Page 16 - Nov 2019 Christie's Hong Kong a Falancai Imperial Bowl.
P. 16

This beautiful imperial Kangxi bowl is extremely rare, not only for having   ᚺߝ⎑ᚉತⷀᙔ⁒卿எ㇦ྒྷែ⏥ࢷ⁒㱦⎉ヿ⎏   ⎉
           been decorated at the imperial ateliers, and for the choice of enamel   ᓒᚺប᨞ತ⡕༰  卿ᘘ㢙ᙻǶᙔ⁒Ƿ     ჺ✄   ឆ
           colours, but also for the choice of naturalistically painted lotuses as the
                                                                           㮰       எ‸    卿औजࣻ⩠ +  'POUFJO ࣿॕऱभ
           decorative motif.  These elegant lotuses encircle the exterior of the bowl
                                                                           ᖬ⎏ǶUnearthing China’s PastǷ㮰       எ    卻᯳
           like a handscroll.  Indeed, the way in which the stems of both flowers and
           leaves appear to grow from the base of the bowl is very reminiscent of the   ೥㯀厍    卼ǯ㘺ზ㢲㚁卻ݩ݉      ⯍      ჺ卼
           way in which lotuses are painted on some important Chinese handscrolls.    Ꮢה⎏Ƕ⎊⸥எǷ卻ވˏ卼卿ᛓᰪ᫋Ⴝ卻ݩ݉
           One such handscroll, in ink and light colour on paper, was excavated in
                                                                           ⯍      ჺஙׅ卼✄ࢦຽ㷥⳧ℳប᨞卻ݩ݉      ⯍
           1970 at Zhouxian in Shandong province from the tomb of a member of
                                                                                ჺ卼㩸ⷀԠ⁒ǯ໦ᇈज⬒ᝪ⡢ݣⶬल⎏▼ড়߾
           the early Ming dynasty royal family (illustrated by Shandong Provincial
           Museum, ⎉ᓒᚺប᨞ತ⡕༰ ‘Report of the excavation of the tomb of Zhu   मݩԖ卻⊂ࢳჺ⡙ἃݩ݉      ⯍      ჺ卿ᝪ▭ἃ
           Tan of the Ming dynasty’, Wenwu, 1972, no. 5, pp. 25-36, pls. 2-4; and J.   ሜᇷἍ卼⯠⻦卿୬ប᨞ತ⎉→⎏୨ზ⊺ԋ卿ݦ⩢㟊
           Fontein and Wu Tung, Unearthing China’s Past, Boston, 1973, pp. 235-7, fig.   Ǹ⎑ඁஎᝧǹࣇǯ᫉⊺ཌទᐽ৅⩧㈲ዪ⨒㞒ഌ卿୬
           133). The handscroll, entitled White Lotus, by Qian Xuan ( 㢲㚁 1235-1305)
                                                                           ἃ໦⊺႙༵༰卿㙄⸥ⴏӳ⎏ཎ߳Քൈ༰१→卿ྏᙻ
           (fig. 1) was found in the tomb of Zhu Tan, Prince Huang of Lu ( 㷥⳧ℳ
                                                                           ऱ㯸௛⊺הԋ⎏᚝ឆ༰׾卿⩧ទᐽ৅ங㘺Ջ⡿❥ӳ
           ប   ᨞   1370-1390) the tenth son of the Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368-1398).
           The painting is likely to have been in the famous collection of the Grand   ⎏⽔↚ऱ᧙⡿⤤ݣᇤǯ
           Princess of Lu (Princess Sengge Ragi of Lu ݩԖ▼ড়߾म c. 1283-1331, great-
           granddaughter of Khublai Khan), as her seal ‘Library of the Imperial Elder   औӬზ⏟㨸⎏ה৅ᛓᚺջ㪀᳇卻ݩ݉      ⯍
           Sister’ ( ⎑ඁஎᝧ ) appears on two of the four paintings found in Zhu Tan’s   ჺ卼⎏᭢ಳ㉑ⰰ⡮ទ⸥Ɽஎ卻ވ̕卼卿⊺།㯪㍃ᑨ
           tomb.  The painting is important in relation to the current bowl, since it is
                                                                           ⥾ᙻ⎅ࣆ卻ݩ݉      ჺ卼Ӯᝲ卿᫉⊺→ἃⱐ࠼ড়
           an early example of this natural configuration in lotus painting, and is also
                                                                           ⻱ワໝ㩴⻦卿㊄㇦  0SJFOUBM "SU 3FDFOUMZ "DRVJSFE
           an early example of the depiction of the tiny hairs on the surface of the lotus
           stems, which have similarly been painted in careful detail on the current   CZ "NFSJDBO .VTFVNT        எ  卿 ݥ ᙔ ⎉ ヿ ᙻ
           bowl.                                                           Ƕ$IJOFTF "SU 4PDJFUZ PG "NFSJDB "SDIJWFTǷ     ჺ
                                                                           ߒ⽚ 9ǯ⊺ԋ⸥Ɽ⯇὞༵༰卿⯝ទᐽ৅ൈ߅Ӭ㗂卿
           Another related handscroll in ink and colour on paper by the Ming dynasty
           artist Chen Chun ( 㪀᳇ , 1483–1544), entitled Flowering Lotus (fig. 2), and   ⩧⸥ⴏՔ۬㢲㚁⊺ה⯺჌߳ǯ
           dated by the artist’s inscription to the seventh month of the guimao year ( ⎅
           ࣆ AD 1543), is now in the collection of the Art Institute Chicago (illustrated   ֿஙᄮᾭᇙㅳ⇈⇶ᆭ≢ԋ卿㸓㇦⊺㰍༵༰⎏⸥⡠卿
           in ‘Oriental Art Recently Acquired by American Museums, 1955’, Chinese   ⏟㖅ԠӴ⁍ԕᝤἃ჎㇦ǯ࣊؝ൈ᫉卿ᄮᾭউ՞ս⸥
           Art Society of America Archives, X, 1956, fig. 6).  This handscroll also shares the
                                                                           ⡠׹ㅛ㱈㘺Ջձሗⳉஙⳉ⎏≢଍卿ݯ༰⯝ᇌӽཌձ
           naturalistic arrangement in the depiction of lotus seen on the current bowl,
                                                                           ⎏㉮܎ज㋵Ӷ㋳⩧भǯᄮᾭ㫍߅㕇ᶕᚉ卿ֿ⡵׹փ
           and, like the Qian Xuan scroll, also shares the details of the hairs on the lotus
           stems.                                                          ጝԋࣥᙔࢇ卿ӻໝ㱐≾צ卿ሻካዴൃὍӶ᳅ݰᙔ՞
                                                                           ዪ㑪ǯձཌ໬ᚺ↚ໝ㯄ዷ⯞㑪卿Ꮢսཌ⸥ⱤԠम▼
           However, naturalistically painted lotuses are very rare among the flowers
                                                                           ༡ዪ⯇⋁⪆ᾳ⬒㊄ǯᗌ㖊卿ᄮᾭᇙㅳঘ⸥㉼؝ᝳ୨
           included in the decoration of Kangxi enamelled yuzhi porcelains, and
                                                                           㲛ǯֿ㋏ࣿԋஇᙔໝटӳᝬ⮡ừ՞ऑ⎏ঘ⸥Ԡה卿
           peonies are a more frequent choice.  Nevertheless, it is entirely in keeping
           with what we know of the Kangxi Emperor that he should command   ،὞㲛ᓠॶᘹ㯎卻ݩ݉      ⯍      ჺ卼⎏Ƕዴ⸥
           that lotuses to be applied to such very personal ceramics.  Despite being a   ㊯Ƿ厍Ǹ᭢㪅ⳞណԠⱤ卿जዴ⩢≾⹭ǯᛤ㪃᳉ᚺℒ
           Manchu, the Kangxi Emperor was fascinated by Chinese culture; he was
                                                                           ዴⴵ厎⯇ឪ৿׹卿ӽ՞≾ዴ⁍ԕǯԽℒዴ⸥Ԡ߅Ჹ
           himself something of a scholar, and in many ways his tastes were influenced
                                                                           ᯵⩧Ӷ᠎卿Ṡ᳖ᶵ⩧Ӷൕ卿ԋ㘻ം⏜卿Ӷ⹇Ӷ៨卿
           by those of the Chinese literati.  He was drawn to Neo-Confucianism, and
           would have been well aware of the auspicious symbolism of lotuses. Four   㲞㙭⎽᳖卿՘՘ޤ᣿卿ज㙭㈊⩧Ӷजㆤ⅊ἼǯԽ㋵厍
           poems on the subject of lotuses, written by the Kangxi Emperor himself,   ⴵ卿ⱤԠ㪰㙐⩢Ԯ厎⁍ԕ卿ⱤԠ༛㏟⩢Ԯ厎⸥卿Ɽ
           are recorded.  However, the best known of all the Chinese literary references
                                                                           Ԡाຽ⩢Ԯǯଐ却ⴵԠዴ卿㪃ᇌ㸓ᝳ⪡ǯ⸥Ԡዴ卿
           to this flower is the work entitled On the Love of the Lotus (Ai lian shou ዴ⸥
                                                                           ऱԽ⩢׍՞厒⁍ԕԠዴ卿໺Ԣ␕⒕却ǹ
           ㊯ ) By Zhou Dunyi ( ॶᘹ㯎 1017-1073):
                                                                           㖅㋭ߣ⎏Ɽࢭ卿⸥Ɽ໌㵶᳖㙐卿ॶᘹ㯎ஙໃㅏリ㧿
              ‘Amongst the plants of water and land, there are many deserving of
              admiration.                                                  ᰑᵉ␖ཌ⸥⎏ዴጝԠካ卿ӻսܥ།Ǹाຽǹᆨ㎜㍞
              In the Jin dynasty Tao Yuanming particularly cherished chrysanthemums;   Ԡǯݯ༰卿ஙԋஇᙔໝटӳ卿ཌ⸥ⱤԠ㌡᪶㚍ज㘤
              Since the royal house of Li in the Tang dynasty people have been enamoured
                                                                           ᵒ⯍ᝤ᚝卿Ƕᤶ㗧Ƿԋ֎ᭆ㧿ᑋ㷆ਔ㉴Ꮢה⎏   ᑋ
              of peonies;
                                                                           㷆   ؝ᛓӬ׾卿᫉❩Ӭ㊯ᛓཱིࣥה卿Ӭ㊯ᛓᏇஇ
              But I especially love lotuses, for they emerge unsullied from the mud,
              They are bathed by clear water and yet are not voluptuous,   ᛞ໬ℱה卿 ᘘᙻℳ㙐ݩ݉Հӽ⡕Ƕᤶ㗧⛌ओǷ㉙

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