This sale featured 32 pieces of early Chinese ceramics, with 26 sold and 6 bought in (1068, 1069, 1070, 1079, 1082, 1086), a sell-through rate of 81.3%, total sales of USD 1,255,040, and an average premium rate of 423.4%.

 

The most outstanding highlight of the sale wasthe Art Institute of Chicago deaccession series (1001–1006): all 6 lots sold and led in premiums—— among them, lot 1005, a Southern Song / Yuan Longquan celadon washer, sold for USD 576,000 (about 82 times the mid-estimate, a premium of 8,128.6%), accounting for roughly 46% of the sale's total, making it the absolute star of the auction; the other lots, 1003 (454.7%), 1004 (386.4%), 1001 (284%), and 1002 (232.8%), also achieved high premiums, demonstrating the strong premium effect of early museum provenance.

 

lot 1005

Southern Song/Yuan Longquan celadon washer

Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000

Sold for: 576,000 USD

Dimensions: 15cm

Provenance: Collection of Joseph H. Winterbotham (1852-1925), Chicago, thence by family descent, Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned in 1954

 

 

lot 1001

Southern Song Jian ware black-glazed hare's fur bowl

Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000

Sold for: 19,200 USD

Dimensions:12.1 cm.

Provenance: Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937) Collection, Chicago, before 1924. The Art Institute of Chicago, acquired in 1924 in the name of Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920)

 

 

lot 1002

Song Dynasty, White-glazed Melon-ribbed Ewer

Estimate USD 3,000 – USD 5,000

Sold for: 16,640 USD

Dimensions: 16.1 cm

Provenance: Stanley Herzman (1906-2001) Collection, Chicago. The Art Institute of Chicago, acquired in 1997

Exhibition: Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, "Chinese Ceramics and Lacquers: The Stanley Herzman Collection," May–September 1997

 

 

lot 1003

Southern Song Dynasty, Qingbai-glazed Meiping with Carved and Incised Rhinoceros-horn Pattern

Estimate USD 12,000 – USD 18,000

Sold for: 83,200 USD

Dimensions: 18.4 cm

Provenance: Ralph M. Chait, New York (by label). Henry C. Schwab (1867-1941) Collection, Chicago. The Art Institute of Chicago, acquired in 1941

 

 

lot 1004

A Longquan Guan-type lobed bowl, Song Dynasty

Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000

Sold for: 24,320 USD

Dimensions: 13.7 cm

Provenance: The Russell Tyson (1867-1963) Collection, Chicago Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned in 1964 

Literature: <Oriental Art Recently Acquired by American Museums, 1964>, <Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America>, vol. 19, Durham, 1965, p. 90

 

 

lot 1006

A Qingbai molded floral meiping with cover, Southern Song Dynasty

Estimate USD 12,000 – USD 18,000

Sold for: 56,320 USD

Dimensions: 8.1 cm

Provenance: The Russell Tyson (1867-1963) Collection, Chicago Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned in 1942

 

 

Small sancai wares also stand out:1078 Small sancai rectangular pillow (10.4cm) achieved a premium of 668%, and 1077 Sancai goose-form angular cup (10.2cm) achieved a premium of 156%; small pieces had low estimates and attracted fierce competition.

 

 

lot 1077

Tang Dynasty, Sancai Goose-Form Angular Cup

Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000

Price realized: 12,800 USD

Dimensions:10.2 cm

Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Mary Cohen; Sotheby's London, 14 July 1970, lot 9; The Nelson and Happy Rockefeller Collection; Sotheby's New York; 18 January 2019, lot 466 

Literature: Oriental Ceramic Society, <i>Arts of the Tang Dynasty</i>, London, 1955, catalogue no. 146 

Exhibited: Oriental Ceramic Society, "Arts of the Tang Dynasty," London, 25 February to 30 March 1955, no. 146

 

 

lot 1078

Tang Dynasty, Small Sancai Rectangular Pillow

Estimate USD 4,000 – USD 6,000

Price realized: 38,400 USD

Dimensions:10.4 cm

Provenance: Uragami Sokyu-do, Tokyo, March 25, 2004

 

 

 

whilemedium-sized pottery figurines / sancai figurines were generally on the cool side:1074 A pair of sancai figures of riders on horseback with blue -4%, 1076 A figure of a court lady -23.2%, 1071 Figures of musicians and dancers -7.8%, 1055 A painted figure of a court lady only +2.4%, and the four pottery figures 1068/1069/1070/1079 were bought in;

 

 

lot 1055 

Tang Dynasty, A Painted Pottery Figure of a Court Lady

Estimate USD 30,000 – USD 50,000

Price realized: 40,960 USD

Dimensions: 63.5 cm

Provenance: Christie's New York, September 16, 1999, lot 286

 

 

lot 1068

Northern Qi Dynasty, A Painted Pottery Figure of a Rider on Horseback

Estimate USD 8,000 – USD 12,000

Unsold

Dimensions:26 cm

Provenance: Berwald Oriental Art, New York, 25 March 2000

 

 

lot 1069

A grey pottery figure of a military official with polychrome decoration, Northern Wei

Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000

Unsold

Dimensions: 36.2 cm

Provenance: J.J. Lally & Co., New York, 25 February 1995, no. 1483B

 

 

lot 1070

A pair of painted pottery horses, Tang dynasty

Estimate USD 20,000 – USD 30,000

Unsold

Dimensions: 45.7 cm.

Provenance: Berwald Oriental Art, London, 25 March 2000

 

 

lot 1071

A set of eight painted grey-glazed pottery figures of musicians and dancers, Tang Dynasty

Estimate USD 20,000 – USD 30,000

Sold for: 23,040 USD

Dimensions: 20 cm.

Provenance: Tai Shing Antiques, Hong Kong, 18 February 1995

 

 

lot 1072

A sancai-glazed pottery figure of a foreigner, Tang Dynasty

Estimate USD 12,000 – USD 18,000

Sold for: 15,360 USD

Dimensions:36.2 cm.

Provenance: Eskenazi, London, 17 December 2004, no. C3595

 

 

lot 1073

Two sancai-glazed female figures with blue, Tang dynasty

Estimate USD 30,000 – USD 50,000

Sold for: 51,200 USD

Size: 30.2 cm

Provenance: The Chinese Porcelain Company, New York, 28 January 2004

 

 

lot 1074

A pair of sancai-glazed equestrian figures with blue, Tang dynasty

Estimate USD 80,000 – USD 120,000

Sold for: 96,000 USD

Size:43.8 cm.

Provenance: Berwald Oriental Art, New York, 5 April 2006 

Literature: Berwald Oriental Art, <i>Blue Glaze of the Tang</i>, New York, 2006, pp. 12-15, no. 2 

Exhibited: New York, Berwald Oriental Art, "Blue Glaze of the Tang," 28 March - 15 April 2006

 

 

lot 1076

A SANCAI-GLAZED FIGURE OF A COURT LADY

Estimate USD 15,000 – USD 25,000

Sold for: 15,360 USD

Dimensions:36.8 cm.

Provenance: J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 25 February 1995, no. 1459

 

 

lot 1079

A SANCAI-GLAZED FIGURE OF A FOREIGNER HOLDING A BOX

Estimate USD 18,000 – USD 25,000

Unsold

Dimensions:38.7 cm.

Provenance: J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 1992; Private Collection, New York; Christie's New York, 16 March 2015, lot 3227; J. J. Lally & Co., New York 

Literature: J. J. Lally & Co., Chinese Archaic Bronzes, Sculpture and Works of Art, 1992, no. 19 

Exhibited: New York, J. J. Lally & Co., "Chinese Archaic Bronzes, Sculpture and Works of Art", 2-27 June 1992

 

 

 

 

Liao sancai (1080–1083) was flat(0.6%–9.7%, with the 1082 inkstone failing to sell);Cizhou kiln pillows, Ding ware, and Qingbai glaze mostly sold modestly in the -6%–46% range, with a few performing better, such as the 1090 Ding ware small dish (156%) and the 1093 Qingbai cong-form vase (166.2%).

 

 

The following are the remaining lots' sale results——

 

 

 

lot 1080

Liao sancai ewer with dragon design

Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000

Sale price: 7,040 USD

Dimensions:18.1 cm

Provenance: Sotheby's London, July 13, 2005, lot 125Watching the Tide of Art: Chinese Art from the Collection of Sakamoto Goro – Ceramics; Sotheby's New York, March 17, 2015, lot 14

 

lot 1081

Liao/Song sancai drum stool with scrolling floral design

Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000

Sold for: 7,680 USD

Dimensions:28 cm

Provenance: Kaikodo, New York, 13 March 2002 

Published: Kaikodo Journal, New York, Spring 2002, pp. 154-55 and p. 232, no. 64

 

lot 1082

Liao Dynasty, Sancai Octagonal Inkstone

Estimate USD 8,000 – USD 12,000

Unsold

Dimensions:22.8 cm

Provenance: Toguri Museum of Art, Tokyo; Roger Keverne, London, 3 February 2006

 

lot 1083

Liao/Song Dynasty, Sancai Silver-Ingot-Form Pillow with Floral Design

Estimate USD 5,000 – USD 7,000

Sold for: 5,760 USD

Dimensions:26 cm

Provenance: Hui Gu Tang, New York, 13 March 2002 

Literature: Hui Gu Tang Quarterly, New York, Spring 2002, pp. 152-153 and p. 231, no. 63

 

lot 1084

Song/Jin Dynasty, Cizhou Kiln Green-Glazed Ruyi-Form Pillow with Floral Design

Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 8,000

Sold for: 10,240 USD

Dimensions: 37.2 cm

Provenance: Hui Gu Tang, New York, 15 March 2011

Literature: Hui Gu Tang Quarterly, New York, Spring 2011, pp. 46-47 and p. 157, no. 11

 

lot 1085

Jin Dynasty, Cizhou Kiln Pillow in the Form of a Reclining Woman with White Ground and Black Floral Decoration

Estimate USD 10,000 – USD 15,000

Sold for: 12,800 USD

Dimensions:44.4 cm

Provenance: J.J. Lally & Co., New York, 17 January 2011, no. 1831

 

lot 1086

Song/Jin Dynasty, 12th/13th Century, Cizhou Ware Pillow with Black Slip-Decorated Poetry on White Ground

Estimate USD 12,000 – USD 18,000

Unsold

Dimensions:43.2 cm

Provenance: J.J. Lally & Co., New York, 11 October 2002, no. 3533

 

lot 1087

Jin Dynasty, Cizhou Ware Tiger-Form Pillow with Black Slip Decoration on White Ground

Estimate USD 12,000 – USD 18,000

成交价：14,080 USD

尺寸：34.3 cm

来源：蓝理捷，纽约，1997年12月9日，编号1619

 

 

 

lot 1090

北宋/金 定窑白釉印双鱼纹小盘

估价 美元 5,000 – 美元 7,000

成交价：15,360 USD

尺寸：16.8 cm.

来源：Floris Koenraad Jan Heringa（1872-1940），荷兰，后于家族传承（传）

 

 

lot 1093

元初 十三世纪末/十四世纪初 青白釉琮式瓶

估价 美元 10,000 – 美元 15,000

成交价：33,280 USD

Dimensions:16.4 cm

Published: "Huaigu Tang" journal, New York, Spring 2013, pp. 130-131 and pp. 183-184, no. 49 

Exhibited: New York, Huaigu Tang, "Welcoming the Spring", March 15-April 16, 2013

 

lot 1088

A Ding ware bowl with phoenix and peony design, white interior and purple-gold glaze exterior, Jin dynasty

Estimate USD 40,000 – USD 60,000

Sold for: 48,640 USD

Dimensions:21 cm

Provenance: Private collection, Japan, acquired in 2023

 

lot 1089

A qingbai glazed bowl with carved floral design, Northern Song dynasty, 11th/early 12th century

Estimate USD 6,000 – USD 9,000

Sold for: 10,880 USD

Dimensions: 18.6 cm

Provenance: Collection of Tomonosuke Takagi (1923-2000), Tokyo

 

 

lot 1091

Song Dynasty, Baishe Kiln Qingbai Glazed Bowl with Incised Moon-Shadow Plum Blossom Design

Estimate USD 10,000 – USD 15,000

Sold for: 14,080 USD

Dimensions:11.3 cm

 

lot 1092

Song Dynasty, 11th-12th Century, Qingbai Glazed Ewer with Cover

Estimate USD 5,000 – USD 8,000

Sold for: 6,400 USD

Dimensions:17.8 cm

Published: "Huaigutang" Journal, New York, Spring 2010, pp. 122-123 and p. 198, no. 55

Exhibition: New York, Kaikodo, "Honored Guests," March 18–April 8, 2010