Lot 575. A 'Qingbai' ewer, Song dynasty (960–1279); height 11 in., 27.9 cm. Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 USD. Lot sold 47,500 USD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the ovoid body divided into six lobes by raised double ridged-bands set within vertical grooves running from a raised band on the shoulders to the tapered foot, the tall waisted neck rising to a wide flanged mouth, set with a gracefully arched double strap handle opposite a tall curved spout and flanked by two small strap loops, all beneath a finely crackled translucent glaze of very pale blue tone, only partially covering the unglazed foot and exposing the white biscuit.

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 27th November 1990, lot 123.

Sotheby's. Harmony of Form, Serenity of Color: A Private Collection of 'Song' Ceramics, New York, 23 march 2011