Lot 623. A rare wucai 'dragon and phoenix' peach-shaped bowl, Ming dynasty, Tianqi period (1621-1627); 25 cm. Estimate 30,000 - 60,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2024

decorated on the exterior with a dragon and phoenix soaring through scrolling clouds and flaming wisps, the interior with clusters of peaches borne on a leafy branch, lacquer cover and Japanese double wood box.

Literature: Fujio Koyama et al (eds), Sekai Toji Zenshu/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 14: Ming, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 264.
'Kosometsuke Shonzui ten yori [Highlights from The Blue and White Tea Ceramics of Japanese Admiration]', Tosetsu, The Ceramic Society of Japan, September 1981, no. 342, no. 5.

Exhibited: Chugoku Min Shin Bijutsu ten mokuroku/Chinese Arts of the Ming and Ch'ing Periods, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1963, cat. no. 373.
Arakawa Toyozo sensei Ogaya Chikuyo Sanjunen kinen Sakuto-ten Shukuga chakai [Memorial tea ceremony-30th anniversary of Mr Arakawa Toyozo's kiln in Ogaya], Mitsukoshi, Tokyo, 1964.
Kosometsuke to Shonzui ten [The Blue and White Tea Ceramics of Japanese Admiration], Takashimaya, Yokohama, 1981, cat. no. 127.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art through the Eye of Sakamoto Gorō: A Selection I, Hong Kong, 29 October 2024