Lot 3224. A rare Dingyao moulded 'Phoenix and Fish' dish, Jin dynasty (1115-1234), 17.2 cm, 6 3/4  in. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 HKD. Unsold. Photo: Sotheby's.

with shallow sides resting on a short foot, crisply moulded to the cavetto with a keyfret band below the rim enclosing a frieze depicting a pair of phoenix soaring with outstretched wings, interrupted with stylised scrolls bearing large floral blooms and foliage, encircling the central medallion enclosing two fish and tempestuous waters, covered overall save for the unglazed rim in a translucent silky ivory-coloured glaze

Provenance: Galaxie Company, Hong Kong, prior to 1990.

Note: Another Jin dynasty Dingyao dish of larger size in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, moulded at the centre with a similarly composed design of a phoenix, was included in the Museum’s exhibition Decorated Porcelains of Dingzhou. White Ding Wares from the Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2014, cat. no. II-133.

Production of Ding ware consisted mostly of small utilitarian wares such as dishes and bowls initially left undecorated or hand carved in the 10th to 12th centuries. From the late Northern Song period, craftsmen moved away from incised decoration to using mushroom-shaped moulds which were similar to those used for casting gold and silver vessels. The clay was pressed onto the relief-decorated mould before the edges were trimmed down, to ensure the piece retained the form as well as the thinness and lightness of precious materials. This technique allowed for the manufacture of a large number of vessels, thereby satisfying the demand of the market. 

Sotheby's. Song Ceramics from a Distinguished Private Collector, Hong Kong, 05 Apr 2017