Lot 1469. A small carved black lacquer circular dish, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368); 6 13/16 in. (17.3 m.) diam. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. Price realised USD 135,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2013.

The shallow dish is raised on a ring foot and is well carved through the black and red layers in the interior with two long-tailed birds with incised feathers in flight against a background of a leafy, flowering peony stem bearing four open blossoms and four buds. The exterior of the rounded sides is carved with a band of classic scroll, xiangcao. There is a red lacquer seal on the brown base, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Senshutey, Tokyo, Japan.

Exhibited: Senshutey, Tokyo, Japan, The Collection of Chinese Art: Special Exhibition, 'Run Through 10 Years', 2006, p. 29, no. 29.

Note: An inscription on the wood box includes the date, 4th year of Enpo (1676).

The present dish belongs to a distinct group of carved lacquer wares known as 'two-bird' dishes. Although the species of birds and flowers vary from dish to dish, they are almost invariably decorated with the same compositional layout of two birds in flight amidst a floral background on the interior, while on the exterior is a band of classic scroll or 'fragrant scroll', xiangcao.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, New York, 19 - 20 September 2013