Lot 9865. A fine white-glazed handled cup, Tang dynasty; 8.9 cm, Japanese wood box. Lot Sold 204,800 HKD (Estimate 60,000 - 120,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026
 

Provenance: Collection of John Hewitt.
Collection of Denis Alfred Barnham (1920-1981).
Mayuyama & Co., Ltd., Tokyo.

Lot 9866. A fine marbled clay bowl, Song dynasty; 9 cm, Japanese wood box. Lot Sold 128,000 HKD (Estimate 50,000 - 100,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026
 

Provenance: Tony Omura, Hong Kong.

Lot 9867. A rare marbled clay vase, Song dynasty; 19 cm, Japanese wood box with an inscription by Kushi Takushin 久志卓真 (1898–1973). Lot Sold 102,400 HKD (Estimate 80,000 - 120,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026
 

Provenance: Tony Omura, Hong Kong.

Lot 9873. A Longquan celadon tripod incense burner, Southern Song dynasty; d. 13 cm, metal cover, Japanese double wood box. Lot Sold 704,000 HKD (Estimate 400,000 - 800,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026
 

Provenance: A Japanese private collection.
 

Note: The delicate celadon glaze and clear profile of this incense burner demonstrate the level of artistic and technical refinement achieved at the Longquan kilns during the Southern Song dynasty. Distributed in southern Zhejiang province, these kilns had already been producing fine celadon wares in the preceding Northern Song period, although their popularity peaked after the move of the Song capital to Hangzhou in 1135. The support of the newly-established court and the kilns’ ability to produce very fine wares gave an unprecedented boost to the Longquan kilns.

Both the court and scholar-officials who settled in Hangzhou favoured wares with seemingly modest forms but covered in mesmerising glazes with a depth of colour and tactility that resembled treasured jade. To recreate the jade-like appearance, craftsmen began replacing the traditional lime glaze used for making the celadon tone, with a lime-alkali glaze, which resulted in higher viscosity and softer gloss. The glaze was applied in multiple layers, thus appearing thick and lustrous.

Longquan craftsmen were quick to adapt to the demands of the Southern Song dynasty, whose aesthetic ideals were well-rooted in Neo-Confucian philosophy. Neo-Confucianism gave rise to a centralised bureaucracy governed by scholar-officials selected through civil service examinations. A class of highly educated government officials, who displayed an increasing interest in China's Bronze Age, thus emerged. This led to a revival of antiquarianism and the study of antiques and history, which were considered a guiding principle in the pursuit of virtue. Potters at manufactories in southern China adopted these principles and introduced archaic forms into their repertoire. The form of the present censer, for example, was inspired by archaic bronze liding, food vessels with tri-lobed bodies supported on three legs.

Longquan censers of this form are held in important museums and private collections worldwide: two censers in the Palace Museum, Beijing, are illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), Hong Kong, 1999, pls 121 and 122; one in the Tokyo, National Museum, is published in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 97; and a further example from the Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, Tokyo, sold in these rooms, 9th October 2020, lot 100.

Lot 9874. A superb Jizhou 'leaf' bowl, Song dynasty; 15 cm. Lot Sold 1,408,000 HKD (Estimate 600,000 - 900,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026

Note; The Jizhou kilns, located in Yonghezhen, Ji'an county of Jiangxi province, a historical region known as Jizhou, were celebrated not for access to the finest raw materials, but for their extraordinary creativity in decoration. This innovation is evident in the present bowl, which features a naturalistically rendered leaf silhouette, achieved by exploiting the chemical composition of real tree leaves to create a unique impression during firing. This method gave rise to highly individualized and natural designs, reflecting the ingenuity of Jizhou potters.

For a closely related bowl, see Gugong Songci tulu. Longquan yao, Geyao ji qita ge yao/Illustrated Catalog of Sung Dynasty Porcelain in the Palace Museum. Lung-ch'üan Ware, Ko Ware and Other Wares , Taipei, 1974, pl. 72. Another example, from the Alfred Clark collection, was illustrated in Ryūsen Shūhō / Mayuyama, Seventy Years , Tokyo, 1976, vol. I, pl. 677, and later sold in our London rooms, 11 May 2011, lot 3.

Jizhou ware stands out for its innovative decorative techniques, the most distinctive of which is the placement of real leaves between the glaze and the body during firing. The leaves are naturally etched and leave a silhouette, creating the "Wood Leaf Tenmoku" tea bowl, a fusion of nature and human ingenuity. This method is exceptional, resulting in tea bowls with clearly defined leaf veins and natural shapes, making it a unique example among Song Dynasty Tenmoku tea bowls.

For a similar tea bowl, see *Illustrated Catalogue of Song Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum: Longquan, Ge, and Other Kilns*, Taipei, 1974, Plate 72. Additionally, a tea bowl from the Alfred Clark Collection is documented in *Longquan Collection: Seventy Years of Koyama*, Tokyo, 1976, Vol. 1, Plate 677, and was later sold at Sotheby's London on May 11, 2011, Lot 3.

Lot 9876. A Jian ware 'hare's fur' 'tenmoku' bowl and lacquer stand, Southern Song dynasty; bowl 11.6 cm; stand 16 cm, Japanese double wooden box. Lot Sold 1,664,000 HKD (Estimate 300,000 - 500,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026

Note: This striking 'hare's fur' bowl is enveloped in a lustrous black glaze pooling short of the foot, revealing a dark stoneware body. Brilliantly streaked with radiant striations, its visual impact is enhanced by a metal-bound rim and an accompanying lacquer stand, reflecting its esteemed historical provenance.

Contrasting dramatically with the white foam of whipped tea, such bowls were highly prized during the Song dynasty (960-1279). Emperor Huizong (r. 1101-1125) famously declared black-glazed bowls with 'hare's fur' to be the most desirable. Introduced to Japan alongside Zen Buddhism during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), these bowls, known as tenmoku , have been treasured in Japanese tea ceremonies for centuries.

A similar bowl was exhibited in Karamono temmoku , MOA Art Museum, Atami, 1994, cat. no. 6. Another in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, was included in Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers , Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Mass., 1996, cat. no. 83.

This Jian ware tea bowl has a glossy black glaze with dazzling hare's fur patterns. The glaze on the exterior does not reach the bottom, revealing the purplish-brown body. The rim is inlaid with a metal buckle, and it comes with an exquisite lacquered saucer, demonstrating that it was highly valued throughout its history.

During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the practice of whisking tea was prevalent, and the strong contrast between the black glaze and the white foam was highly praised. Emperor Huizong of Song once stated in his "Treatise on Tea" that "the color of the teacup should be bluish-black, and those with long, fine white foam are the best," referring precisely to this type of Jian ware. Jian ware was introduced to Japan during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) along with Zen Buddhism, and was called "Tenmoku." For centuries, it has beent  passed down through generations in the Japanese tea ceremony and regarded as the standard.

See a similar example, *Tang Dynasty Artifacts of Tenmoku*, exhibited at the MOA Museum of Art, Atami, 1994, no. 6. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, also holds an example, which was exhibited at the Harvard Art Museums, Massachusetts, in *Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers*, Cambridge, 1996, no. 83.

Lot 9880. A small Longquan beige-glazed jarlet and cover, Song - Yuan dynasty; overall h. 7.2 cm. Lot Sold 121,600 HKD (Estimate 200,000 - 400,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: J.J. Lally & Co., no. 4296.

The Ten-views Lingbi Rock Retreat Collection, no. LL65, acquired from above.

Lot 9864. An inscribed copper-red stem cup, Yuan dynasty; 8.9 cm, Japanese wood box. Lot Sold 192,000 HKD (Estimate 150,000 - 300,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Collection of Sakamoto Gorō (1923-2016).
Sotheby's New York, 17th September 2016, lot 920 (part lot).
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5th June 2020, lot 352.

Sotheby's. Zoomorphia: Animal Forms in Ancient China | Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 5 May 2026