Lot 88. A fine and large 'Ding' 'Lotus' Bowl. Song Dynasty, 25cm., 9 3/4 in. Estimation 50,000-70,000 GBP. Lot sold 229,250 GBP. Photo Sotheby's

the finely potted body of slightly rounded flared form rising from a short spreading foot to an everted indented rim, freely carved to the interior with a large leafy lotus spray, covered overall with an ivory glaze pooling in characteristic teardrops down the exterior.

PROVENANCE: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd May 2000, lot 588.

NOTE: This elegant bowl is representative of a classic 'Ding' design of the Northern Song dynasty and is particularly notable for its large size. 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 slightly 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, pl. 52; one included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Sung Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum. Ting Ware and Ting-type Ware, Taipei, 1973, pl. 41; 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 these rooms, 7th June 2000, lot 98

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. Londres | 16 mai 2012, 10:00 AM