Until 1st May, 2026
Buy it now
A LONGQUAN CELADON ‘TWIN FISH’ DISH, SOUTHERN SONG TO YUAN DYNASTY
Lot 957 - AK0126
China, 13th-14th century. The exterior of the deep rounded sides carved with a band of petals rising from the foot to the flat everted rim. The interior decorated in the center with two molded fish, covered overall with a glaze of sea-green tone except for the foot. One fish reveals the buff ware burnt reddish-brown in the firing underneath the glaze.
Provenance: From a private collection in Berkshire, United Kingdom.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear and firing flaws, warped, the rim with a distinct spur mark and associated glaze losses, a section of the foot rim lost.
Weight: 231.2 g
Dimensions: Diameter 13.6 cm (at the widest points)
Paired fish symbolize fertility and connubial bliss, and they are also one of the Eight Buddhist symbols. Dishes of this type, known as ‘twin fish’ dishes, were popular products of the Longquan kilns during the late Southern Song to early Ming period.
Literature comparison: Similar Longquan celadon ‘twin fish’ dishes were recovered from the cargo of a trading vessel that sank off the coast of Sinan, South Korea, in the 1320s, and were included in the Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics Found off the Sinan Coast, National Museum of Korea, Seoul, 1977, pl. 28. Other examples are in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in Illustrated Catalogue of Sung Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Lung-chu'n Ware, Ko Ware and other Wares, Taipei, 1974, pl. 26, and in the Percival David Foundation, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Celadon Wares, rev. ed., London, 1997, p. 27, no. 265.
Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related dish at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 30 March 2005, lot 318, sold for USD 11,400.
Please note that additional images and detailed information are available only upon request for lots with a starting price of 500 Euros or above in our Discovery Auctions.
If there are any existing additional images of this item, you can find them on this tab. You must be logged into your personal Zacke account to see the images. Click on an image to zoom or save.
Log in or sign up to view the natural light images.
Click here to request more information on this lot.
How to Buy Online
You must log in or create an online account in order to buy items from the shop.
Click the red 'Buy it Now' button to buy this item. You will then be able to download your invoice and receive instructions about how to pay. Prices include Buyer's Premium.
If you would like to buy multiple items at the same time, add the items you want to your cart. You will then be able to check out with multiple items simultaneously.
Items in your cart are not reserved. Please complete the purchase process promptly to secure the items.
How to Buy Offline
If you would like to buy one of these items outside of the online shop, please contact us at office@zacke.at or +43 (1) 532 04 52.
Our Terms and Conditions
As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our auctions fair and transparent, we encourage you to read our terms and conditions thoroughly. We urge you to read through §34-50) to ensure you understand them. These terms are specifically designed to protect all serious and committed buyers from bidding against non-payers who attempt to inflate prices without the intent of paying their auction bills.
For further reading about non-payers at auction, go here: https://www.zacke.at/aboutnonpayers/.
The main points include the following:
- Bidders must complete their due diligence and clarify all questions about the objects before the auction. After the auction, Zacke will not answer questions from bidders unless the purchase price has been paid in full. Of course, this does not apply to questions concerning shipping, insurance, customs, etc.
- A sale cancellation of any kind after the fall of the hammer is not possible. The only exception to this fundamental rule is our guarantee of authenticity [the Guarantee].
- A Guarantee Claim, however, can only be raised after the purchase price has been paid in full by the buyer and within 45 days after the auction day.
If you have any questions about our policies, please get in touch with us at office@zacke.at.
By placing a bid, you agree to our Terms of Auction and Terms and Conditions.
