Lot 262. A pair of straw-glazed slender vases, Song dynasty (960-1279); 12.7 cm, 5 in. Estimate £6,000 - £8,000. Sold: £7,500. © Sotheby's

the gently rounded sides rising from a spreading foot to an everted rim, covered in an even ivory-coloured glaze suffused with fine crackle.