China, 11th-12th century. Of bean shape, the concave top subtly sloped and carved through the layer of cream-white slip to the buff ground with a quatrefoil cartouche enclosing a ribbon-tied bouquet of two lotus flowers and a leaf. The white slip stopping short above the unglazed base, one side with a small circular aperture near the base.

Provenance: From the estate of Phillip Allen (1938-2022), who was a widely respected collector and expert of Chinese ceramics and works of art as well as a director of the Oriental Ceramic Society for many years. He co-authored and edited several exhibition catalogues for the OCS and was best known as the cataloguer of the Sir Victor Sassoon collection of Chinese ivories in the British Museum.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear and firing flaws, including pitting, glaze recesses, firing cracks. Few chips along the rim and the base, minor fritting along the edges, few losses, minute nibbles, few short hairlines. Old restoration to one small section along the rim.

Weight: 1,944 g
Dimensions: Width 26 cm, Height 12.5 cm

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related pillow illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, p. 195, no. 177.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 20 March 2015, lot 861
Price: USD 17,500 or approx. EUR 19,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Cizhou carved bean-shaped pillow, Song-Jin dynasty, 11th-12th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and similar floral sprig against the carved buff pottery. Note the similar size (27.5 cm).