A 'QINGBAI' INCISED 'BOYS' BOWL NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the finely potted rounded sides rising from a short tapering foot, freely incised around the exterior with boys above a radiating lotus-petal band and covered overall in a pale ice-blue glaze save for the rim

The bowl is in very good condition with the exception of minor glaze scratches.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

It is rare to find qingbai bowls decorated with the popular motif of 'boys at play' on the exterior. For examples of bowls with the interior delicately carved with this design see one excavated from a tomb in Yihuang county, Jiangxi province, dated in accordance with AD 1201, and now preserved in the Jiangxi Provincial Museum, illustrated in Peng Shifan (ed.), Dated Qingbai Wares of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 65; and another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (III), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 182.

A larger bowl of related elegant form, with an undecorated interior and the exterior carved with flower sprays beneath a translucent blue glaze, from the H.K. Burnet and Malcolm collections, was sold in these rooms, 29th March 1977, lot 116; and another, included in the O.C.S. exhibition Sung Dynasty Wares, London, 1949, cat.no. 192, was also sold in these rooms, 16th December 1963, lot 211.