Lot 605. A 'Yaozhou' celadon-glazed mythical beast-form lamp, Northern Song-Jin Dynasty. Estimate 25,000 — 30,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the beast modeled standing four square on a flat rectangular base with its head facing forward, detailed with sharp fangs, flared nostrils, bushy eyebrows and spiral mane, the tail curled up over its back, the body adorned with tasseled trappings, supporting on its back a shallow dish carved with a formalized floral bloom in the center, covered overall with a lustrous olive-green glaze, save for the base left unglazed to reveal the gray stoneware body. Height 3 3/4  in., 9.6 cm

Note: For similar examples, see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong 1996, pl. 138; another in the Xi'an Museum, Xi'an, included in the exhibition China's Beauty of 2,000 Years, Tokyo, 1965, cat. no. 49; and a third sold in our London rooms, 17th December 1980, lot 558.