Lot 59. A rare and superbly-carved 'Yue' 'Ducks and Lotus' box and cover, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Diameter 5 1/8  in., 13 cm. Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 USD. Lot sold 370,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's.

of shallow circular form, the center of the slightly domed cover deftly carved in relief with two ducks with their wings outstretched around lotus, the petals and wings lightly incised with combed lines, all within double circle lines and further encircled by short incised sprigs along the edge of the cover, applied overall with a lustrous semi-translucent olive-green glaze (2). 

Literature: Chugoku meito ten: Chugoku toji 2000-nen no seika [Exhibition of Chinese Pottery: Two Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics], Tokyo, 1992, no. 45.

Notes: This rare and exquisitely carved box, is characterized by its beautifully executed design which combines both incising and relief carving to create a sense of three-dimensionality. Boxes belonging to this group are extremely rare and the closest known examples include two included in the exhibition Yueyao. The Coming of Age of Chinese Ceramics, Priestley and Ferraro Chinese Art, London, 2011, nos. 19 and 20, decorated with a pair of mandarin ducks and a scrolling lotus plant respectively. All three boxes are decorated with confident carved designs using an angled blade and incised lines to enable the glaze to pool to different depths and intensities. This type of carving was pioneered by the Yue potters and embraced as one of the defining characteristics of Yaozhou ware.

Boxes of this form were inspired by similar Tang dynasty silver wares, which in turn were derived from Sasanian metalwork. The slightly domed form, flared foot, and angled edges are characteristic of metal shapes, as are the finely incised linear details. Ceramic versions first appeared in the Tang dynasty and gained popularity during the Song period, and were produced in a variety of shapes and decorative motifs.

The development of ceramic boxes reflects the social position and lifestyle of women during these periods. Tang examples were slightly fuller and rounder in form with a spirit of youthfulness in their simple and clean profiles, also seen in Tang pottery and frescoes. In contrast the Song ideal beauty gravitated to slender forms and fine features as evidenced in Song art and literature. The combination of delicately incised details and elegant floral design on a slim and highly tactile form is evidence of this Song style. The level of workmanship of this piece suggests it was individually created for a lady of high social standing. These boxes may also have been part of a lady's dowry, as the two ducks and lotus are both symbols for marital bliss and happiness.

A related box, carved with a roundel of birds and foliage, was sold at Christie’s London, 5th June 1995, lot 93; another from the Nien-Hsi Foundation Collection was included in the Foundation’s Special Exhibition of Early Chinese Greenware, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 111; and a third example depicting confronted ducks within a lotus scroll, was included in the exhibition Heaven and Earth Seen Within. Song Ceramics from the Robert Barron Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, 2000, cat. no. 3.

Sotheby's. Song Tradition: Early Ceramics from the Yang De Tang Collection. New York, 17 mars 2015, 11:00 AM