A MOLDED AND INCISED YAOZHOU CELADON 'TWO BOYS' CONICAL BOWL, NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY China, 960-1127. Crisply and delicately potted with steep rounded sides rising to an everted rim, the interior neatly incised to depict a pair of boys holding scrolling leafy stems with large flower heads, covered overall in a deep and unctuous olive-green glaze.

Provenance: Jung's, Inc., Wilmington, Delaware, USA, 6 May 1995. Lawrence H. Dunbar, Jr. (d. 2008), Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, USA, acquired from the above and thence by descent within the family. With an old label inscribed '11-12 C. Yaozhou Celadon […] 95-54'. A copy of the original invoice from Jung's, Inc., dated 6 May 1995, stating a purchase price of USD 795 for the present lot, accompanies this lot. Jung's, Inc. was an art and antiques dealership founded by Shee Lup Jung (1922-2015). Mr. Jung received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1951, when he was employed as a research chemist for DuPont. Inspired by his wife Mary's passion for the arts, Mr. Jung slowly and methodically studied ancient glazes and ceramics, including their chemical and mineral aspects, acquiring a multitude of study pieces for the family's collection. In 1975, he started Jung's, Inc. in a historic location in central Wilmington, Delaware, as a museum-like gallery with an impressive selection of ceramics, open by appointment only and selling mostly to knowledgeable and scholarly collectors much like Jung himself.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor old wear and scattered firing flaws.

Weight: 154.2 g
Dimensions: Diameter 12.8 cm

With an old wooden storage box, probably dating to the late Qing dynasty. (2)

Literature comparison:
Examples of similarly decorated bowls with two boys holding floral scrolls include: one in the British Museum, museum number 1997,0130.1, another in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated by Jan Wirgin, Sung Ceramic Designs, London, 1970, pl. 6b, another illustrated in Yaozhou Kiln, Shaanxi, 1992, and a similar bowl illustrated by Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Vol. I, London, 1994, p. 238, no. 428.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 9 October 2014, lot 101
Price: HKD 81,250 or approx. EUR 12,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small Yaozhou celadon 'two boys' molded conical bowl, Northern Song Dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the near identical design and glaze as well as the closely related form and size (13 cm).


北宋耀州窯青釉印花雙嬰攀枝紋碗
中國，960-1127年。碗撇口，腹壁斜收，矮圈足，足底沾窯渣。通體施青釉。碗內印卷草花紋和兩個童子。兩個童子分別手持花枝，身體呈不同的姿勢作嬉戲狀。碗通體施墨綠色釉。

來源：美國特拉華州威爾明頓Jung藝廊，1995年5月6日；美國賓夕法尼亞查兹福特Lawrence H. Dunbar (逝世於 2008年)，購於上述藝廊，在同一家族保存至今。隨附一份1995年5月6日出具的藝廊發票複印件。Jung藝廊是由Shee Lup Jung（1922-2015）成立的藝術古董店。 Jung先生於 1951 年獲得賓夕法尼亞大學化學博士學位，當時他受聘為杜邦公司化學研究員。受妻子 Mary 對藝術的熱情啟發，Jung 先生開始緩慢但系統地研究古代釉料和陶瓷，包括它們的化學和礦物結構，為家族收藏提供大量的研究藏品。1975 年，他在特拉華州威爾明頓市中心的一個歷史悠久的地方成立了 Jung藝廊，這是一家博物館式的藝廊，收藏了令人印象深刻的陶瓷，只接受預約參觀，主要出售給與 Jung 本人一樣的知識淵博和學術收藏家。
品相：品相極佳，只有輕微的磨損和零星的燒製缺陷。

重量：154.2 克
尺寸：直徑12.8 厘米

清末小木盒子。(2)

文獻比較：
同樣以雙嬰攀枝圖裝飾的耀州窯例子，見大英博物館藏一件耀州窯盌，博物館編號1997,0130.1。另見紐約大都會博物館所藏一例，著錄於Jan Wirgin，《Sung Ceramic Designs》，倫敦，1970年，圖6b。另一個例子，可見陝西耀州窯遺址出土的一例，刊登於《耀州窯》，陝西，1992年。還有一件碗，見於Regina Krahl，《Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection》，卷一，倫敦，1994年，頁238，圖428。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港邦瀚斯，2014年10月9日，lot 101
價格：HKD 81,250（相當於今日EUR 12,000）
描述：北宋耀州窯印花雙嬰攀枝紋盌
專家評論：比較一件幾乎相同的圖紋、釉色，以及非常相近的尺寸(13 厘米)。