [The complete works of Chinese ceramics], vol. 7, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 123; two in the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, are published in the Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics I, Tokyo, 1988, pls. 470 and 471; another in the Meiyintang collection, is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, 1994, pl. 414; and a further example, from the Scheinmen collection, was sold at Christie’s New York, 23rd March 1995, lot 82.

This design is also know on Yaozhou bowls, such as one in the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, included in the exhibition Ice and Green Clouds. Traditions of Chinese Celadon, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, 1987, cat. no. 60, where the author refers to a group of eighteen dishes of various sizes recovered from three iron cooking pots, excavated in Huachixian, Gansu province (see p. 156).