Lot 79. A 'Cizhou' inscribed meiping, Song dynasty (960-1279). Height 12 7/8  in., 32.7 cm. Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 USD. Lot sold 87,500 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of slender ovoid form, the gently rounded shoulder rising to a small neck with everted rim, finely painted on the central panel with a scene of the mute man being enlightened by Lu Dongbin, and a poetic inscription on the other side titled Du ya xiansheng shi, all between two bands of scrolls above and petal lappets below, the footring and base unglazed to reveal the buff-colored body. 

Note: The inscription on the vase may be translated as:

The wind blows through my sleeves as I enter Hedong
I spend the night in the ancient Qituo Temple 
The people of the world are bound by their constraints 
I carry my divine sabre across the southern peak

Lord Lu. 'The Deliverance of the Speechless Man' Poem.

Lu Dongbin was a Tang dynasty poet and scholar who later became one of the Baxian (Eight Immortals). He is often depicted with his sword used to dispel evil spirits. According to the Quanzhen school of Daoism, becoming enlightened is like a mute finding his voice. People bound by their constraints cannot become enlightened. The scene and poem depicted on the present vase illustrate this analogy. 

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