Lot 37. A rare set of three 'Yingqing' medicinal implements, Southern Song Dynasty  (1127-1279). Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 USD. Lot sold 28,800 USD. © Sotheby's.

Note: Gourds have a strong Daoist connotation and gourd-shaped containers were traditionally used to contain medicine. The combination with a pestle and mortar-shaped bowl is extremely rare and the delicate construction of these two pieces suggests that they may have had symbolic rather than practical function. In particular the potting of the bowl is remarkable for the thinness of the body material and translucency of the glaze, while the pestle itself is a feat of modelling in biscuit since the lobes and central column are all hollow. For a discussion on early medicine such as cinnabar, ginseng and realgar, see Michaelson, Gilded Dragons. Buried Treasures from China's Golden Ages, London, 1999, cat.nos.76 - 77, pp.114 - 115.