Lot 31. Property from the Cunliffe Collection of Chinese Art. A Dingyao moulded saucer dish, Jin Dynasty; 14.5cm (5 5/8in) diam. Sold for £23,750 (€30,155). © Bonhams 2001-2016.

The interior finely moulded in the centre with a pair of geese and a turtle amidst bamboo issuing from rockwork and a two-character inscription qi shou, encircled by a chrysanthemum petal band at the gently curved well, the exterior entirely plain, all covered in a milky-white glaze, the rim unglazed. 

Provenance: Rolf, Lord Cunliffe (1899-1963), Honorary Keeper of the Far Eastern Collections at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge 
Acquired from H.R.N.Norton in 1946
The Cunliffe Collection, no.TT16, and thence by descent

Exhibited: National Museum of Wales, 1991-2002, no.NMWA(L)780

Note: The two characters moulded in the centre are qi shou '齊壽' which may be translated as 'all with longevity'.

For two similar examples, see J.Wirgin, Sung Ceramic Designs, pls.102a and 101a; for another example dated to the Jin Dynasty and from the National Museum, Tokyo, see M.Tregear, Song Ceramics, New York, 1982, no.68, p.69.

Bonhams. AUCTION 23237: FINE CHINESE ART, 10:30 BST - LONDON, NEW BOND STREET