Lot 653. A pair of small carved 'Ding' 'daylily' dishes, Northern Song dynasty (960-1126). Diameter 4 1/2  in., 11.8 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Lot sold 30,000  USD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

delicately potted, each with shallow, gently flaring sides resting on a wide flat base, the center freely carved with a leafing floral spray, covered overall in a warm ivory-colored glaze pooling to a deeper creamy tone in the recesses, the rim unglazed (2).

Provenance: Christie's London, 16th November 1999, lot 163.
Priestly & Ferraro Chinese Art, London, 2006.

Note: The daylily blossom is a frequent motif in Ding ware, often deftly carved as seen on the present pair of dishes. Six similar dishes are illustrated in Decorated Porcelains of Dingzhou: White Ding Wares from the Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2014, pls. II 47-52. Compare also a pair sold in our London rooms, 9th June 1987, lot 139; a pair sold at Christie's New York, 7th November 2006, lot 145; and a single dish from the Ira and Nancy Koger Collection, sold in the same rooms, 19th September 2006, lot 203 (part lot).