A rare 'Longquan' celadon lobed 'Twin Fish' basin, Early Ming dynasty. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of circular form, robustly potted with shallow upright sides rising to a six-lobed rim, the interior deftly carved with two fish swimming amid an array of delicate water weeds, the medallion enclosed by a band of foliate scrolls, the walls of the interior incised with rows of undulating waves, the exterior with a single raised filet around the center, applied overall with a rich sea-foam green glaze, the circular ring on the flat base unglazed and burnt orange in the firing, Japanese wood box. Diameter 12 1/4  in., 31.1 cm

Notes: Basins of this form are rare, particularly with a carved interior.  A basin of similar size, carved with a pair of fish but with fourteen lobes and dated to the 14th / 15th century, in the National Palace Museum is illustrated in Green-Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 2009, pp. 242-243, no. 132. An eight-lobed example dated to the Hongwu period with four fish from the Longquan Celadon Museum is illustrated in Longquan Ware: Chinese Celadon Beloved of the Japanese, Aichi Prefecture Ceramic Museum, 2012, Seto, p. 116, no. 145.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art through the Eye of Sakamoto Gor – Ceramics, New York, 17 mars 2015, 10:00 AM