A CARVED YAOZHOU CELADON 'LOTUS' BOWL NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY |

the gently rounded sides rising to a fillet set beneath a lipped rim, the interior carved with a lotus blossom and a furled leaf viewed in profile against scrolling foliage, applied overall save for the footring in an olive-green glaze pooling to a deeper colour in the recesses

Sotheby's New York, 20th March 2002, lot 93.

The bowl is in overall good condition. The actual colour is slightly less yellow 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."

Bowls carved with this design are held in important museums worldwide, including one in the Art Institute of 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 and bowls of this design of various sizes recovered from three iron cooking pots, excavated in Huachixian, Gansu province (see p. 156).  For similar dishes carved with the same motif, see a dish in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji [The complete works of Chinese ceramics], vol. 7, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 123, as well as two other dishes in the Tokyo National Museum, published in the Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics I, Tokyo, 1988, pls 470 and 471; compare also a pair of similarly decorated dishes sold in these rooms 3rd/4th December 2015, lot 260, and another single dish sold in our London rooms, 16th December 1980, lot  260, from the Edward T. Chow collection.