A RARE CARVED 'QINGBAI' 'DAYLILY' VASE (MEIPING) SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the rounded shoulders and tapering body surmounted by a sloping neck set with a cupped mouth, boldly carved with a luxuriant foliate meander of flowering lily borne on slender stems issuing large curling leaves, all on a 'combed' ground and within incised double-line bands, covered overall in a lustrous translucent pale blue glaze, pooling in the carved recesses and falling short of the foot to reveal the white body

Tokyo Chuo Auction, lot 369, according to label.

There is a restored V-shaped chip to the rim approx 2 in. wide, and another smaller restored chip to the rim. There are glaze losses on the base of the neck with associated glaze cracks extending into the body. There is a small chip to the footrim.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Meiping with a carved lily design are very rare. More often the forms are incised with lotus such as one illustrated Sekai Toji Zenshu, Vol.12,Tokyo, 1977, pl.30, now in the Hamamatsu Municipal Museum of Art, and more recently exhibited at the Tobu Museum of Art, Song Ceramics, Tokyo, 1999, no.50; peony blooms an example of which can be seen in Jinycun Hoard of Southern Song Dynasty in Suining, vol. 2, Suining Municipal Museum, Beijing, 2012, no. 104; and composite floral scrolls such as the vase illustrated in  The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, Shanghai, 1999, vol. 8, Part II, no. 200a. A similarly carved meiping with a peony meander was sold in these rooms 23rd March 2011, lot 564.