Lot 1169. A carved Qingbai shallow 'Boys' bowl, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), 8 in. (20.3 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. Price realised USD 8,125 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The interior of the bowl is fluidly carved with a scene of two boys amidst flowers and it is covered overall with a translucent glaze of pale blue tone which pools in the recesses, except for the underside of the foot, cloth box.

Note: Jan Wirgin, in Sung Ceramic Design, London, 1979, pp. 179-81, discusses the origin of the boys among foral scrolls motif, citing the influence of Indian cave art and the Buddhist motif of the reborn souls on lotus flowers from the Tang period. By the Song dynasty, when the design was immensely popular on wares in various materials such as silver, bronze, textile and jade, and at different ceramic kilns including Yaozhou and Ding, it is clear that it had become a popular motif suggesting fertility and abundance.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 14 - 15 September 2017, New York