SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY (1127-1279)

Details

A CARVED QINGBAI SHALLOW 'BOYS' BOWL
SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY (1127-1279)
The bowl is thinly potted with slightly rounded conical sides and carved on the interior with two almost hidden figures of boys tumbling amidst large peony blossoms, and covered overall with a glossy, translucent glaze of pale-blue color except for an unglazed circle on the base.
8 in. (20.3 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box

Lot Essay

Jan Wirgin, in Sung Ceramic Design, London, 1979, pp. 179-81, speculates that the motif depicting boys amidst floral scroll was influenced by Indian cave art and the Tang dynasty Buddhist motif of reborn souls shown on lotus flowers. By the Song dynasty, the motif became immensely popular and was thought to suggest fertility and abundance, and was found on objects in a variety of mediums including silver, bronze, textile and jade, and at ceramic kilns including Yaozhou and Ding.

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