An unusual Xingyao 'Grater' bowl, China, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907). Estimate USD 2,000 - 3,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The shallow bowl with flared sides, the unglazed interior carved above the plain center with a crisscross pattern divided into quadrants below a greyish-white glaze that covers the rim and exterior. 4 ¾ in. (12 cm.) diameter, box

Provenance: The Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth, New York, acquired in Hong Kong, 1988.

Property from the Private Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth

The Xing kilns in Hebei province were best known for the production of bowls, bowl stands and dishes. A very similar bowl with carved grooves in the interior and white glaze on the exterior, but with additional decoration of fish in the interior, is illustrated by Zhang Bai, Complete Collection of Ceramic Art Unearthed in China, vol. 8, Beijing, 2008, no. 58, and is now in the Liu'an Bureau of Cultural Relics.

Christie's. THE COLLECTION OF ROBERT HATFIELD ELLSWORTH VOLUME VII: CHINESE WORKS OF ART ONLINE