Lot 44. Harmen van Steenwijck (Delft 1612 - after 1656), A still life of a quince, grapes, peaches, a walnut, and hazelnuts on a wooden ledge, signed lower left on the table: Hsteenwijck, oil on oak panel, 26.2 x 36.8 cm; 10 1/4  x 14 1/2  in. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.  

Bibliography: F. Meijer, in Dutch and Flemish Old Master Paintings. Johnny van Haeften. Fourteen, London 2005, cat. no. 27, reproduced in colour.. 

Note: Steenwijck went to study under his uncle David Bailly in Leiden in 1628, but was back in his native Delft by 1633, and joined the Guild there in 1636. The last record of him is in 1656. Given his training with David Bailly, it is not surprising that he painted vanitas still lifes. He also painted still lifes of fresh-water fish, game and barn interiors. By far his most compelling paintings however, and certainly his greatest achievement, are his still lifes of fruit. These are usually kept very simple, with quinces, peaches and nuts (as here), sometimes with cherries or plums, composed in a sloping triangle and set on simple wooden ledges or table tops against a neutral background, nearly always lit obliquely from the upper left.1 No extraneous elements are permitted to disturb the calm (not even the insects ubiquitous in Dutch seventeenth-century still-life painting), and his colours are muted pinks, yellows and greens, and the tonal range limited, with a gentle blonde lighting, to which the artist paid special attention.  

By comparison with much Netherlandish seventeenth-century still-life painting they are devoid of artifice, so that the soft brushwork and subdued lighting alone permits a wholly convincing sense of depth. At their best, and like the present outstanding example, they are reminiscent of the quiet contemplative still lifes that Adriaan Coorte painted in Middelburg in the twilight of the Golden Age at the end of the century: beautifully simple, and seemingly removed from time and place.

Another excellent example of Steenwijck's fruit still-life painting is his still life of quinces, pears, a plum and grapes in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (see fig. 1), dated by Fred Meijer to the mid-1640s.2. 

Harmen van Steenwyck, Still Life of Fruit on a Ledge, Image © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

1. Bodo Brinckmann described Steenwijck's lighting as 'Caravaggesque' (in J. Sander (ed.), The Magic of Things, exhibition catalogue, Frankfurt and Basel 2008, p. 168, under no. 47).

2. Signed, oil on panel, 29 x 35 cm. Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, Daisy Linda Ward collection, inv. no. 74; see F.G. Meijer, The Collection of Dutch and Flemish Still-Life Paintings bequeathed by Daisy Linda Ward, Zwolle 2003, p. 285, no. 73.

Sotheby's. Old Masters Evening Sale, London, 06 dec. 2017, 07:00 PM

Worcestershire concertina almanac. © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.

OXFORD.- The origins of early English graphic design are explored in a new exhibition on view at the Bodleian Libraries’ Weston Library. Designing English: Graphics on the Medieval Page, open from 1 December 2017, brings together a stunning selection of manuscripts and other objects to uncover the craft and artistry of Anglo-Saxon and medieval scribes, painters and engravers. 

Designing English looks at the skills and innovations of these very early specialists who worked to preserve, clarify, adorn, authorize and interpret writing in English. For almost a thousand years most texts had been written in Latin, the common European language. Beyond the traditions established for Latin, books in English were often improvisatory, even homespun, but they were just as inventive and creative. In an age when each book was made uniquely by hand, each book was an opportunity for redesigning. The introduction of the English text posed questions: How did scribes choose to arrange the words and images on the page in each manuscript? How did they preserve, clarify and illustrate writing in English? What visual guides were given to early readers of English in how to understand or use their books? 

The exhibition explores all elements of design, from the materials used, such as the size and shape of animal skins used to create parchment, to the design of texts for different uses, such as for performing songs, plays or music. Medical texts and practical manuals feature alongside ornate religious texts, including rare examples of unfinished illustrations that reveal the practical processes of making pages and artefacts. The use of English is traced from illicit additions made to Latin texts, to its more general, every day use, and spread to more ephemeral formats. 

The exhibition features incredible early manuscripts held in the Bodleian collections, one of the largest medieval collections in the UK, alongside loan items from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and the British Museum. 

Highlights of Designing English include: 

• The Macregol Gospels, one of the treasures of the Bodleian Libraries, dating from Ireland in around 800 CE, with English translations added to the original Latin text. 

The Macregol Gospel. In the beginning was the word’ – A late-eighth-century or early-ninth-century Latin Gospel, painted in Ireland by Macregol, perhaps abbot of Birr, County Offaly (d. 822), and glossed in the tenth century in English by two scribes. English translations were added to the original Latin text by medieval scholars. © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

• English translations of hymns composed by Caedmon (657-680), an illiterate cowherd who lived at Whitby Abbey and is the first named English poet. 

• The Alfred Jewel, an ornate enamel and gold jewel on loan from the Ashmolean Museum that contains the inscription ‘Alfred ordered me to be made’. The jewel is widely believed to have been commissioned by King Alfred the Great (849-899 BCE), who championed the use of English. 

The Alfred Jewel. This beautiful jewel from Alfred’s era seems to be the handle of an aester, which is believed to be a pointer used when reading manuscripts. Written round the side in gold capitals is ‘AELFRED MEC HEHT GEVVYRCAN’. ‘Alfred had me made’ – but did he design it? © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

• Gravestones and other medieval objects engraved with English text, including an Anglo-Saxon sword and a gold ring found at Godstow Abbey, Oxford. 

Gold ring found at Godstow Priory, Oxford. ‘Most in mind and in mine heart, loathest from you far to depart’. Who was meant to see these words? They’re inside the hoop of this gold ring, tiny and hidden from most eyes. That secret site suits the intimate rhyme: the words of lovers forced to part? Less suitable is the place where the ring was found by later antiquaries: in the grounds of a former nunnery, Godstow Priory near Oxford. Are these hidden words from a nun’s secret lover? British Museum, MME AF 1075. Gold ring, early 1500s; found at Godstow, near Wolvercote, Oxfordshire.© British Museum

• Medical texts such as revolving ‘volvelle’ diagrams, magical charms and colourful drawings and diagrams for doctors. 

The Twenty Jordans, MS. Ashmole 1413. These are flasks of urine. Diagnosing disease from the colour of urine was common in medieval medicine; almost five hundred copies survive of writings in English alone on this topic. © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

• Some of the earliest known works in the English language, including Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and early drama and songs.  

The Canterbury Tales. A copy made around the third quarter of the fifteenth century of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1390s). At the division between The Tale of Sir Thopas and The Tale of Melibee, the initial, border, running head and title help the reader to navigate the text.© Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.

• Examples of intricate texts with colour coded instructions on how to read them, such as an English translation of the Bible which may have belonged to Henry VI.  

King Alfred’s Pastoral Care. King Alfred planned a set of useful translations from Latin, like this manual for clergymen. In this copy of Gregory the Great’s translated Pastoral Care, sent between 890 and 897 to Wærferth, Bishop of Worcester, the book ‘speaks’ (bottom left) and tells how Alfred ‘sent me to his scribes north and south’ with an æstel or pointer. Is the Alfred Jewel the æstel? © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

Caedmon translation. The first English poet whose name we know is Caedmon (fl. 657–80). An illiterate cowherd at Whitby Abbey, he composed hymns inspired by dreams. The only surviving record of his word are found in Bede’s Latin Ecclesiastical History. Many scribes or readers knew the hymn in English and added it in the margins, as here at the foot of a page in a different ink. In many of these manuscripts, English was an afterthought. © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

Caedmon translation closeup. A closeup of an English translation of a hymn by the first English poet whose name we know, Caedmon (fl. 657–80). The modern translation (excerpt from The Earliest English Poems, Third Edition, Penguin Books, 1991): ‘Praise now to the keeper of the kingdom of heaven, the power of the Creator, the profound mind of the glorious Father, who fashioned the beginning of every wonder, the eternal Lord. For the children of men he made first heaven as a roof, the holy Creator. Then the Lord of mankind, the everlasting Shepherd, ordained in the midst as a dwelling place, Almighty Lord, the earth for men.’ © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

Designing English is curated by Daniel Wakelin, Jeremy Griffiths Professor of Medieval English Palaeography at the University of Oxford, one of the few posts in the world dedicated to the study of medieval English manuscripts. 

Professor Wakelin said: ‘Medieval writers had to be graphic designers every time they wrote or carved their words. Tracing the earliest uses of English, from illicit annotations on Latin texts, to more everyday jottings in ephemeral formats, this exhibition celebrates the imagination and skill of these early writers. Their craft and inventiveness resonates today when digital media allow users to experiment with design through word processing, social media and customized products.”  

Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian said: ‘The Bodleian Libraries holds one of the most important collections of medieval manuscripts in the world, and this exhibition celebrates all aspects of the ingenuity and craftsmanship that went into some of the most beautiful, and everyday items that still survive today. The exhibition provides an intriguing and surprising history of English literature in one room".

Designing English: Graphics on the Medieval Page is at the Bodleian Library from December 1 2017 – April 22 2018

Astronomical ‘volvelle’ diagram with 3D disks revolving on string or a twist of parchment to let readers make calculations (for the phases of the moon and time of night). © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

Deer antlers. Some things are better shown in the flesh than told in words. Our hunting fathers understood the look of different creatures; this could be shown in pictures, with text just for captions. The artist of this hunting manual draws distinctions (literally, draws) between different ages of deer, which would be hard to identify without these pictures of the growth of their antlers. MS. Bodl. 546, fols 2v–3r. Gaston Fébus, The Master of Game, translated by Edward of York between 1406 and 1413; copied between 1413 and 1459. © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

Lot 2815. A Jun dish, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (960-1234); 6 3/8 in. (16 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 200,000. Price realised HKD 400,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The dish is well potted with shallow sides rising to a slightly inturned rim, supported on a splayed foot. It is covered overall with a lavender-blue glaze thinning to mushroom at the mouth rim, with the exception of the brown-dressed foot.

Exhibited: San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, 1984-2017

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics from The Dr. James D. Thornton Collection, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

Lot 2816. A Henan russet-painted black-glazed pear-shaped vase, yuhuchunping, Jin dynasty (1115-1234); 12 3/8 in. (30.8 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 80,000 - HKD 120,000. Price realised HKD 62,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is potted with a pear-shaped body rising to a waisted neck and a flared mouth and supported on a short foot. The body is decorated in bold brush strokes of iron brown with foliate motifs on a dark brownish-black glaze. The base is unglazed.

Exhibited: San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, 1984-2017

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics from The Dr. James D. Thornton Collection, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

Lot 2902. A rare and large blue and straw-glazed baluster jar, Tang dynasty (618-907); 10 3/8 in. (26.3 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 500,000 - HKD 800,000. Price realised HKD 625,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The high-shouldered body tapering to a slightly everted foot and flat base, with shallow waisted neck and lipped rim. The exterior covered with a rich dark blue glaze falling short of the foot to reveal the buff pottery, the interior covered with a straw glaze of pale amber tone speckled in green glaze, box.

Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong, 10 March 1996

Note: A similar example with a cover, is in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 25.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

Lot 2904. A pair of Qingbai incised ‘floral scroll’ meiping, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 7 1/2 in. (19 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 400,000 - HKD 600,000. Price realised HKD 875,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The pair of vases are elegantly potted with high rounded shoulders and tapered sides. They are freely carved on the exterior with a broad band of scrolling tendrils highlighted by combed incisions between double borders. They are covered with a translucent crackled glaze of pale aquamarine tone that continues over the short necks and moulded rims and ends just above the feet to expose the fine white ware, boxes.

Provenance: The Dexinshuwu Collection, Taipei, 1993 

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

Lot 2905. A very rare Jun purple-splashed bottle vase, Late Northern Song-Early Jin dynasty, 12th century; 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 1,500,000 - HKD 2,500,000. Price realised HKD 4,900,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The well potted pear-shaped vase rises to a tall slender neck gently flaring to the mouth rim, applied overall with a lustrous lavender-blue glaze embellished with purplish-red splashes on the body and neck, the thick glaze stops just above the high foot ring to reveal the body beneath, box.

Note: Based on the findings in 2001 from the excavation of a Jun kiln site in Shenhouzhen in Yuzhou, Henan, the time frame of Jun ceramic production can be divided into three phases. The firing of Jun wares began in the late Northern Song period, during the reigns of Huizong and Qinzong. The production of Jun wares during this period was still relatively small in scale. Thus Northern Song Jun wares are extremely rare. The characteristics of these early Jun wares include a very fine clay body of russet, russet-brown or pale russet colour; a relatively thin, viscous glaze which is subtle in colour, as seen in an excavated box (fig. 1), and often turns to mushroom near the mouth or to a pale pinkish colour where it thins, as seen in a lotus-form washer (fig. 2). After the Jin dynasty, the Jun glaze becomes much brighter and glossier, lacking the understated elegance seen on Northern Song examples. It is extremely unusual to find copper-red splashes on early Jun wares, both among excavated and heirloom pieces. Those very few such examples are often applied with splashes which are large, irregular in shape and pale in colour. Representative examples include the Jun yuhuchunping (accession no. PDF. 92) and dish with everted mouth (accession no. PDF. 93) in the Percival David Foundation of Art. During the Jin dynasty, the application of copper-red splashes became much more deliberate and controlled. The splashes were reduced in size.

Bottle with purple-splashed blue glazes, Northern Song dynasty, about AD 1000–1127. Stoneware with opalescent blue and purple glazes, Jun ware, Yuxian, Henan province, 29 cm. Percival David Foundation of Art, PDF 92 © The Trustees of the British Museum 

Dish with splashed glaze, Jin dynasty, AD 1115–1234. Stoneware with opalescent blue and lavender glazes, Jun ware, Yuxian, Henan province, 18,5 cm. Percival David Foundation of Art, PDF 93 © The Trustees of the British Museum

Another important feature of early Jun wares is the application of a thin layer of brown dressing on unglazed areas such as the base and mouth rim (see fig. 1). This feature ceased to appear on Jun wares from the late Jin dynasty, and did not re-emerge until the late Yuan and particularly early Ming period, when the quality of Jun ceramics revived and reached another climax. The technique of glazing was also the most refined during the late Northern Song dynasty. Most bowls and dishes from that period are fully glazed, covering even the bases, and were fired either on unglazed foot rings or on spurs. However, the spur marks are coarser and bigger compared to those on contemporaneous Ru wares (see fig. 2). All these characteristics of Northern Song Jun wares can also be found on the current yuhuchunping.

fig. 1 An early Jun box excavated from the Liujiamen kiln, Northern Song period.

fig. 2 An early Jun lotus-form washer excavated from the Liujiamen kiln, Northern Song period.

A closely related example to the current lot is a Jun vase excavated at a Jin-period tomb in Jinshanjin, Beijing (fig. 3). This tomb, dated to the early Jin dynasty, prior to Dading first year (1160), contains a stone sarcophagus buried in earth, a feature commonly seen in burials reserved for the Jurchen people. It is very likely that the vase found there was made in the late Northern Song period, and later fell into the hands of a Jurchen owner during the invasion of Kaifeng and Zhengzhou areas in Henan by the Jin people. The Percival David and Jinshanjin tomb yuhuchunping share several commonalities, including a small mouth whose width measures about one third of that of the body; a long, slightly flared neck which tapers towards the middle of the vase, and an elegantly curved pear-shaped body. Towards the mid-late Jin to early Yuan period, this form experienced a transformation- the mouth became more flared and the neck became shorter. An exemplary piece from this period is a carved Yaozhou yuhuchunping excavated from a hoard in Huachixian, Gansu (fig. 4), which can be dated to the late Jin dynasty. Such change of form is even more prominent on Yuan-dynasty pieces, such as the Jun yuhuchunping excavated from the tomb of Feng Daozhen, dating to Zhiyuan second year (1265) (fig. 5). Amongst all these examples of Jun yuhuchunping, those from the Northern Song dynasty are undoubtedly the most elegant in form and lustrous in colour.

fig. 3 A Jun yuhuchunping excavated from an early Jin tomb in Jinshanjin, Haidian, Beijing.

fig. 4 A Yaozhou carved yuhuchunping found in a late Jin hoard in Huachi, Gansu. 

fig. 5 A Jun yuhuchunping found in the tomb of Feng Daozhen, dating to 1265.

The yuhuchun-form vase first made its appearance in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. During the Tang period, it was used mainly as a water sprinkler in Buddhist temples. Its form became standardised during the Northern Song dynasty, characterised by a long, straight or slightly flared neck, small mouth, pear-shaped body and short foot ring. During this time, it appears that yuhuchunping served primarily as a receptacle for flowers, especially prunus. Multiple proses by Northern Song poets describe flowers or prunus being placed in ‘yuhuchun’, suggesting that this combination was a popular component in the scholar’s studio at the time. Later during the Jin and Yuan periods, yuhuchunping acquired an additional function, and became fashionable containers for wine. In a mural found in a tomb in Yuquancun, Shanxi, dated to Dading ninth year of the Jin dynasty (1169), a banquet scene is depicted, in which an attendant is shown carrying a yuhuchunping wrapped in a towel, suggesting warm wine is contained within (fig. 6). Bottle vases of yuhuchun-form were also made in other kilns such as Ding, Ru, Yaozhou, Longquan, Jizhou and Jingdezhen during the Jin dynasty. However the products are often of lesser quality than their Northern Song counterparts, and were less beloved.

fig. 6 A Jin mural depicting a drinking scene found in Yuquancun, Shanxi.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

Lot 2980. A fine Yue moulded and carved ‘peony’ box and cover, Song dynasty (960-1279); 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 150,000 - HKD 250,000. Price realised HKD 175,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The slightly domed cover is well carved in relief with a peony sprig in the central medallion, all within a triple-line border and further encircled by short incised cloud along the edge of the cover. The veining of the petals lightly incised with combed lines and the box is supported on a splayed foot. Both the box and cover, with the exception of the rims, are covered inside and out with a thin greenish-olive glaze that continues onto the base which shows traces of linear spur marks; Japanese paulownia wood box.

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1980s or before.

Note: Yue boxes of this form, with a slightly domed cover, flared foot, and angled edges, was undoubtedly inspired by Sassanian silver wares in the Tang dynasty. Ceramic examples first appeared in the Tang dynasty and gained popularity during the Song period. The box may well have been intended to hold ladies’ cosmetics.

Lot 1984. A rare white-glazed ewer, Song dynasty (960-1279); 7 5/8 in. (19.3 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 200,000-300,000. Price realised HKD 250,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The ewer has a deep, rounded body raised on a flared foot, incised with single lines above and below the sharp edge of the canted shoulder, with a tall, slender curved spout set opposite a looped strap handle attached to the narrow cylindrical neck, covered with a translucent, pale blue tinged glaze pooling to darker tone in the recesses; Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Mayuyama & Co. Ltd., Tokyo
A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1980s or before.

Exhibited: Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Sosoku Utsuwa [Pouring Vessles], Izumi, 1986, p. 53, cat no. 94 
Fukuyama Castle Museum, 70 Selected Masterpieces of Chinese Porcelain, 21 Oct to 26 Nov 1989, p.27, no. 27

Note: The form of this ewer, with its angular profile, is modelled after metalworks that entered China from Central Asia. Compare to a Ding ewer of very similar shape, but with carved decorations in the Musee Guimet in Paris, dating to late 10th century to early 11th century, illustrated in Sekai Toji Zenshu, Song, vol. 12, Tokyo, 1977, pl. 133. Ewers of this form were also fired at the Yaozhou kilns. Refer to a Yaozhou ewer of similar form, dating to early 11th century, formerly in the Charles B. Hoyt Collection, now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, illustrated ibid., pl. 184; and another Yaozhou example in the Yaozhou Museum in Shaanxi, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji: Yaozhouyao, 1985, pl. 17.

Ewer with double spout, Chinese, Five Dynasties period to early Northern Song dynasty, 10th century A.D. Yaozhou ware; stoneware, with green glaze and carved floral design. Overall: 19.7cm (7 3/4in.). Bequest of Charles Bain Hoyt—Charles Bain Hoyt Collection, 50.2009 © 2017 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Lot 2985. A carved white-glazed ‘Phoenix-head’ ewer, Northern Song dynasty (960-1279); 7 3/4 in. (19.8 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 280,000 - HKD 350,000. Price realised HKD 350,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The ewer is potted with a globular body which rises to a tapering ribbed neck surmounted by a phoenix head. It is covered in a greenish-white glaze and has a strap handle opposite the short, curved spout; box.

Provenance: Property of the Yangdetang Collection.

Note: The earliest ceramic ‘phoenix-head’ ewers can be dated to the Tang dynasty. Many of them were exported to Southeast Asia, such as Philippines and the islands of modern Indonesia. Sherds of a ware similar to this type of ewer have been found at the Xicun kiln site, Guangzhou. Compare with another example in the Palace Museum, Beijing (see xin 188290), sharing an almost identical form to the current ewer.

Bluish white glazed phoenix-head ewer, Song dynasty found at the Xicun kiln site, Guangzhou. Collection of Palace Museum, Beijing.

Lot 2986. A Korean celadon incised ‘lotus’ bottle vase, Goryeo dynasty, 12-13th century; 13 3/4 in. (35 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 280,000 - HKD 350,000. Price realised HKD 350,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is incised in thin lines on the body with three separate lotus sprays, below a band of ruyi-heads around the shoulder and above overlapping lotus petals around the foot, covered overall with a finely crackled greyish-green glaze fired to a golden-russet colour towards the mouth, the base with spur marks; Japanese wood box.

Lot 2987. A Ding-type white-glazed bottle vase, Northern Song dynasty (960-1279); 8 7/8 in. (22.6 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 800,000 - HKD 1,200,000. Price realised HKD 5,140,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is potted with a bulbous body rising to a long neck flaring gently to a slightly everted rim, covered on the exterior with a thin glaze of pale ivory-white tone which extends to the inner mouth rim and partially covers the base, revealing the fine white body.; box.

Provenance: Former collections of Gerald M. Greenwald and Otani Hiro (according to receipt)

Lot 2989. A Jian ‘hare’s-fur’ tea bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 4 3/4 in. (12.2 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 240,000 - HKD 350,000. Price realised HKD 400,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl is thickly potted with a narrow groove below the rim, covered overall with a lustrous black glaze, thinning at the rim with short russet streaks extending downwards. The rim bounded in white metal and the base is incised with an indecipherable character. Together with a modern lacquer stand; an Edo period Japanese gilt brocade wrapper, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1980s or before.

Lot 2989. A fine Jian ‘hare’s-fur’ tea bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 4 3/4 in. (12 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 100,000 - HKD 150,000. Price realised HKD 400,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl is covered inside and out with a lustrous blackish-brown glaze finely streaked with russet ‘hare’s fur’ markings flowing from the russet band below the rim.

Provenance: The Dexinshuwu Collection, Taipei, 1992

Lot 2991. A Qingbai petal-lobed bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 200,000 - HKD 300,000. Price realised HKD 275,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl is exquisitely potted with conical sides rising from a straight foot ring to a hexa-lobed rim, with six corresponding moulded ribs on the interior. It is covered overall with a pale blue glaze with the exception of the base and underside.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

Lot 2992. A fine Longquan tripod censer, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 5 7/8 in. (15 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 800,000 - HKD 1,200,000. Price realised HKD 1,000,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The compressed bombe body is decorated with three evenly spaced vertical flanges that runs down to the short tripod feet. The neck raises from the body and flares at the mouth rim. It is covered overall with a rich bluish-green glaze, thinning slightly over the rim and raised decoration, and pooling at the recesses, box.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 29 November 2017, Hong Kong

Francis Bacon (1909–1992), Three Figures and Portrait, 1975, Oil and pastel on canvas, 198.1 x 147.3 cm, Purchased 1977, T02112, Tate© the estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. DACS 2017. Photo credit: Tate.

Francis Bacon (1909–1992), Study for Portrait II (after the Life Mask of William Blake), 1955, Oil on canvas, 61 x 50.8 cm, Purchased 1979, T02414, Tate© the estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. DACS 2017. Photo credit: Tate.

Francis Bacon (1909–1992), Seated Figure, 1961, Oil on canvas, 165.1 x 142.2 cm, Presented by J. Sainsbury Ltd 1961, T00459, Tate © the estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. DACS 2017. Photo credit: Tate.