Lot 3225. A large moulded Ding 'birds' dish, Jin dynasty (1115-1234). 11 3/8 in. (29 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 800,000 - HKD 1,500,000. Price realised HKD 1,540,000. © Christie’s Image Ltd 2014. 

The dish is well potted with rounded sides rising to a metal-bound rim, moulded on the interior with a central medallion enclosing a pair of mandarin ducks amidst scrolling lotus, encircled by a band of peacocks in flight amongst peony scrolls on the cavetto. The exterior is plain. The dish is covered with a clear glaze of warm ivory tone, revealing the white biscuit on the foot.

Note: Ding dishes decorated with peacocks are rare, but those decorated with a combination of peacocks and mandarin ducks are even more so. The peacock seems to be closely connected with the phoenix in Chinese art, not only in its physical attributes but the birds are also found together and sometimes the peacock seems to be a substitute for the phoenix. Symbolic of beauty and dignity, the Book of Changes (Yijing) calls the peacock a cultured bird that brings civilisation to the world. When depicted in pairs they are likely to symbolise happy marriage. One closely related example with this rare decoration is known, which is a dish of almost the same size and shape in the Beijing Palace Museum, similarly moulded with four peacocks in flight on the cavetto, encircling a pair of birds in the centre identified by the Museum as wild-geese, illustrated in Selection of Ding ware: the Palace Museum's Collection and Archaeological Excavation, Beijing, 2012, pl. 85.

Christie’s. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 26 November 2014