Page 15 - Nov 2019 Christie's Hong Kong a Falancai Imperial Bowl.

fig. 2 Chen Chun, Flowering Lotus, handscroll, ink and colour on paper, 1543
The Art Institute of Chicago
எՀ 㪀᳇ Ƕ⸥ⱤஎǷ ⡮ទ ㉑ⰰ
ⱐ࠼ড়⻱ワໝ㩴⻦৅

Cassius’, developed by Andreas Cassius of Leyden in about 1650. The Chinese ࢇ㠇⎊ᆭ᳋भ⩧Ꮀ厎⩧ࢮ㘲ᚺ⎏㸓⡻卻㇦ᙻទᐽ৅
enamel has a significantly lower gold content than the European colour, and ⎏㘆ַ׾卼卿ߺᛓཆ⡚⅘∇⟾ថ⯝㘲ᚺ⻤ᆭᖄभ⎏
it does not appear to have been made in the same way as the European ‘Purple
⢙៧ǯٿᇑӬᓽ⎏ᛓ卿ݥᙲ⎏Ӷ㘲ᚺ⎊ᆭᓚ⊇⎏ᛓ
of Cassius’. The Chinese enamel also has a much lower tin content and was
ⓕ㝍㠇卿⩧㬳᪹ᰲ⎏᭘ࢇ㢻厎ᙲ⎏Ӷ㘲ᚺ㿩ᆭߺᛓ
made by making a ruby glass and then grinding this up as a pigment to be
dispersed in the clear enamel. The advantages of the Chinese method, which ⊇㢻㝍㠇१ⰰ卿⩧㬳᪹ᰲ⨶⊇Ԡ㡗ǯपⰰ⯝⎊ᆭ᳋
was well known among glass makers, was that it was less expensive - in that भᇌ卿जᇑ߅᳅᳍ᝳ⯎⎏⟾ᆭ卿Ꮅज⋁הᙼᆭ卻ൈ
it used less gold - and it was also easier to achieve an even coloration within
⟾⡚Ꮅ㿩卼⎏ᄓⰰ卿սᳳ᠎ݏᆴᚺᜡǯӳ㘚Ӳ♎ᙲ
the enamel, allowing for a much more fluent painting style.
ᆭكⒺ⎉ᙻᄮᾭᇌឆ卿ӻ჎㇦ᙻ⋁ᛞ⎏ᇙ≢卿ֿ㩶
An opaque pink was achieved by mixing this ground-up ruby glass with ᫉Ԡം卿ទᐽ৅ࣿݯ㘆ַ׾བ⠦भԻӬᐬᄂ⻤ǯ㫍
lead arsenic white, and the translucent bright purple, seen on some other
὞ᄮᾭងࠛ῟⻤ᆭ⎏ჺջ⊶᚝卿ֿ㘺♎᳖㿃⎏⇈⇶
porcelains from the same group as the current bowl, was created by adding
ground-up ruby glass to a clear blue enamel. It is also significant that the ᆭ㇝ߪᄮᾭᇌឆං⯍⯔໭⧻ǯᄮᾭႽⲌᇵ໌㉸ۍ⊂
new white opaque enamel pigment was lead arsenate, rather than the tin ទக⎏⊺⇈⇶଍⁒卿㈊Ԣ᫉⎾ࣿݯ༯༯ᙇ։㘆ַ
oxide used in Europe, and the new opaque yellow owed its colour to lead-
׾卿⋁ज㇬Ԡἃ᳖༈ጻ㏫࠻ᎰԿ㙖Ԡ㞑☶┐ǯ᫉㯸
stannate, rather than antimony. The white enamel allowed mixing to create
଍⁒⢞㬳Ӭᅴഅ։厎⏟ं卿ᬔ଍⎐ᛓℒӬὍՀ⎏໌
pastel shades and also could be used to form a base colour onto which other
colours, such as pink or yellow could be applied to suggest shading. All three ৅卿࣊؝㜩ཌ⩢⎏⡠᧙Ք㬳ᾅᕈὍ㊩卿⩧ᛓ⏟㖓⏟
of these new colours were developed and used on fine imperial wares in the ᎰԠהǯ
latter part of the Kangxi reign, and it is noteworthy that the decoration on
this bowl, and others from the group, also includes a beautifully intense blue
ទ໋१℣⎏⢞൘ᄮᾭ⎾⧎㏟Ԡ⯍卿Ӭᙹ㬷ᛓ୬ἃݯ
enamel. Blue enamel was developed a little earlier in the Kangxi reign, but
⡠㱈߅ᙻ༈ᅡႛࢎԠᏛ卿ӻᏒ⊇⇈⇶ᆭ㋭ⰰ⡰१卿
it was not until later in the reign that this clear bright blue was perfected. It
is tempting to see the current bowl, and the small number of other vessels in औӬᙹ㬷Քज᫔࠻ᙻݯ⊂࡚༵༰⎏⸥⡠⊺႙ǯ᫉⎾
this group, as an imperial celebration of the success of the Kangxi Emperor’s ⎏⸥Ɽ㰍න⣯⡙卿ᚅ⩧㈊Ԡ卿໹ⲋ⊺࣍ᇍᇍཿ㧷ǯ
determination to achieve Chinese painted enamelled wares of the highest
ݯ༰卿㘺♎Ɽ⶟ᇖ㑷ᄓᑄ஠⩧㑌⎏ᡟ཭卿⯝ⲋჸल
standard. These were not porcelains produced in multiples. Each was an
individual work of art, and when a pair of vessels was made, their decoration ⊺ԋ⎏ᦔஎ㯄ݰ⊿ᝢऱ႙Ԡ൘ǯݯԋӬ׾ᛓ
was not identical, but was complementary. ჺྒྷែ⏥㛵⥂߅க⎏Ӭზ᭢ಳᲶᆭ⡮ទᏛ࣍卿᫉ԛ

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