A white-glazed carved baluster jar. Song Dynasty, probably Northern. Photo Bonhams

Potted from a pale oatmeal clay and covered in a clear minutely-crackled glaze, the body carved with a wide horizontal band of large lotus leaves alternating with blooms in a leafy meander, between overlapping petals around the shoulder and similar oval leaves upright around the foot. 29 m (11½in) high. Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000, CNY 49,000 - 69,000, HK$ 60,000 - 85,000

Provenance: purchased at Christie's London in the 1980s
An English private collection

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art, 10 Nov 2011, New Bond Street www.bonhams.com