Lot 147. Monochromes from an Important American Private Collection. A large and rare green-glazed 'lotus' vase, Northern and Southern dynasties. Height 41 cm. Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 USD. Unsold © Sotheby's,2026

Provenance: The Bai Ma Xuan Collection.

Sotheby's New York, 22nd September 2005, lot 6.

Note: No other vase of this form and design seems to have been published. For a related vase of a more elaborate design, discovered from a Southern Qi dynasty (479-502) tomb in Wuchang, Hubei province, see Ye Zhemin, Zhongguo taoci shi / History of Chinese Pottery and Porcelain, Beijing, 2011, p. 106, fig. 5-17, where the author further comments that Southern celadons typically feature jade-green and grayish-green hues, while Northern celadons more commonly show bluish-green or yellowish-green (olive-green) tones (pp 111-112). The lotus petal decoration found around the body of the present vessel is characteristic of wares during this time, and can be found on vessels of other forms. For jars similarly decorated with lotus lappets, see one in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji [The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics], vol. 4: Sanguo, Liangjin, Nanbeichao [Three Kingdoms, Jin dynasty and Northern and Southern Dynasties], Shanghai, 2000, fig. 228; one excavated in 1989 from a tomb located in Tangxiazhen in Rui'an city, Zhejiang province, illustrated in ibid., fig. 226; and another, excavated in 1985, unearthed in Xinchuncun within Shaoxin, Zhejiang province, illustrated in ibid., fig. 231. See also a very rare green-glazed 'lotus' vase of a different form, sold twice in these rooms, first on 23rd September 2004, lot 202, and recently on 25th March 2026, lot 130.

Lot 148. Monochromes from an Important American Private Collection. An exceptional and rare large white-glazed jar and cover, Sui dynasty. Height 33.5 cm (2). Estimate 200,000 - 300,000 USD. Lot Sold 448,000 USD © Sotheby's,2026

Provenance: English Noble Collection.

Sotheby's London, 16th June 1998, lot 217.

SPLENDOR IN SIMPLICITY

A MAGNIFICENT SUIBAI JAR

Among the most beloved of early Chinese ceramics are the so-called Suibai (lit. ‘Sui white’). A crucial stepping stone in the development of imperial white porcelain, these elusive pieces, gently thrown from high-fired white stoneware and enrobed in clear tactile glazes, are among the finest products of their time. Standing at more than a foot in height, of understated yet graceful curved form and preserving its original cover, the present example is unquestionably one of the most important surviving examples of Suibai preserved in the West.

Distinguished by the quality of its potting, its subtle ivory color, gentle craquelure and magnificent size, surviving jars of the present ‘beehive’ design are exceedingly rare. Compare one covered jar of this form, said to be a wine-offering jar, excavated from the tomb of the official Ji Wei, who was buried in 610 near Xi’an in Shaanxi province, illustrated in Käte Finsterbusch, Zur Archaologie der Pei-Ch'i (550-577) und Sui-Zeit (581-618), Wiesbaden, 1976, pl. 49, fig. 10, and discussed in an article by Zhi Yan in 'Suidai ciqi de fazhan [The development of Sui ceramics]', Wenwu, no. 2, 1977, p. 57, where it is reproduced in a line drawing, fig. 1, no. 5 (Fig. 1); and another very closely related example sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th April 2026, lot 1111.

Fig. 1 A line drawing of a beehive-shaped jar from the tomb of the o cial Ji Wei, illustrated in Zhi Yan, ‘Suidai ciqi de fazhan [The development of Sui ceramics]’, Wenwu, no. 2, 1977, p. 57, g. 1, no. 5.

A white-glazed jar of closely related form to the present piece, but of smaller size, measuring 19.2 cm in height, and lacking a cover, is preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing (accession no. xin-39093), illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Jin and Tang Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 58; and another slightly smaller example of the form, also without a cover, was formerly in the collection of Dr Ip Yee, later sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th November 1984, lot 131 (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2 A large white-glazed beehive-shaped jar, Sui dynasty, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 19th November 1984, Lot 131.

Lot 149. Monochromes from an Important American Private Collection. A rare underglaze-red pear-shaped bottle vase (Yuhuchunping), Yuan dynasty. Height 23.3 cm. Estimate 15,000 - 25,000 USD. Unsold © Sotheby's,2026

Provenance: Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth (1929-2014).

Sotheby's New York, 30th March 2006, lot 62.

Note: It is very rare to find vases similarly painted with resist-decorated floral scrolls in underglaze copper-red. Compare a Yuan dynasty yuhuchunping decorated in a similar technique and style, discovered in Leping county, Jiangxi province, in 1980, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji. Yuan [The complete works of Chinese ceramics. Yuan], vol. 11, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 234.

Lot 150. Monochromes from an Important American Private Collection. A 'Longquan' celadon-glazed bowl, Ming dynasty, early 15th century. Diameter 11.5 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot Sold 24,320 USD © Sotheby's,2026

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd May 2005, lot 675.

Lot 151. Monochromes from an Important American Private Collection. A carved 'Longquan' celadon-glazed 'lotus' bowl, Ming dynasty, early 15th century. Diameter 17.1 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot Sold 23,040 USD © Sotheby's,2026

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25th April 2004, lot 281.

Lot 152. Monochromes from an Important American Private Collection. A rare Qingbai foliate-rimmed bowl, Southern Song dynasty. Diameter 4⅜ in., 11.1 cm. Estimate 6,000 - 8,000 USD. Lot Sold 14.080 USD  © Sotheby's,2026

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 22nd-23rd September 2004, lot 209.

Lot 153. Monochromes from an Important American Private Collection. An incised white-glazed 'phoenix' jar, Ming dynasty, Jiajing period. Height 25 cm. Estimate 15,000 - 25,000 USD. Unsold  © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25th April 2004, lot 273.

Lot 154. Monochromes from an Important American Private Collection. rare celadon-glazed jar, Mark and period of Yongzheng. Height 18.8 cm. Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 USD. Lot sold 51.200 USD © Sotheby's 2026

the base with a six-character mark (in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th October 2006, lot 1018
 

Note: Monochrome glazes reached new heights of technical sophistication and artistic refinement during the Yongzheng reign (1723-1735), owing to the remarkable innovations achieved at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen. New glaze formulations were developed, while those inherited from earlier periods were refined to an unprecedented degree of perfection. Although a delicate, almost translucent celadon glaze had already been successfully produced at the imperial kilns in the early fifteenth century, the Yongzheng period witnessed renewed experimentation with a range of celadon tones and textures. The Yongzheng Emperor appears to have held this subtle glaze in particularly high esteem and, according to the palace records, personally instructed the imperial kilns to produce celadon wares to the emperor's taste (see Yang Boda, ‘Imperial Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty’, The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, p. 46). Jars of this particular type are exceedingly rare. See two sold at Sotheby's, one in our London rooms, 8th July 1975, lot 189, and the other in these rooms, 8th May 1980, lot 231.: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th October 2006, lot 1018
 

Note: Monochrome glazes reached new heights of technical sophistication and artistic refinement during the Yongzheng reign (1723-1735), owing to the remarkable innovations achieved at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen. New glaze formulations were developed, while those inherited from earlier periods were refined to an unprecedented degree of perfection. Although a delicate, almost translucent celadon glaze had already been successfully produced at the imperial kilns in the early fifteenth century, the Yongzheng period witnessed renewed experimentation with a range of celadon tones and textures. The Yongzheng Emperor appears to have held this subtle glaze in particularly high esteem and, according to the palace records, personally instructed the imperial kilns to produce celadon wares to the emperor's taste (see Yang Boda, ‘Imperial Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty’, The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, p. 46). Jars of this particular type are exceedingly rare. See two sold at Sotheby's, one in our London rooms, 8th July 1975, lot 189, and the other in these rooms, 8th May 1980, lot 231.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, New York, 16 September 2016