Song-style glazed ceramic butterfly box with "yue"-type butterflies

Made of ceramic, with cold-carved decoration under a celadon-green 'yue'-type glaze. The glaze is concentrated in the recesses of the decoration and emphasizes it. The decoration is on the lid and depicts a pair of butterflies. The butterflies are enclosed in a circle with a string pattern and a border of clouds. The lid is circular and rests on an open-footed vessel. On the base there are marks from processing and firing in the kiln.

The name "越窑" Yueyao refers to the wares fired in the Yue kiln, which specialized in making celadon-hued glazed wares.

Provenance: European private collection.

Height: 4.5 cm; Diameter: 11.8 cm