A straw-glazed amphora, Tang dynasty - Sotheby's
the body of elegant ovoid form surmounted by a narrow waisted neck with cup-shaped mouth, set on the domed shoulders with a pair of double strap handles, the dragon-head terminals biting the lipped rim, molded on the neck with a series of horizontal bands and covered with a finely crackled glaze with olive tint, falling irregularly down the sides, Japanese wood box (4); Height 12 1/2 in., 31.7 cm - Estimation: 5,000 - 7,000 USD
PROVENANCE: Mayuyama & Co., Ltd., Tokyo, acquired between 1960-1969.
NOTE: A larger amphora of similar form and decoration dated to the Tang dynasty in the Idemitsu Art Gallery is illustrated in Chugoku ko-dai no buijitsu (Art of Ancient China), Tokyo, 1978, fig. 159.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 19 mars 2013 - www.sothebys.com