A RARE 'DONGYAO' CELADON BOWL WITH PHOENIX APPLIQUE FIVE DYNASTIES

the rounded sides rising from a slightly splayed foot to an incurved rim, applied to the interior with a crisply moulded phoenix, the bird coiled around its body and its plumage neatly defined, covered overall in a translucent olive-green glaze, the glazed footring with three spurs adhered with sand

J.J. Lally & Co., New York.

The mouth rim has a tiny flake of approx. 0.4 cm. The bowl also has some surface scratches, especially to the interior. Otherwise the bowl is in overall good condition with only some typical firing imperfections.
"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."

Bowls of this shape and fragments with similar applied motifs have been excavated at the Huangpu kiln sites in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, and are illustrated in Wudai Huangpu yaozhi [The remains of the Five Dynasties Huangpu Kiln], Beijing, 1997, pp. 38 and 54-62, pls 21-4. These kilns, predecessors of the Yaozhou kilns, are often referred to as Dongyao, 'Eastern kilns'.

A celadon-glazed bowl of similar form and with an applied animal motif on the interior was included in the exhibition The Masterpieces of Yaozhou Ware, The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1997, cat. no. 15; another of lobed shape, in the Meiyintang Collection, is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 3, pt. II, London, 2006, pl. 1475; and a third bowl, carved on the exterior with petals, was included in the exhibition Treasures from the Underground Palaces. Excavated Treasures from Northern Song Pagodas, Dingzhou, Hebei Province, China, Idemitsu Museum of Art, Tokyo, 1997, cat. no. 80.