A large Ding carved 'Fish' bowl, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)
Lot 98. A large Ding carved 'Fish' bowl, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), 12 5/8 in. (32 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 300,000 - HKD 500,000 (USD 38,816 - USD 64,693) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017.
The bowl is fluidly carved to the interior with a single fish in a pond amidst lotus flowers, leaves and weed, the exterior carved with two rows of overlapping lotus petals, covered overall with an ivory-toned glaze. The mouth is bound with metal.
Note: Ding bowls of this large size and form are very rare, and the present bowl appears to be one of the largest of this type to be offered at auction. Three other known Ding bowls of almost the same size and decorative design on the interior and exterior are known. The first is illustrated by R. L. Hobson in The Eumorfopoulos Collection, vol. II, 1926, pl. XXVII, no. C 133, 31.5 cm. diam.. The second is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, Vol. 5, The British Museum, Kodansha Series, 1981, no. 56, catalogued as 16.7 cm. high. The third was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 31 October 1995, lot 343, measuring 33 cm. diam.
Christie's. The Pavilion Sale - Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 4 April 2017, Hong Kong