Lot 1151. A very rare and unusual Yue octagonal ewer and cover, Northern Song dynasty (AD 960-1127); 7 ½ in. (19 cm.) high. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. Price realised USD 30,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The body is divided into eight panels by vertical raised ribs, with a large peony carved on two adjacent panels on the two main sides, the remaining panels with single peony sprays, all between bands of lotus petals, interrupted by the curved spout and S-shaped handle, and the cover is similarly shaped with six panels divided by raised ribs and surmounted by a double-flower-head finial, all covered with a glossy clear glaze of greyish-green tone, the underside with four spur marks, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Private collection, Japan, acquired in the 1970s.

Note: The octagonal sides and carved decoration of the present ewer appear to derive from metalwork. The faceted form in particular is a shape suited to metalworking, but which would have presented a considerable challenge to the potter.

It is rare to find this form in Yue ware, although a related qingbai octagonal ewer is illustrated in Mayuyama Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, p. 146, no. 426. Two related Yue ewers, one with a sketchily carved floral design which continues across vertical ribs and with a flaring neck, and the other with carved floral pattern and a lotus-petal finial, are also illustrated Mayuyama Seventy Years, vol. 1, op. cit. p. 117, nos. 335 and 336.

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