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The star-piece of this auction is a rare white-glazed seated figure of a lion, dated to the 7th century of Sui to early Tang dynasty (fig.1), Extensively published twice in 1984 and 2008, this exquisitely rare gem was originally acquired by the late Sir William Aykroyd (1865-1947) from Christie’s London on 20 May 1968 (lot 525), and was subsequently passed through the prestigious hands of Eskenazi Ltd. of London and J. J. Lally & Co. Oriental Art of New York. It is an absolute honour and a pleasure for such a marvelleous piece to resurface at our auction. With the recent development in academic research and evidence from archaeological excavations, there has been greater understanding for the significance of Sui dynasty ceramics, and the term ‘Sui dynasty white wares’ are systematically associated with prestige and high quality.

The Sui dynasty was short-lived, spanning only 30 years.

The ceramics examples produced during this period is naturally very scarce, even more so for perfectly preserved examples. The more commonly found white-glazed vessels during this period are usually containers or vessels such as deep cups, stem bowls, long-necked vases, meiping vases, candlestick holders, but the rarest of them all are white-glazed sculptures as exemplified by the present lot. One such well-known example from auction is the white-glazed elephant-shaped candlestick holder, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong on 1 June 2016 (lot 3102), which sold for a staggering amount of HK$ 20 million. The market value for white-glazed ceramics has since then achieved a new high, attracting the attention of serious connoisseurs of early ceramics around the world.

Fig.1

Another highlight in this auction is the beautiful sancai-glazed rectangular pillow (fig.2) dated to the Tang dynasty (AD618-907) which is a typical example from the Gongxian kiln. This endearing little pillow was acquired by the present owner in Hong Kong prior to the year 2000, and is depicted in bright and vivid yellow, green and white tri-colours. It is worked on all sides, which is highly unusual for Tang dynasty pillows of this period; both upper and lower surfaces are identically decorated to allow smooth transition of usage on both surfaces as well.

In consideration of its size, it is easy to assume that the present lot is probably used more as a wrist rest or medicinal pillow for taking a patient’s pulse rather than as a pillow for sleeping. One explanation which supports this theory is the lack of curvature on the surface of the pillow to allow suitable and comfortable fit on the neck. Although pillows of the early Tang dynasty are usually small in size, however this assumption is inconclusive due to the inconsistent height of the sides, curvature of the surface from prolonged usage and signs of wear around the corners, which suggest an impractical design for a wrist rest. Moreover, famous Japanese archaeologist and scholar Tsugio Mikami (1907-1987) noted that there have been discoveries of ceramic fragments of similar types of pillows unearthed from monasteries or ruins, which strongly suggest that they were utilities for daily use and perhaps associated with religious use.

Fig.2

Longquan celadon was first fired mid to late Northern Song dynasty and gained fame during the Southern Song dynasty. The use of powdered limestone in the glazes and the ability to apply multiple layers of glaze has resulted in an almost jade-like and moist glaze effect, and the ability to achieve varying tones of green such as powder green and plum green colours.

One such lot is the Longquan celadon conical bowl (fig.3) dated to the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). The overall form and decoration is simplistic, and the glaze tone is calming and elegant, as recorded in ‘Chu Zhou Fu Zhi’, whereby it describes Longquan wares as “brilliantly rich in green, yet retaining purity and innocence, comparable to the beauty of jades”, which is consistent with the quality produced by the Longquan kilns and aesthetics preferred by society of that period. These conical bowls, also known as ‘dou’, is considered one of the important works produced by the Longquan kilns since the beginning, and is found in some famous preserved collections such as at Jinyu village near Suining, Sichuan province, as well as in the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing and National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Fig.3

There are also two noteworthy lots featuring Yaozhou ceramics dated to the Northern Song dynasty (AD960-1127): one of them is a carved Yaozhou celadon ‘peony’ foliate-rimmed vase, zun (fig.4), the other is a rare Yaozhou celadon vessel, zhadou (fig.5).

Fig.4

The former is one of the most unique and matured ceramic forms which appeared in the Yaozhou kiln but there are variations within this period. The graceful vessel is shaped like a floral bud, the bulding body with a gently waisted neck rising to six outturned petals at the rim. The exterior is exquisitely decorated with upward plantain leaves and peony scrolls, all expertly carved with varying techniques and knife strokes.

Fig.5

The latter is a vessel used for disposing food and liquid wastes during banquets, as recorded by author and tea master Lu Yu (AD733-804) in the ‘The Classics of Tea’, which states “zifang [zhadou], for the use of collecting tea wastes, or for the washing of tea utensils, has a volume of five litres”. The Lu family tombs in Lantian county, Shaanxi province, archaeological excavations have also unearthed copper zhadou alongside tea residues, providing conclusive arguments to the previous statement. Also, there is also another example of a white glazed tea set in the collection of the National Museum of China in Beijing, which consists of a zhadou as one of the utensils. Such vessels are rarely seen at auction or in public records, especially in pristine condition. The present lot retains the legacy of the Tang and Five Dynasties period, and is considered an iconic example of the early Northern Song dynasty Yaozhou kiln. Such an extraordinary piece is no doubt only used for the finest important banquets.