Alain.R.Truong

Yoko London

Yoko London. Pink and White Pearl Collar Necklace. 18k rose gold, 9-14mm South Sea and freshwater pearls, 10.88 cts. t.w. diamonds.

An ombre collar pattern is seen on this necklace of white South Sea and pink freshwater pearls, with lines of bezel-set round diamonds spanning the two rows of pearls.

Yoko London. Ombre Pearl Bib Necklace. 18k white gold, 9-14mm South Sea and freshwater pearls, 15.92 cts. t.w. diamonds.

A cascade of twig-like lines accented with diamonds creates this necklace, with an ombre color pattern of white Australian South Sea pearls and pink and Radiant Orchid freshwater pearls.

Yoko London. Pink and Radiant Orchid Pearl Earrings. 18k white gold, 9-14mm South Sea and freshwater pearls, 2.98 cts. t.w. diamonds.

Fluid, branch-like lines dotted with round diamonds accent the white Australian South Sea and pink and Radiant Orchid freshwater pearls featured on these earrings.

Yoko London. Pearl and Diamond Chandelier Earrings. 18k rose gold, 10-14mm South Sea and freshwater pearls, 3.55 cts. t.w. diamonds.

Lines of bezel-set round diamonds lead to the pink freshwater pearls that dangle from these chandelier-style earrings, each with a white South Sea pearl at the top.

Yoko London. Radiant Orchid Pearl Flower Ring. 18k white gold, 14-15mm freshwater pearl, 1.64 cts. t.w. diamonds.

Diamond-lined petals cradle the Radiant Orchid freshwater pearl at the center of this ring with the design of a flower.

Yoko London. Pink Pearl Flower Ring. 18k rose gold, 15-16mm freshwater pearl, 1.0 cts. t.w. diamonds.

A pink freshwater pearl is nestled at the center of this flower ring, featuring diamond-lined petals.

Yoko London, established in 1973, is one of the world’s leading luxury pearl jewellers. Their family-run team travel the globe to source the world’s finest pearls, and they boast one of the rarest collections in the world, with many pearls in unique natural colours and exceptional sizes. Their gifted designers and expert craftsmen work together to create pieces which are at the forefront of jewellery trends, combining a contemporary aesthetic, with a timeless elegance. Each pearl is hand-picked for every individual design, and their award-winning creations are intricately tailored to celebrate the captivating beauty of this precious gem. Their dedicated team have been known to spend up to a year locating one pearl, which is perfect in size, colour and quality, to complete a single design.

A small carved 'Ding' 'Lotus' bowl, Northern Song dynasty

A small carved 'Ding' 'Lotus' bowl, Northern Song dynasty. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of deep form with rounded sides rising to an unglazed rim, freely carved on the interior with a single lotus spray, covered overall with a creamy ivory-white glaze - Diameter 3 3/4  in., 9.5 cm

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A molded 'Ding' dish, Northern Song dynasty

A molded 'Ding' dish, Northern Song dynasty. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the shallow rounded sides rising from a short foot to a hexalobed rim, molded on the interior with a central medallion of a bronze vessel displaying flowers and surrounded by six further panels of similar design, a band of ruyi borders below the rim, covered overall with a creamy white glaze with characteristic teardrop streaks running down the exterior, metal bound rim - Diameter 7 7/8  in., 20 cm

Property from the  Bai Ma Xuan Collection

Notes: See a related Ding bowl with a similar design, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Decorated Porcelains of Dingzhou, Taipei, 2014, p. 226, pl. II-157.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A 'Ding' waterpot, Song dynasty

A 'Ding' waterpot, Song dynasty.  Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the small jar, in the form of a lotus bud and surmounted by a straight short neck, carved around the sides with an undulating line suggesting overlapping lotus petals, covered inside and out with a ivory glaze tinged with green - Height 1 7/8  in., 4.7 cm

Property from the Bai Ma Xuan Collection

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A 'Ding' quatrefoil dish, Tang-Five Dynasties

A 'Ding' quatrefoil dish, Tang-Five Dynasties. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a barbed, four-pointed rim, glazed overall with an ivory-tinged glaze, the foot left unglazed revealing the white body - Diameter 5 1/2  in., 14 cm

Property from the Bai Ma Xuan Collection

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A small 'Ding' ewer and cover, Five Dynasties-Northern Song dynasty

A small 'Ding' ewer and cover, Five Dynasties-Northern Song dynasty. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the globular body supported on a short foot, set with a flat loop handle and a short spout, the incurved rim molded with bow-string lines, the cover surmounted by a stem knop, covered overall in a creamy-ivory glaze leaving the footring unglazed - Height 3 in., 7.6 cm

Notes: See a related ewer dated to the Five Dynasties period, but without its cover, from the Palace Museum collection illustrated in Selection of Ding Ware: the Palace Museum's Collection and Archaeological Excavation, Beijing, 2012, p. 80, pl. 26.  A similar ewer, also lacking its cover, was sold in our London rooms, 14th May 2014, lot 51. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A 'Ding' lobed dish, Northern Song dynasty

A 'Ding' lobed dish, Northern Song dynasty. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the wide sides rising from a short foot to a six-lobed rim, the cavetto applied with six vertical ribs radiating from the central medallion enclosing a lotus flower and leaf issuing from a stem, glazed allover in an ivory glaze with characteristic pooling to the exterior, the footrim unglazed revealing the white body - Diameter 8 in., 20.3 cm

Property from the Bai Ma Xuan Collection

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A finely carved 'Ding' 'Lotus' bowl, Northern Song dynasty

A finely carved 'Ding' 'Lotus' bowl, Northern Song dynasty. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

well-potted with flared slightly rounded sides rising from a low small ring foot to the everted rim, the interior deftly carved with a large lotus flower borne on a leafy stem encircled by a winding lotus stem issuing another blossom, small curling leaves and a single larger leaf in profile with a pronounced crimped-edge, the semi-translucent glaze applied overall, pooling into the recessed areas and with characteristic 'teardrops' to the underside - Diameter 8 1/2  in., 21.5 cm

Povenance: Christie's New York, 5th June 1986, lot 184.

PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE NEW YORK COLLECTOR 

Notes: The present bowl illustrates the superb artistry for which Ding wares are justifiably renown. The confident, gestural carving imbues the lotus blooms with an appealing air of fresh immediacy. The flower, rapidly incised into the still damp body belies the high skill level expected of the artisans who created these wares to satisfy the most discerning eye. Bowls of this type, but of slightly smaller size, include one from the Qing Court collection, and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 52; one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Special Exhibition of Ting White Ware White Porcelain, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, cat. no. 36; another from the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, included in the exhibition White Porcelain of Ding Yao, Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, Tokyo, 1983, cat. no. 117; a bowl from the Eumorfopoulos collection, illustrated in R.L. Hobson, The George Eumorfopoulos Collection, vol. 3, London, 1926, pl. XXIX; and a fifth example from the collection of Mrs Alfred Clark, included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Arts of the Sung Dynasty, London, 1960, cat. no. 19, and sold in our London rooms, 25th March 1975, lot 35. A metal-rimmed bowl very similar to the present, formerly of the Alfred Schoenlicht Collection was sold in these rooms 17th / 18th September 2013, lot 75.

Examples of this form but with lobed rims are also known; one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Selection of Ding Ware. The Palace Museum's Collection and Archaeological Excavation, Beijing, 2012, pl. 64; and a slightly larger bowl sold in our London rooms, 16th May 2012, lot 88.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A carved 'Ding' 'Lotus' bowl, Northern Song dynasty

A carved 'Ding 'Lotus' bowl, Northern Song dynasty. Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

finely potted with gently rounded conical sides rising from a short foot to a hexalobed rim, the interior deftly and freely carved with a single lotus flower with curling leaves, applied overall with an even ivory colored glaze pooling in characteristic tear-drops on the plain exterior, the rim unglazed - Diameter 8 1/2  in., 21.6 cm

Notes: This bowl is representative of a classic 'Ding' design of the Northern Song dynasty. The restrained yet flowing lines of the decoration successfully capture the spirit and grace of the lotus flower while accentuating the refined quality of the porcelain body. Symbolic of purity and integrity because it rises clean out of muddy water, the lotus was a popular motif throughout the Song dynasty and frequently featured on white-glazed 'Ding' ware.

A related bowl of larger dimensions and with a copper-bound rim, from the Carl Kempe collection, illustrated in Jan Wirgin, Sung Ceramic Designs, Stockholm, 1970, pl. 63a, was sold in our London rooms, 14th May 2008, lot 252. Slightly smaller bowls of this type include one from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, p. 49, pl. 52; one included inDecorated Porcelains of Dingzhou: White Ding wares from the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2014, p. 89, pl. 42; another, from the Jingguantang collection included in the exhibition Gems of Chinese Art. Selections of Ceramics and Bronzes from the Tsui Art Foundation, The Empress Palace Museum, Singapore, 1992, cat. no. 46, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3rd November 1996, lot 535, and again at Christie's New York, 18th September 1997, lot 144; and a fourth bowl was sold in our London rooms, 16th May 2012, lot 88.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A carved 'Ding' 'Lotus and Duck' bowl, Northern Song dynasty

A carved 'Ding' 'Lotus and Duck' bowl, Northern Song dynasty. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the shallow rounded sides rising from a short foot, freely carved to the interior with two ducks swimming in a pond side by side with lotus flowers and weeds, covered overall with an ivory glaze pooling in characteristic teardrops down the exterior, the rim left unglazed - Diameter 8 1/4  in., 21 cm

Property from the Bai Ma Xuan Collection

Notes: Ding wares are ranked amongst the ‘Five Famous Wares of the Song Dynasty’, a term coined by collectors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Celebrated for their thin potting and fine white body, which does not require a slip to appear white after firing, and an ivory-colored glaze which tends to run down in somewhat darker ‘tears’, Ding wares became renowned for their elegant forms that often derived from contemporaneous silver and lacquer vessels to find favor with the court and wealthy monasteries during the Song and Jin periods.

See two related Ding bowls depicting two swimming ducks with copper bound rims, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ting Ware White Porcelain, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, nos. 44 and 46.  See another lobed Ding bowl of slightly larger size, with similar decoration, formerly in the Eumorfopoulos Collection illustrated in Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Ting and Allied Wares, Percival David Foundation of Art, London, 1980, p. 17, no. 33.  

Compare a Ding bowl sold Christie's London, 12th July 2005, lot 74; and another in our London rooms, 7th November 2012, lot 219.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM