Lot 8030. A Finely Cast Archaic Bronze Ritual Wine Vessel, Gu, Shang Dynasty, Anyang phase (1300–1050 BC); 12 1/4in (31.1cm) high. Estimate US$ 70,000 - 100,000 (€ 57,000 - 81,000) © Bonhams 2001-2018

The slender vessel cast at the flaring trumpet-form neck with four blades each enclosing attenuated cicada forms with double eyes forming dispersed taotie masks in raised relief above a fine leiwen ground and extending from an unusual horizontal band of raised eye-centered cusped quatrfoils, the central knop cast with descending kuilong forming taotiemasks bisected by raised knotched flanges separated from the lower band by paired relief 'bowstring' lines, the flanges repeated on the flared foot enhancing elaborate horizontal kuilong with c-shaped horns and well-defined snouts, the surface displaying a brilliant emerald green patina with vivid malachite encrustations on the exposed silvery gray surface.

Provenance: J.J Lally & Co., New York, 2008

Note: Bronze gu were among the most important vessels used in state rituals of the late Shang dynasty. The blade motif at the neck of these slender vessels is an Anyang innovation, (R. Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, p. 229); the distended cicada form is shown in a gu published by J. J. Lally, Chinese Archaic Bronzes. The Collection of Daniel Shapiro, 2014 no. 3, along with the descending kuilong at the knob and base. The unusual cusped quatrefoil band below the flanges can be found on a gu published by Eskenazi, Ancient Chinese Bronzes from an English Private Collection, no. 1, page 10. An impressive gu of similar size to our lot, was sold at Christie's, New York, 15 March 2015, lot 3178; another also offered at Christie's, New York, 18 September 2014. See a related bronze sold in our Hong Kong rooms 29 November 2016, lot 28. A smaller inscribed example was sold in these rooms on 12 September 2016, lot 8012.

Property from the Collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III 

Bonhams is pleased to offer objects from the collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III, highly regarded Baltimore collectors and philanthropists of the arts. Decatur was born into a prominent Baltimore family. He took great pride in the family's longstanding civic ties as a champion of community and artistic causes. In addition to being a trustee at the Walters Art Museum, Decatur also held leadership posts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Enoch Pratt Free Library. In his professional life, Decatur was a chairman and managing partner of the Baltimore law firm Piper & Marbury, now the global law firm DLA Piper.

Sally was an equally enthusiastic supporter of the arts and cultural causes in Baltimore. A student of art history, she devoted much of her intellectual curiosity to the local institutions. She served as trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art, as well as member of the Walters Art Museum and the Maryland-based Art Seminar Group. In addition to cultural foundations, Sally also dedicated her time to civic organizations, serving on the boards of Union Memorial Hospital and Planned Parenthood of Maryland.

As collectors, the Millers gravitated towards early Chinese art, and their home on North Charles Street elegantly displayed classical sculptural pieces from China's Shang, Zhou and Tang dynasties with contemporary paintings and photography. The following ten works of art from the Miller collection evince their careful connoisseurship and keen eye toward excellence while celebrating the rich heritage of Chinese art.

Lot 8031. A Gilt Bronze Figure Of A Guardian Lion, Northern Qi-Sui Dynasty (550-618); 4in (10.3cm) high. Estimate US$ 12,000 - 18,000 (€ 9,700 - 15,000) © Bonhams 2001-2018

Seated on its haunches with front legs firmly braced, the well-delineated head with bulging eyes and exposed fangs, supported by a powerful body, the fur of the broad mane, forelegs and tail finely cast, the overall gilded surface gilded with a vivid green encrusted patina. 

Property from the Collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III

Provenance: J.J Lally & Co., New York, February 2008

Exhibited: J.J Lally & Co., New York,Two Thousand Years of Chinese Sculpture, Spring 2008, no. 9

Note: It is likely this noble lion would have originally been part of a Buddhist votive group, and the presence of lions can be traced back to the Buddhist art of India, where depictions of the seated Buddha are flanked by lions, both as protection and as a statement of his majesty. A similar sized lion--also seated--and dating from the Six Dynasties (220-589), is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 42.25.32.

Seated Lion from an Altarpiece, Six Dynasties (220–589), 6th century. Bronze with traces of gilding. H. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); W. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm). Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 1942; 42.25.32 © 2000–2018 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Bonhams. CHINESE WORKS OF ART AND PAINTINGS, 19 Mar 2018, 12:00 EDT, NEW YORK 

 Lot 8032. A Gilt Bronze Escutcheon, pushou, Northern Wei-Northern Qi Dynasty (386-577); 6 1/4in (15.5cm) high. Estimate US$ 15,000 - 25,000 (€ 12,000 - 20,000). © Bonhams 2001-2018

Cast in near symmetry, the zoomorphic mask framed by tall, thin ears flanking meandering horns above bulging eyes and a leaf-shaped ornament above the forehead, the snout with flaring nostrils, and an open mouth displaying curling fangs, the bronze gilded with areas of green patina, the mask punched with three holes to facilitate hanging.

Property from the Collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III

Provenance: J.J Lally & Co., New York, October 2008

Note: Intended to bear a pendant ring, this gilt bronze mask (pushou 鋪首) would have been secured on the outer door of a palace or noble residence. Perhaps first appearing on the doors of the Xianyang palace of the Qin dynasty, pushou were frequently used on the inner chambers of tombs in the Han dynasty. The fierce visage is likely derived from the taotie mask motifs used on archaic bronze vessels, and with its bulging eyes, flaring nostrils, and hooked fangs it was intended to ward off evil spirits as well as unwelcome intruders. A similar pushou dated to the Northern Wei Dynasty is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 1986.243. See also a closely related bronze mask, part of the Falk collection, sold Christie's, New York, 20 September 2001, lot 183.

Door ornament, Chinese, Northern Wei Period, late 5th century. Gilt bronze in the shape of an animal mask (pu-shou), 11.3 x 11.4 cm (4 7/16 x 4 1/2 in.), Keith McLeod Fund, 1986.243 © 2018 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 

Bonhams. CHINESE WORKS OF ART AND PAINTINGS, 19 Mar 2018, 12:00 EDT, NEW YORK 

 Lot 8033. An Unusual Archaic Bronze Hooked Halberd or Finial, Zhou Dynasty; 15in (38 cm) high. Estimate US$ 15,000 - 25,000 (€ 12,000 - 20,000). © Bonhams 2001-2018

The flat cast crest-form object rising from a triangular pierced and hollow socket for fastening and fashioned with five pointed blades, the central two in form of addorsed hooks, the surfaced covered with a green malachite and cuprite patina.

Property from the Collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III

Provenance: Christie's, New York, March 18, 2009, lot 224
Arthur M. Sackler Collection, New York, acquired prior to 1978.

Lot 8034. A Black Sichuan Pottery Amphora, Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220); 7in (17.75cm) high. Estimate US$ 2,000 - 3,000 (€ 1,600 - 2,400) © Bonhams 2001-2018

Burnished black pottery, of pear form with a vertically incised band around the neck beneath a lozenge-shaped opening at the mouth, with two loop handles resolving into four raised scrolls on the body, each handle with three circular bosses, with a flat circular foot rim and recessed foot.  

Property from the Collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III

Provenance: J.J Lally & Co., New York, August 2005

Lot 8035. A Relief-Molded Gray Pottery Tile of a drummer, Song-Jin Dynasty (960-1134); 13 3/4in (35cm) high. Estimate US$ 2,500 - 4,000 (€ 2,000 - 3,200). © Bonhams 2001-2018

The rectangular tile of baked unglazed buff pottery, molded in high relief, the flower adorned figure beating a drum on a stand. 

Property from the Collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III 

Note: For further discussion of entertainers on pottery tiles see Robert Maeda "Some Sung, Chin, and Yuan representations of actors" Artibus Asiae, Vol XLI, 2/3, pp. 132-156; and James C.Y. Watt, The Word of Kublai Khan, Chinese Art in the Yuan Dyansty, New York, 2010, pp. 52-58.

Bonhams. CHINESE WORKS OF ART AND PAINTINGS, 19 Mar 2018, 12:00 EDT, NEW YORK 

Lot 8037. A Fine Painted Marble Torso of Buddha, Late Northern Qi-Sui Dynasty; 18in (45.7cm) high. Estimate US$ 40,000 - 60,000 (€ 32,000 - 49,000) © Bonhams 2001-2018

Standing gently erect and dressed in monastic robes with arms to the sides, the hands originally raised and lowered in likely abhaya and varada mudras, a gentle curve to the back and one shoulder exposed, the rich garments elegantly rendered with waves of soft folds extending to the figure's bare feet which are supported on a conical plinth, the kashaya fastened over one shoulder in a loop, traces of the original red, green and black pigments and gold leaf embellishments remaining. 

Property from the Collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III.

The statue at Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III's home.

Provenance: J.J Lally & Co., New York, 2014

Published: J.J Lally & Co., New York, Ancient Chinese Sculpture Recent Acquisitions, Spring 2014, no. 6

Note: Sculptures of this type are associated with Qingzhou, Shandong province where a large hoard of sculptures were discovered at the Longxing temple site in 1996. See the Royal Academy 2001 publication Return of the Buddha. The massive figures in this catalog, nos. 16 and 17, carry related pigment and gilt embellishment and suggest the original mudras on the now missing arms of this lot, the mantle fastening of no. 15 from the same group bears close relation to our figure. See a complete limestone figure, sold Sotheby's, London, 15 May 2013, lot 147 and a dated figure from the Robert Hatfield Ellsworth collection, sold Christie's New York, 20 March 2015, lot 752. See also an unembellished larger figure from the Dr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Gordon collection, sold Christie's, New York, 20 September 2013, lot 1509.

Lot 8038. A Yaozhou Celadon Glazed Bowl, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127); 5 3/8in (13.6cm) diameter. Estimate US$ 8,000 - 12,000 (€ 6,500 - 9,700) © Bonhams 2001-2018

With a flared rim surrounding the deep curving well, the interior incised with waves and carved with a floral spray, the olive green glaze thinly applied on all surfaces except the foot pad, burnt a warm cinnamon brown, with a thin foot rim around a convex foot.  

Property from the Collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III.

Provenance: Eskenazi Ltd., London, December 2005
Hans Popper Collection, San Francisco, CA
Richard Bryant Hobart Collection, Cambridge, MA

Exhibited: Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA

Lot 8039. A Painted Pottery Figure Of A Horse And Rider With Hound, Tang Dynasty (608-907); 14in (35.5cm) high. Estimate US$ 8,000 - 12,000 (€ 6,500 - 9,700) © Bonhams 2001-2018

The horse standing four square on a rectangular base with head turned left, the sinewy body and bobbed tail evenly painted with carmine pigments setting off the black- painted saddle supporting a foreign rider holding a lively dog straining against the black-painted hogged mane. 

Property from the Collection of Sally S. and Decatur H. Miller III.

Provenance: J.J Lally & Co., New York, November 2004

Note: The distinctive snout on this dog almost certainly identifies it as a Saluki (Shanxi Xigou 陝西細狗), a sight hunter prized for its speed and ability to catch rabbits. The Saluki came to China from Central Asia along the silk road at least as early as the 7th century as they appear on a tomb mural of the Tang prince Zhuanghuai in 685. Here the Saluki's companion is also likely an immigrant from the West, given his Phrygian cap. The Tang aristocracy had an interest in the hunting styles of nomadic peoples from Central Asia, and they would often gather to witness staged hunts.

Bonhams. CHINESE WORKS OF ART AND PAINTINGS, 19 Mar 2018, 12:00 EDT, NEW YORK 

Lot 536. A purple and copper-green splashed Jun 'bubble' bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (960-1234); 3 ¼ in. (8.2 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 50,000 - USD 70,000. ©Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The bowl is delicately potted with rounded sides and is raised on a short unglazed foot, and covered inside and out with a glaze of pale, milky blue tone decorated on the exterior with a concentrated area of purplish splash to one side, and on the interior with extensive purplish splashes suffused with copper-green spots, Japanese wood box and silk pouch.

Provenance: Frank Partridge & Sons, Ltd., before 1998. 
Christie’s London, 15 June 1998, lot 85 (part).
Daijindo Gallery, Tokyo.

Literature: Christie's, The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics: An Exhibition of Song Treasures from the Linyushanren Collection, Hong Kong, 2012, pp. 68-69, no. 19.

Exhibited: Christie's, The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics: An Exhibition of Song Treasures from the Linyushanren Collection, Hong Kong, 22 to 27 November 2012; New York, 15 to 20 March 2013; London, 10 to 14 May 2013.

Note: Of all the ceramic forms produced at the Jun kilns, the ‘bubble’ bowl perhaps shows the famous Jun glaze to its best advantage. As on the present example, the glaze on these bowls is often of a particularly luminous blue, punctuated by vivid, dynamic purple and green splashes. The effect is to create an intimate, jewel-like piece that delights when held in the hand. 

Christie's. The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics - The Linyushanren Collection, Part III, 22 March 2018, New York

Lot 537. A Jun 'bubble' bowl, Jin dynasty (1115-1234); 3 1/8 in. (8.1 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The bowl is finely potted with rounded sides incurving at the rim and raised on a short, unglazed foot. The sides are covered with a crackle-suffused glaze of cloudy, pale greenish-blue color thinning to a mushroom tone at the rim, Japanese wood box.

Christie's. The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics - The Linyushanren Collection, Part III, 22 March 2018, New York

Lot 538. A large Jun dish, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 11 ½ in. (29.1 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 60,000 - USD 80,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The shallow dish is well potted with rounded sides rising to the slightly inverted rim encircled on the exterior by a finger-molded band. The dish is covered overall with a pale lavender-blue glaze which thins to mushroom at the rim, and continues onto the countersunk base which has five spur marks, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Eskenazi, London.

Literature: Christie's, The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics: An Exhibition of Song Treasures from the Linyushanren Collection, Hong Kong, 2012, pp. 64-65, no. 16. 
Rosemary Scott, ‘Chinese Classic Wares from a Japanese Collection: Song Ceramics from the Linyushanren Collection’, Arts of Asia, March-April 2014, pp. 97-108, fig. 18.

Exhibited: Christie's, The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics: An Exhibition of Song Treasures from the Linyushanren Collection, Hong Kong, 22 to 27 November 2012; New York, 15 to 20 March 2013; London, 10 to 14 May 2013.

Note: The success of such a gracefully restrained vessel as the present dish requires absolute mastery of the glaze during the firing process; there can be no distractions from the simplicity of the form and the luminosity of the glaze. To maintain this simplicity and ensure maximum glaze coverage, including on the foot, the dish was raised on five tiny spurs for firing. The unusually large dimensions of the present dish presented an additional challenge; the result is a rare treasure of serenity and elegance.

A dish of similar size, also fired on five small spurs, but with a wider foot ring is illustrated in A Panorama of Ceramics in the Collection of the National Palace Museum: Chun Ware, Taipei, 1999, p. 152-153, no. 58. Another similar Jun dish, but of smaller size (19.7 cm. diam.) and with a flattened rim is illustrated ibid., pp. 144-145, no. 54.

Christie's. The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics - The Linyushanren Collection, Part III, 22 March 2018, New York

Lot 539. A large Jun bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (960-1234); 8 ½ in. (21.6 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 12,000 - USD 18,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The bowl is well potted with deep, rounded sides rising from a low, spreading foot to a slightly inverted rim, and is covered overall with an even glaze of pale, milky blue color thinning to a mushroom tone at the rim and stopping above the unglazed brownish-grey foot, Japanese wood box. 

Christie's. The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics - The Linyushanren Collection, Part III, 22 March 2018, New York

Lot 540. A rare large Jun deep bowl, Northern Song-Jin dynasty (960-1234); 7 ½ in. (19 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The bowl is formed with deep rounded sides rising from the short foot ring to the slightly incurved rim, and is covered inside and out with a glaze of milky, sky-blue tone thinning to mushroom at the rim, except for the foot and a circular section on the bottom of the interior which are burnt orange in the firing, Japanese wood box and lacquered cover. 

Literature: Idemitsu Museum of Art, Sodai no Toji (The Ceramics of the Song Dynasty), Tokyo, 1979, no. 67.

Exhibited: Idemitsu Museum of Art, Sodai no Toji (The Ceramics of the Song Dynasty), Tokyo, October to November 1979.

Note: The present bowl is very rare for its large size and bold form with unusually deep sides. A bowl of similar proportions is illustrated by S. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1975, p. 100, no. 94; and another of slightly smaller size (17.9 cm. diam.) is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 32 - Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, p. 245, no. 221. Another bowl of similar size but with shorter sides, in the collection of the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, now on loan to the British Museum, is illustrated by Stacey Pierson in Song Ceramics: Objects of Admiration, London, 2003, pp. 24-25, pl. 3.

Jun ware bowl, Northern Song dynasty, about AD 960–1127, Yuxian, Henan province. Stoneware with thick opalescent blue glaze; 19,4 cm diam, Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF.41. © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum

The unglazed circle on the interior of the present bowl suggests that a small piece was probably fired inside it. Compare another deep Jun bowl with five spur marks on the interior, illustrated by R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Volume One, London, 1994, pp. 220-221, no. 383.

Christie's. The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics - The Linyushanren Collection, Part III, 22 March 2018, New York

Lot 541. An extremely rare 'Number Ten' Jun rectangular jardinière, Yuan-Early Ming dynasty, 14th-15th century; 6 ¾ in. (17.2 cm.) long. Estimate USD 70,000 - USD 90,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The jardinière is thickly potted with shallow sides rising to a flat, everted rim with a raised outer edge, and is supported on four cabriole legs joined by bracket-shaped aprons. The vessel is covered overall with a pale, milky blue glaze which thins to mushroom at the edges. The base is applied with a thin brownish glaze and incised with the character shi (ten), Japanese wood box. 

Provenance: George Eumorfopoulos Collection (according to label).
Burchard Galleries, Berlin, June 1927.
Christie's Amsterdam, 31 October 2006, lot 482.

Literature: Christie's, The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics: An Exhibition of Song Treasures from the Linyushanren Collection, Hong Kong, 2012, pp. 74-75, no. 22.

Exhibited: Christie's, The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics: An Exhibition of Song Treasures from the Linyushanren Collection, Hong Kong, 22 to 27 November 2012; New York, 15 to 20 March 2013; London, 10 to 14 May 2013.

Note: The present jardinière is part of a celebrated group of ‘numbered’ Jun wares, of which lot 542 is also an example. Similar to lot 542, the present rectangular jardinière likely functioned as the stand for a taller flower pot of corresponding form. 

A rectangular jardinière of similar size from the Schiller Collection, also inscribed with the number shi (ten) but with ruyi-shaped feet, is now in the Bristol City Art Gallery and is illustrated by Hobson and Hetherington, The Art of the Chinese Potter," p. XXXIII, fig. 1; and another with a lavender-tinged sky-blue glaze, and inscribed with the number jiu (nine), is in the Qing Court Collection and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 32 - Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, p. 23, no. 19. A rectangular jardinière with the number shi (ten) from the collection of Robert Chang was sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2002, lot 149.

A rectangular jardinière complete with a matching, tapering rectangular flower pot, in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, Tokyo, 1982, vol. 6, no. 49. A tapering, rectangular flower pot in the Qing Court Collection, inscribed with the number shi (ten) and therefore apparently intended to be paired with a jardinière such as the present example, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 32 - Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, p. 22, no. 18. 

Official Jun ware Rectangular flower pot 'Number 十 shi', Ming dynasty, about AD 1368–1435, Juntai, Yuxian, Henan province. Stoneware body covered in blue and purple glazes with olive-green on base. Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF.96.© 2017 Trustees of the British Museum 

A 'Number shi (ten)' Jun rectangular jardinière, Yuan-Early Ming dynasty, 14th-15th century, Qing Court Collection, Palace Museum

Lot 542. A rare 'Number Five' Jun tripod narcissus bowl, Yuan-Early Ming dynasty, 14th-15th century; 8 ¼ in. (20.9 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 150,000 - USD 200,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The sturdily potted bowl has a band of twenty 'nail-head' bosses applied between bow-string borders, and a further sixteen bosses above the threeruyi-form feet. The bowl is covered with a thick glaze, the interior of pale blue and lavender tone and the exterior mostly of mottled purple that thins to brownish-olive on the raised areas. The base has a thin brownish-olive glaze and a ring of spur marks revealing the grey body, and is incised with the character wu (five), Japanese wood box. 

Provenance: A Hong Kong family collection, acquired first half of the 20th century.
Christie's Hong Kong, 27 May 2008, lot 1837.

Literature: Christie's, The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics: An Exhibition of Song Treasures from the Linyushanren Collection, Hong Kong, 2012, pp. 76-77, no. 23.

Exhibited: Christie's, The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics: An Exhibition of Song Treasures from the Linyushanren Collection, Hong Kong, 22 to 27 November 2012; New York, 15 to 20 March 2013; London, 10 to 14 May 2013.

Note: The present bowl and the preceding jardinière (lot 541) belong to a group of Jun vessels comprising narcissus bowls, flower pots, and zun-shaped vases with prominent flanges, where each vessel has been incised or stamped with a Chinese numeral on the base. The numbers range from one to ten, and according to the Nanyao biji (Notes of the Nanyao), composed during the Qianlong reign, the numbers are indications that pair specific flower pots with stands. In recent years, scholars have also noted that the numbers appear to have a directly proportional relationship with the sizes of the vessels, with ten representing the smallest and one the largest. Jun narcissus bowls of this group appear in three styles, and are traditionally catalogued as ‘brush washers’, though the function of these bowls might well be stands of flower pots. The first style has a circular mouth rim with drum-nail bosses on the exterior, such as the present example. The second style has six-petal lobes, such as the ‘number nine’ example in the National Palace Museum, illustrated in A Panorama of Ceramics in the Collection of the National Palace Museum: Chun Ware, Taipei, 1999, p. 116-117, no. 41. And the third style has six molded bracket lobes at the flattened rim, such as the ‘number four’ bowl, also from the Linyushanren Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, lot 2812.

A rare 'numbered four' Jun bracket-lobed narcissus bowl, Yuan-Ming dynasty, 14th-15th century, from the Linyushanren Collection; 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm.) wide. Sold for 5,080,000 HKD at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, lot 2812. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Cf. my post: A rare 'numbered four' Jun bracket-lobed narcissus bowl, Yuan-Ming dynasty, 14th-15th century

For two Jun bowls also inscribed with the number wu (five) on the base, but with a pale blue or “moon-white” glaze, see A Panorama of Ceramics in the Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Chun Ware, Taipei, 1999, pp. 102-105, nos. 34 and 35. Other examples of similar form but with different numerals are illustrated ibid. pp. 88-101 and 107-108, nos. 27-33, and 36, and in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 32 - Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, pp. 28-33, nos. 24-28.

A further 'number five’ Jun tripod bowl was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 15 September 2009, lot 341.

A naturalistic boxwood (huangyangmu) scholar’s object formed as a section of branch carved with two crickets, Chinese, Qing dynasty, 18th century; length, 19.8 cm / 7 3/4 in height  6.8 cm / 2 1/2 in © Nicholas Grindley

Prajnaparamita, West Tibet, 11th century. Paper, pigments, gold, ink, 7 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. ( cm. 19 x 26 ) folio fragment; 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 in. ( cm 9,5 x 9,5 ) illumination. © Carlo Cristi

Japanese wooden lion and guardian dog, dated 1315. Height: 56 cm and 60 cm. © Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art

Longquan Celadon Censer with Applied Peonies, Southern Song - Yuan Dynasty, 13th - 14th century A.D. Height: 10.2 cm. Diameter: 15.25 cm © Zetterquist Galleries

A porcelaineous stoneware censer with steep-sided straight walls and a fattened mouth-rim. The piece sits on three stylized claw feet and has a foot-rim on the bottom, unglazed and revealing a pale stoneware body fred to a russet color. The exterior is decorated with applique scrolling peonies in high relief around the entire body. The piece is covered with an ideal Longquan celadon glaze of blue-green color and lustrous surface. From an old Japanese collection, it comes in a ftted, two-tier box with two separate custom ftted metal covers. One cover is from the Edo period, constructed of interconnected chrysanthemum bronze medallions and gilded on the top. The second cover is made of silver, and has a reticulated cloud pattern. This cover, made in the Meiji-Taisho Period, comes with the lid from its original inscribed box lid, signed by NAKAGAWA, Joeki (1880 – 1940). 

A similar piece from the Nezu Museum appears in “Heavenly Blue: Southern Song Ceramics” Nezu Museum, 2010, pl. 50. Another is featured in Regina Krahl’s, Meiyintang Collection, 1994 Vol. 1 pl. 568, where she explains: “Examples were found in a Song Stratum at Quanzhou in Fujian. Also a Yuan tomb at Quanzhou is illustrated in Longquan Qingci 1966, pl. 23.” A third is illustrated in “Sailing from the Great Yuan Dynasty: Relics Excavated from the Sinan Shipwreck” Zhejiang Provincial Museum Wenwu 2012. Pl. 87. Also see “Sekai Touji Zenshu”, Shogakukan 1981, Vol. 13, pl. 151 and“Celadons from Longquan Kilns” 1998 pl. 183, for other examples.

Celadon Bowl with Carved Lotus Petals, Southern Song - Yuan Dynasty, 13th - 14th century. Height: 6.7 cm Diameter: 13.7 cm. © Zetterquist Galleries

A steep sided bowl with a plain interior and fnely carved, elongated lotus petals on the outside walls. The entire piece is covered with a broadly crackled, luminous minty blue-green glaze of “Kinuta” color quality. The very bottom of the tall foot-rim is left unglazed, revealing a white porcelaineous stoneware body fred in places to a russet color.

The proportional diference between the narrow foot diameter to the relatively larger mouth diameter, together with the steepness of its walls, suggests a late Southern Song or early Yuan Dynasty dating for this piece. See similar examples in “Charm of Celadon” CIP Beijing, 2012. pg. 234. and “The Splendors of Chinese Celadons” ROC Society of Art Collectors, 1991. pl. 116. 

From a private Japanese collection.