Lot 38. A rare barbed-rim 'oil spot' glazed washer, 18th century. Estimate £4,000 - 6,000 (€5,600 - 8,500). Sold for £ 5,000 (€ 5,685). Photo Bonhams.

The everted sides rising to the wide flat barbed rim, the black glaze densely suffused with a myriad of silvery 'oil spots' covering the interior and slightly spilling over the rim onto the exterior, all raised on three low ruyi-shaped feet. 17.8cm (7in) wide

Provenance: a distinguished European private collection

Notes: The form and decoration of the present lot are inspired by Song dynasty wares: the shape of a junyao glazed 'narcissus' bowl and the 'oil spot' glaze seen on bowls.

The 18th century saw renewed interest and technical 're-discovery' of forms and glazes, mostly produced during the Song dynasty. Taking inspiration from previous eras was a symbolic representation of drawing moral virtues of those period, and arguably an assimilative tool of the Manchu Qing dynasty, asserting their understanding and appreciation of the Han Chinese scholarship and culture.

A related 18th century washer of similar form, inspired by other Song dynasty glaze see a junyao-type glazed washer, Yongzheng seal mark and period, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl.178, and for a ge-type glazed example, Qianlong seal mark and period, see one sold at Christie's London, 13 May 2014, lot 408.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 12 Nov 2015 10:00 GMT - LONDON, NEW BOND STREET