Lot 503. A carved and incised Yue circular box and cover, Early Northern Song dynasty, 10th-11th century; 5 in. (12.7 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 32,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The domed cover is finely carved with a peony spray with incised details in the central medallion, and encircled by a band of stylized waves, and the box, with splayed foot, is incised with a band of cloud-like motifs around the sides. Both are covered overall with a greenish-olive glaze, with the exception of the rims burnt reddish brown in the firing, Japanese wood box.

Note: Containing precious substances and objects, Yue ware covered boxes where highly treasured in ancient times. Their higher status is reflected in their lavish decoration and elegant forms, and the fine relief carving, such as that seen on the current example, is one of the most sophisticated and expensive techniques used. 

A Yue covered box decorated with a peony motif, but with a band of curved incisions surrounding the central roundel, in the Art Institute of Chicago, is illustrated by Yutaka Mino and K. R. Tsiang, Ice and Green Clouds: Traditions of Chinese Celadon, Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1986, pp. 132-133, no. 49. Compare, also, a fragment of a similar Yue ‘peony’ box found at the Yue kiln site in Shangyu Xian, illustrated ibid. p. 132, fig. 49b.

Christie's. The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics - The Linyushanren Collection, Part III, 22 March 2018, New York