Lot 3017. A rare and finely carved Dingyao 'Dragon' dish, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 16.5 cm, 6 1/2  in. Estimate 800,000 — 1,200,000 HKD (102,320 - 153,480 USD). Lot sold 4,320,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2018

well potted with shallow rounded sides supported on a short straight foot, the interior freely carved to the central medallion with a sinuous chilong, its face turned slightly to one side with its body curled around, all encircled by two lotus blooms borne on meandering leafy sprays finely combed with details, the exterior decorated with overlapping petal lappets, covered overall in an ivory-white glaze pooling at the recesses, the rim bound with copper.

Note: This superbly carved Dingyao dish, with a thinly potted body and delicate ivory-coloured glaze, is notable for its rich and skilfully carved decoration. The restrained, yet flowing lines of the successfully capture the spirit and grace of the lotus flower and dynamism of the chilong, like brush strokes in contemporary ink painting, while accentuating the refined quality of the porcelain body. Symbolic of purity and integrity, because it rises clean out of muddy waters, the lotus was a popular motif throughout the Song dynasty (960-1279) due to the Confucian value of personal virtue, and frequently appeared on white-glazed Ding wares, whose pure glaze tone enhances the flower’s message.

Two closely related dishes are held in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, one is published in Illustrated Catalogue of Sung Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum: Ting Ware and Ting-type Ware, Kyoto, 1973, pl. 45, and the other, but with a plain exterior, was included in the Museum’s Special Exhibition of Ting Ware White Porcelain, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, cat. no. 101; and another was sold at Christie’s London, 12th October 1970, lot 90. Compare also larger dishes of this type, such as one, but decorated with two further lotuses on the well and peony meanders across six panels on the exterior, from the collection of Fru Johs. Hellner, included in the exhibition Kinas Kunst. I Svensk Og Dansk Eje. Det Danske Kunstindustrimuseum, Copenhagen, 1950, cat. no. 317, and sold at Christie’s New York in 1979, again at Christie’s Hong Kong in 1996, and a third time in our New York rooms, 31st March/1st April 2005, lot 30. The superbly carved petal lappets around the exterior are also reminiscent of that on the carved Dingyao bowl sold in our New York rooms, 19th/20th March 2013, lot 94.

Sotheby's. Curiosity IV. Hong Kong, 02 Apr 2018, 10:30 AM