Lot 20. A green-glazed pottery 'double-gourd' ewer, Liao dynasty (907-1125). Height 10 in., 25.5 cm. Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000 USD. Lot sold: 6,930 USD. © Sotheby's 2021

recumbent with the legs tucked beneath, the voluminous body incised with wings and the outlines of the shoulders and hips, the head lifted with large round eyes and mouth closed in a subtle smile above a pointed goatee, the crown of the head with a central aperture flanked by a pair of ridged horns curling to either side of the face, the tail curled against the curving spine above a flattened rump, covered overall in a dark olive-green glaze.

Provenance: Acquired prior to 2000.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 21 September 2021