A LONGQUAN CELADON 'TWIN FISH' DISH SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY |

the rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a flat everted rim, the interior moulded with a pair of addorsed carp, the exterior with lotus petals, covered overall save for the footring in a sage-green glaze, Japanese box

A Japanese private collection.

The dish is in good condition. There are some typical wear and light scratches to the interior. The glaze is smooth and particularly successful. The actual colour is a tinge more bluish‎ green, less celadon when compared to 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 of this popular ‘twin fish’ design were produced from the Southern Song dynasty to the Yuan dynasty. Compare a similar Southern Song dynasty example from the collection of Sakamoto Goro, sold in our New York rooms, 16th September 2014, lot 2. 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, together with various related dishes and shards of both Song and Yuan periods, figs 77a-g. Another Song example is published in Longquan qingci [Longquan celadon], Beijing, 1966, pl. 32; and one from the Riesco collection was sold twice in our London rooms, in 1984 and 1986, and again at Christie’s New York, 19th September 2007, lot 260.  See also a smaller example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, included in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 51; and another from the Sir Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Stacey Pierson, Designs as Signs. Decoration and Chinese Ceramics, London, 2001, pl. 11, where the author discusses the ‘twin fish’ motif as an auspicious symbol of harmonious marriage and good fortune (p. 19). A dish of this type, attributed to the Yuan dynasty, is included in Celadons from Longquan Kilns, Taipei, 1998, pl. 218; two dishes recovered from a ship wrecked off the coast of Korea in 1323 are illustrated in Relics Salvaged from the Seabed off Sinan. Materials I, Seoul, 1985, pl. 11, no. 13; and another dish is published in T. Misugi, Chinese Porcelain Collections in the Near East: Topkapi and Ardebil, Hong Kong, 1981, vol. III, pl. A230.