A YAOZHOU CELADON CARVED 'PEONY' SHALLOW BOWL, NOTHERN SONG DYNASTY China, 960-1127. The interior deftly and deeply carved with two large peony blossoms among foliage, all with delicately combed details below a line border, the exterior carved with a band of simplified petals that ends below the rim and above the neat foot ring, covered inside and out and on the base with a deep olive-green glaze. Provenance: The Tree Friends Studio Ltd, Chicago. Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above in 2000 (invoice not available). Dr. de Jong is a Dutch art historian and has been privately collecting Chinese art over decades. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts spanning from the Middle Ages to the modern era and published an extensive study of saddle rugs in Dragon & Horse. Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond. Between 1976 and 2009 he worked for numerous museums across the Netherlands and was director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch. Condition: Good condition with minor wear and firing flaws. One hairline across the rim, approx. 3.5 cm in length. Weight: 320.0 g Dimensions: Diameter 19.4 cm This beautiful bowl represents the peak of celadon production at the Yaozhou kilns. Both the elegance of its potting and the artistry of its decoration mark it as one of the finest Yaozhou wares. The outlines of the peony design on the interior of the bowl has been deeply cut with a slanting blade. This ensures that the edge of each element of the decoration has a considerable depth of clear green glaze next to it, shading to shallower glaze further from the motif. The effect is to give the overall design a bold, dichromatic, appearance. In contrast, the texture of both petals and leaves has been depicted using an especially fine combing device, to produce very delicately incised parallel lines. Literature comparison: Yutaka Mino, Ice and Green Clouds, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis 1987, no. 61, p. 158. Rose Kerr, Song Ceramics, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2004, no. 57 right, p. 60. G. Hasebe, Sekai toji zenshu 12 Song, Tokyo, 1977, p. 204, no. 196. McCord, Song Ceramics, 2003, p. 52, fig. 7. Auction result comparison: Compare with a very similar and only slightly larger bowl sold by Christie's New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 30 March 2005, lot 273, for USD $38,400. 耀州窯青釉印牡丹紋碗，北宋 中國，960-1127。碗內葉間巧妙暗印兩朵大牡丹花，細節精緻，碗外壁簡化帶狀紋路，青釉覆蓋至足部，足底露胎。 來源：芝加哥The Tree Friends Studio Ltd古玩。Drs. Koos de Jong 2000年購於上述古玩店 (無發票)。Drs. Koos de Jong是一位荷蘭藝術史學家，幾十年來他一直私人收藏中國藝術品。他撰寫了數百篇文章和幾本書，內容涉及從中世紀到現代的荷蘭美術和裝飾藝術。2013年，他在《Dragon & Horse：Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond》中發表了有關中國騎馬裝備的詳盡研究。1976年至2009年間，他曾在荷蘭的許多博物館工作，並曾擔任登博世歐洲陶瓷工作中心的主任。 品相：品相良好，輕微磨損與燒製瑕疵。邊沿一道髮絲綫裂縫，長約3.5 厘米。 重量：320.0 克 尺寸：直徑19.4 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一件極其相似的碗可見2005年3月30日紐約佳士得《中國陶瓷與工藝品》，拍號273，成交價USD $38,400。