A Rare and Small Chinese Yue 'Floral' Alms BowlNorthern Song DynastyThe jar is of slightly compressed ovoid alms bowl form and is carved with four equally spaced cartouches enclosing peony blooms divided by stylized scrolls, covered on the exterior, interior and base with a glaze of olive-green tone that pools slightly darker in the crevasses. Diameter 5 1/2 inches. Note:Yue alms bowls are rare. For an example of a brown glazed alms bowl without decoration of similar shape but larger dated Song - Ming see Christies, New York 16 December 2010, lot 318. The use of peonies as the decorative form on this bowl falls within a class of Yue wares that are also considered rare. For a Yue bowl of this design and of the same diameter as the one offered here, dated to the Five Dynasties (907-960), see Christies Hong Kong 3 April 2017, lot 59 (Realized price HKD 475,000); a small Yue jar similarly decorated but on a high foot and not of a compressed form, Christies, Hong Kong 30 May 2017, lot 312 (Realized price HKD 375,000); a small covered Yue peony jar of the approximate same size, Christies, Hong Kong 1 October 2017, lot 21 (Realized price HKD 525,000).C Property from the Collection of Steven J. Harvis