AN AGATE BOWL, SONG DYNASTY, CHINA, 960-1279
Finely carved, the shallow rounded sides raised on a thick foot and rising to an everted rim, the luminous translucent stone is superbly polished and shows natural swirls and ripples of pale grey to deep honey tones with scattered dark inclusions. With a magnificent surface polish, rendering an unctuous feel to the surface overall.


Provenance:
From the personal collection of J. J. Lally, New York, USA. With two labels from J. J. Lally, each inscribed with the number ‘4154’. James J. Lally is a renowned antique dealer and expert, recognized as one of the greatest scholar-dealers of Chinese art, who has been a leader in the field for more than 40 years. After graduating from Harvard College and Columbia University, Lally joined Sotheby’s where he held many positions within the Chinese art department. In 1970 he served as the director of Chinese works of art at Sotheby’s in New York and Hong Kong, and by 1983 was named president of Sotheby’s in North America. In 1986 he founded his namesake gallery, J. J. Lally & Co., at 41 East 57th Street in New York - just a few blocks away from the MoMA, to provide advisory services for keen collectors. Lally fondly recalls the moment, not long after he opened his gallery, when a young man walked through the door with a Shang Dynasty gong-a bronze vessel shaped like a gravy boat-decorated with a dragon and tiger and in beautiful condition. It was, Lally described, “one of the most important objects I ever had in my hands.” The young man said he had inherited it from his father and was not really interested in Chinese art himself. He wanted to buy a sailboat and wondered if the gong was valuable enough to pay for that. “I was very happy to tell him that it was valuable enough to buy two sailboats,” Lally noted. The gallery helped to establish New York as a major center of commerce for Chinese art and allowed Lally to concentrate on his own specific interests, particularly early ceramics, ritual bronze vessels, archaic jade carvings and sculpture. Lally brought a learned approach to his work, publishing detailed, scholarly catalogs that have remained important reference guides within the field. This meticulous approach continued when he produced his own exhibitions and catalogs. Giuseppe Eskenazi, dubbed the “Godfather of Chinese Antiques,” and one of the world’s most esteemed Chinese art dealers, also spoke highly of Lally for his achievements in the industry, alongside William Chak from Hong Kong, and the Marchant family from London. In the spring of 2023, Christie’s and Bonhams conducted single owner sales of Lally’s collection which broke several auction records.

Condition:
Superb condition with expected old wear, few small areas with inclusions along the foot and rim which have been slightly smoothened.

Weight: 127.3 g
Dimensions: Diameter 9.8 cm

With a padded silk box and cover. (2)


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related bowl of similar color, dated to the Southern Song period, 9.5 cm diameter, in the collection of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number B60J6. Compare a related bowl of similar form, dated to the Song dynasty (960-1279), 17.8 cm diameter, in the collection of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number B60J159.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 March 2015, lot 597
Price: GBP 13,750 or approx.
EUR 15,500
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Pale Grey Agate Flower-Form Bowl, China, Possibly Southern Song Dynasty
Expert remark: Note the size (12 cm diameter).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 3141
Price: HKD 150,000 or approx.
EUR 21,000
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Agate Oval Stem Dish, Song Dynasty (960-1279)
Expert remark: Note the size (15.7 cm).





宋代瑪瑙碗


天然瑪瑙製成，盞身光素，敞口 ，直圈足，乳白色的底色。半透明瑪瑙經過拋光精良，呈現出淺灰色至深蜜色調的自然漩渦和波紋，深色內沁，表面光滑瑩潤。


來源：
紐約 J. J. Lally私人收藏，J. J. Lally留下兩個標籤，上面都寫著 ‘4154’。James J. Lally是一位著名的古董商和專家，被公認為中國藝術最偉大的儒商之一。四十多年來，他一直是該領域的領導者。從哈佛大學和哥倫比亞大學畢業後，Lally加入蘇富比中國藝術部門並擔任多個職位。1970年，他擔任紐約和香港蘇富比中國藝術品總監，並於1983年被任命為蘇富比北美區總裁。1986 年，他在紐約東 57 街 41 號（距現代藝術博物館僅幾個街區）創立了同名畫廊 J. J. Lally & Co.，為收藏家提供諮詢服務。Lally深情地回憶起藝廊開張不久，一位年輕人拿著商代銅器（刻有龍虎圖案的青銅器皿，狀態良好）走進門的那一刻。“這是我手中最重要的物品之一。” 這位年輕人說，他是從父親那裡繼承的，他自己對中國藝術並不真正感興趣。 他想買一艘帆船，不知道這銅器是否值錢。”我很高興告訴他，它的價值足以購買兩艘帆船，” Lally告訴他。該藝廊幫助紐約成為中國藝術的主要商業中心，並使Lally能夠專注於自己的興趣，特別是早期陶瓷、青銅禮器、古代玉雕和造像。Lally為出版了詳細的學術目錄，這些目錄至今仍然是該領域的重要參考，他被譽為“中國古董教父”。全球最受尊敬的中國藝術品經銷商之一的Giuseppe Eskenazi 與香港的 William Chak 和倫敦的 3月ant 家族一樣，也高度評價了 Lally的成就。2023年春季，佳士得和邦瀚斯對拉利的藏品進行了拍賣，打破了多項拍賣記錄。

品相：
狀況極好，有磨損，足部和邊緣有一些小區域有內沁，已稍微平滑。

重量：127.3 克
尺寸：直徑 9.8 釐米

內襯絲綢蓋盒 (2)


文獻比較：

比較一件非常相近的南宋瑪瑙碗，直徑9.5 釐米，收藏於舊金山亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號B60J6。比較一件相近的宋代瑪瑙碗有相似的外形，直徑17.8 釐米，收藏於舊金山亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號B60J159。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2015年3月19日，lot 597
價格：GBP 13,750（相當於今日
EUR 15,500
）
描述：可能為南宋瑪瑙花口盌
專家評論：請注意尺寸 (12 釐米 直徑)。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2017年5月31日，lot 3141
價格：HKD 150,000（相當於今日
EUR 21,000
）
描述：宋瑪瑙橢圓形高足盤
專家評論：請注意尺寸 (15.7 釐米)。