A Jizhou pottery tea bowl with reserve flower head decoration. Song Dynasty

The interior of its wide, curving well finished with a raised ridge and covered with a dark chocolate brown glaze layer now seen as the silhouettes of fifteen flower heads originally formed from cut paper that were covered with a lighter slip that formed the ground of pale brown mottled with blue and beige after firing, the exterior walls unevenly covered with the darker brown glaze.. 4 3/8in (11cm) diameter. Estimate: $2,000 - 3,000

Bonhams. Fine Asian Works of Art, 29 Jun 2009. 220 San Bruno Avenue, San Francisco www.bonhams.com