NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY (960-1127)

The present box and cover are exceedingly well potted with well-balanced proportions and very refined body material. The carving is notably crisp and fluent, which is perfectly complemented by the clear ivory glaze. Very few similar examples of this quality have been published. The National Palace Museum in Taipei has a Ding box of similar shape and carved motif, but with noticeably more wear, illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ting Ware White Porcelain, Taipei, 1987, no. 23.

Most published Ding boxes of this form are plain without any carved decorations, such as the three examples in the Hebei Provincial Museum, Ding Xian, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji - 9 - Dingyao, Shanghai, 1981, nos. 33, 45, and 46.