Lot 213. A rare inscribed 'Xing' jar, Tang dynasty, 13.2cm, 5 1/8 in. Estimate 10,000 - 15,000 GBP. Lot sold 24,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's. 

the baluster body rising from a flat base to a broad short waisted neck with rolled rim, covered overall with an ivory-white glaze, the base incised with the single character 'ying'.

Exhibited: Exhibition of Chinese Art, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1954, cat. no. 363.

The Arts of the T'ang Dynasty, The Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1955, cat. no. 210.

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 77, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums. 

Literature: 'Hsing-Yao and Ting-Yao', The Bulletin of Far Eastern Antiquities, no. 25, 1953, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 42, fig. 36.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1964, pl. 298.

Note: The wares from the 'Xing' kilns represent the finest ceramics available during the Tang dynasty and the technical expertise that the potters were able to achieve in creating the first true porcelains. The 'Xing' kilns were situated on the borders of Lincheng and Neiqiu counties in Hebei province, and were renowned for their production of white wares. Contemporary writers praised the ware, describing it as 'white as silver and snow', as its sparkling, glossy quality evoked the attributes of silver. For a closely related example, see one sold in these rooms, 18th May 1971, lot 62.

Sotheby's. Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork, Early Gold and Silver; Early Chinese White, Green and Black Wares, London, 14 May 2008