Lot 9. A rare marbled yuhuchunping, Song-Jin dynasty (960-1234); 28.5cm., 11 1/4 in. Sold 7,200 GBP (Estimate 8,000 - 10,000 GBP). © Sotheby's.

the elegant pear-shaped body rising from a short spreading foot to a tall flaring neck with everted rim, well-potted from marbled clays of buff and dark brown tone creating an irregular pattern of whorls in imitation of marble, covered overall with a translucent ivory coloured glaze.

Large marbled wares of the Song period, such as the present bottle vase, are extremely rare and more common are small vessels such as bowls and dishes. No other similar example appears to be recorded, although a marbled globular jar, in the Jilin Provincial Museum, is illustrated in Jilin Shen Bowu Guan, Beijing, 1992, pl. 174. 

For the form of this vase see a plain yuhuchun ping illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 7, Shanghai 2000, pl. 216, of very similar size and elegant shape. 

Lot 10. A very rare marbled bowl, Early Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 16.5cm., 6 1/2 in. Sold 12,000 GBP (Estimate 12,000 - 15,000 GBP). © Sotheby's.

the body of deep U-shape with gently curved sides rising from a flat base to an indented rim, finely potted with cream and dark brown coloured clays creating irregular flower-like whorls, covered inside and out with a transparent ivory coloured glaze.

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 4th December 1984, lot 297.

Note: A marbled bowl of similar shape, from the Eumorfopoulos Collection, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, inventory no. C.602-1918; and another slightly smaller bowl of related form with irregular marbling is illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 7, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 198, from the collection of the Henan Provincial Museum and attributed to the Dangyangyu manufactories. Another smaller bowl of this marbled body is published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. Three (two), London, 2006, pl. 1528.

Lot 13. A rare marbled-glazed dish, Jin dynasty (1115-1234); 16.5cm., 6 1/2 in. Sold 8,400 GBP (Estimate 4,000 - 6,000 GBP). © Sotheby's.

the body with gently curved flaring sides rising from a short straight foot to an inverted rolled rim, covered overall in a pale cream glaze pooling in teardrops down the exterior and falling short of the foot revealling the buff coloured body, freely decorated to the interior with dark chocolate brown splashes in imitation of marble.

Lot 14. A rare un-glazed marbled cup, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 9cm., 3 1/2 in. Sold 4,800 GBP (Estimate 5,000 - 7,000 GBP). © Sotheby's.

the deep globular body rising from a short spreading foot to a wide incurving mouth, finely potted from marbled clays of buff and dark brown tone creating an irregular whorl pattern.

Provenance: Christie's New York, 25th March 1998, lot 173.

Note: A closely related cup is published in the Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics I, Tokyo, 1988, cat.no. 579, together with a cupstand; another, from the collection of Lord Cunliffe and included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Arts of the Tang Dynasty, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1970, cat.no. 63, was sold at Christie's London, 19th April 1983, lot 36.

Lot 15. A rare marbled saucer dish, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 16.8cm., 6 5/8 in. Sold 13,200 GBP (Estimate 4,000 - 6,000 GBP). © Sotheby's. 

the shallow flaring sides rising from a flat base to an everted lipped rim, finely potted with striated cream and dark brown coloured clays creating a radiating feathered pattern and encircled at the rim with a band of cream coloured clay, covered inside and out with a transparent ivory coloured glaze.

Note: A similar marbled dish, in the Shandong Provincial Museum, is illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan. Taoci juan, Shanghai, 1993, pl. 250; and another is included in the Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics I, Tokyo, 1988, cat.no. 574. Compare also two larger marbled dishes in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections. vol. 10, Tokyo, 1980, pls. 30 and 72.  

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works Of Art, London, 15 May 2007