Lot 486. A rare 'qingbai' pillow in the form of a reclining female figure, Southern Song dynasty, 12th-13th century; 21,2 cm. Sold: €9,000 (Est: €10,000 - €15,000). © Nagel

The figure modelled in full relief, reposed on a flat rectangular platform from which sprouts a pedestal, carved with lotus petals, which supports a large, flat and rounded pillow section, which is carved with a singular lotus blossom. The figure is dressed in a long and flowing overgarment, her head supported on her left hand. The whole pillow is covered with a translucent blue glaze, except for the flat base, which is unglazed and imprinted with the texture of loosely woven textile.

Provenance: From an important South German private collection, assembled between 1950 and 2003.

Note: Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, for a very similar example, accession no. 26.292.82, published in Suzanne G. Valenstein: "A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics", New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989, p. 112, fig. 107. 

Nagel. Fine Asian Art I, Stuttgart, December 7, 2021