Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art, London, 7 Nov 2019
A Dingyao carved 'Day-lilies' dish, Song Dynasty (960-1279)
Lot 70. A Dingyao carved 'Day-lilies' dish, Song Dynasty (960-1279); 17.2cm (6 3/4in) diam. Estimate £ 15,000 - 20,000 (€ 17,000 - 23,000). Unsold. Photo Bonhams.
The shallow dish thinly potted with gently rounded sides rising from a short straight foot, the interior finely carved across the well with curling day-lily blossoms on winding foliate stems, all covered with a rich creamy glaze, box.
Provenance: Ben Janssens Oriental Art Ltd., London
An English private collection.
Note: Day-lilies (xuancao) gained their name for flowering only for one day. In China it was known as wangyoucao, the 'plant that dispels grief'; yinancao, or 'favouring boy herb' which expressed the desire for male offspring. Boldly-carved decorations featured on Ding ware are a Song dynasty innovation and have a painterly quality.
Compare with a related Dingyao dish carved with floral design, Song dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, p.71, pl.62. A related pair of Dingyao dishes, Song dynasty, is illustrated in Bright as Silver: White as Snow: Chinese White Ceramics from Late Tang to Yuan Dynasty, Examples from the Kai-Yin Lo Collection , Hong Kong, 1998, pl.20.