Page 12 - Important Chiense Ceramics and Works of Art, Christie's.pdf

fig. 1 Excavated in 1998, from the Yuan hoard at Xingang Road, fig. 2 Collection of the Palace
Fanchang, Anhui province Museum, Beijing
எӬ ჺ໫ᇯ⥝ᚸ⥂ᙲᳰヲ㙣݉ջ⚙⻦߅க எՀ ࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅
2903 Continued

The present vase, with traces of a dragon visible on the ⻤㞏卿ἃ݉ջᜀᇪ㤯ࠛ῟⎏੷ⰰ㞏ᙲ৅♎卿ؠᓚ⊇㬪Ɽ㟨ᙠᙻ
porcelain surface, would have originally been decorated with 㵶ᵐӴ῟Ꮀǯ݉ջ⻤㞏଍ࢦߎ☮ཐ卿⏖߿ໄӽ݉ջ⻤㞏≢଍⡙
gilt, and is likely to be the only known example of a Yuan Հࢦ㱛։卿ݯԋࡺᑐ ჺ໫ᇯ⥝ᚸ⥂ᙲᳰヲ㙣݉ջ⚙⻦߅க
dynasty blue-glazed vessel decorated with a gilt dragon.
Monochromatic blue glaze was first developed in Jingdezhen ⻤㞏⮠≡卻ॲː卼ࣿ⻤㞏Ӳ㑷‐卻ࣻ㇦Ƕ݉≢ԠⅧǷ卿࢈՗ᙔ
during the Yuan dynasty, with less than twenty known extant ⁒߅‸▘卿 ჺ卿㮰 卼Ǯ ჺԋஇᯇ࢈⏥ظ໸Ⴊ᭦
pieces today. There are three types of Yuan blue-glazed ⵖ㒩ࢶཎໝᅤ❪႙஠߅க݉ջ⻤㞏ᓼ㞖㫡⶟⡠ࢋ卻ॲ̤卼卻ࣻ
vessels. The first type is undecorated and applied overall with ㇦Ƕᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦ᙔ⁒Ⅷ৅ഌ⡑ĜĜ㯭ⰰ㞏Ƿ卿㲞ᳰ卿
a monochromatic blue glaze, such as a pair of pear-shaped ჺ卿㮰 卿எ 卼Ǯ ჺ߅கᙻԋஇᮅ㇛⏥ᜀᇪ㤯Ⴊⅸ
vases unearthed from a Yuan-dynasty hoard in Xingang
Street, Fanchang County, Anhui province, illustrated in Yuanci ྒྷ࢈㾿㰍ᜀ㒩݉ջ㚃ໄ⻤㞏⎊䂆⸌⧉Ǯ⻤㞏⎊䂆⡠⓺⏁卻ࣻ㇦
zhi zhen, Beijing, 2009, pp. 77-78 (fig. 1). The second type is Ƕᜀᇪ㤯߅க݉ᚺ໶⚨≢଍Ƿ卿࢈՗ᙔ⁒߅‸▘卿 ჺ卿㮰
slip-decorated against a blue-glazed ground, such as a large 卿எ 卼✙৅㯸卿⊐ᛓज⒖݉ջ⻤㞏଍ᝳ⡩⻤㞏Ǯ⻤㞏
blue-glazed charger decorated in slip with a three-clawed ᓼ㞖卻㞖ᆭ卼ࣿ⻤㞏⎊ⱤӲٖ৅♎卿⩧ݯԋԆὍ⻤㞏㞖ᆭ䂆⡠
dragon motif, currently in the National Museum of Iran, ଍㯸卿ߺទᐽ৅ߺἃ݉ջ⻤㞏㞖ᆭ䂆⡠㯸໌৅卿⯝ᜀᇪ㤯㪃≢
exhibited in Splendors in Smalt: Art of Yuan Blue-and-white
Porcelain, Shanghai Museum, 2012, pl. 38. The third type is ⩠ऒⒺ♾ᏒᏒ⻦ ჺ߅கԠເ㪺⣔㞏㞖ᆭ䂆⡠⓺⏁⏟㯸卿ࣻ
gilt-decorated against a blue-glazed ground, like the present ㇦Ƕᜀᇪ㤯߅க݉ᚺ໶⚨≢଍Ƿ卿࢈՗ᙔ⁒߅‸▘卿 ჺ卿
vase. Two examples including a blue-glazed bowl decorated 㮰 卿எ 卿ἃ݉ջ㯭ⰰ㞏㞖ᆭᇙ⊇଍⎵ǯ
with a prunus branch in gilt on the exterior, and a drinking
vessel decorated on the interior with gilt cloud and leaf ᗌǶ݉ݱ⛌Ƿ࣍ՆࢦݨǸ㫓㙁ǹᢣ㉃㖊厍݉ӽ▭ሜᇷἍᙻ݉⛁
motifs, were excavated in Baoding, the latter is in the Palace இ᪖ჺ卿Ǹ⯍݉ݨჺ卻 ჺ卼୨ᝲՀࢦᚚ卿ᇙट⯓ᐂഠབ
Museum, Beijing, and illustrated in Monochrome Porcelain, ᝧ⏥ࠨճ卿᪩ഠ⪛᚜厍❥㊃իᇌ㋭՞卿ֿؠ≢଍ӳԆӶᇑ⊇ᓼ
The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, 㞖⊂᰻卿ᘰ⏥ㅏ㙝リᥫᙔ●ᙷ⩢ǯ᪩᫉ǯǹ୬䇚݉ߝ࣊●᫇ᙻ
Hong Kong, 1999, no. 62 (fig. 2). However, no other example
decorated with a gilt dragon appears to have been published, ≢଍ӳ⥾㞖ᆭ⡠㱈卿⩧ײᇑիᚚ⻤㞏㞖ᆭ≢଍ࢦߎ⎏☮ཐǯ᠝
and it is very likely that the present vase is a unique example. 敚⏖߿ݩ☆ⶬ㢙Ԡ݉ջ⻤㞏㞖ᆭ≢଍卿ۣᝳ໫ᇯᫀ⥂ࢷ⁒㱦⻦
ჺᫀ⥂݉ջ⚙⻦⻤㞏㞖ᆭ ⎷Ǯ᱆ᮅឿ႔Ⴊ⩠ऒᏒ⻦
According to Yuan Dianzhang (Compendium of Statutes and
Sub-statutes of Yuan), published during the reign of Yuan ჺឿ႔Ⴊ߅க⻤㞏㞖ᆭ ⎷पӬ։Ǯᯇ࢈⏥ࢷ⁒㱦⻦ ჺظ
Emperor Yingzong (1322-1323), Kublai Khan, upon establishing ໸Ⴊ߅க⻤㞏㞖ᆭᢐⱤ⡠⎾卻ࣻ㇦⶟מ⼵ⶬǶ݉ջ≢଍Ƿ卿Ԭ
the Yuan Empire, decreed in 1271 that ‘from this day onwards, ᰲஎᝧ߅‸▘卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿எ 卼卿սࣿ߿㘚࢈՗
no ceramics should be decorated with gold’. This explains why ᘢ༈Ꮢ⻦⻤㞏ᓼ㞖㫡⶟⡠ࢋݬ୨։卿⩧ទᐽ৅ӶۣᎰ䇚⏖߿Ꮢ
gilt-decorated blue vessels from the Yuan period are so rare.
⒖⎏✄Ն։⻤㞏㞖ᆭ≢଍卿⩧ӻἃஇ㪡Ⴊౚӳ਒ӬӬ։जս᱁
Another historical document further illuminates why there 㘻Ԡ݉ջ⻤㞏㞖ᆭ଍⁒ǯ
are so few blue-glazed vessels decorated with dragon motifs.
According to Yuan Shi (History of Yuan), compiled during the औǶ݉टg࣍Ӯࢦݨg㖵᝷ӬǷࣽ㉃卿Ǹգ໵ᅠ▧݉ჺ卻 ჺ卼
reign of the Ming Emperor Hongwu (1368-1398), the Yuan ސࢦᝳՀᝲ卿໸᝷ⰰ✙✄卿㉭ᝠ厍Ǻᬘჺս׹卿Ꮢங೥ᭆ卿㬶
Emperor Renzong issued an edict in 1314 decreeing that 㿃⏟བ卿ཉࢲ᳋Ნ卿܄◶㏦㏏卿᝾ᏒӶइǯ㏟㐉ᝳ⛌卿⎽ᚺஇ
‘commoners must not wear clothes decorated with dragons or ߰卿ܝയԋ❥卿ज㩃ᭆ㏏ǯǻউԋᝧ⏥໸⛁᝷ⰰ✙✄ᙻᇌǯӬ卿
phoenix, dragons meaning those with two horns and five claws’.
Hence from 1314 onwards, the dragon motif was officially ⷡऒ՞Ӷங●㩨卿ࣿ㇦⋁ቃ⺼㋭ⰰ՞✙卿ՔӶங●㩨卿ዂӶ㉓
recognised as an Imperial symbol, reserved exclusively for the ᝷䂆㺨ᙔǯ䂆㋵Ն‣Հ㈍⩢ǯǹߺ݉ջ⻤㞏଍ԋ⎏䂆⡠卿Ꮀἃ
Yuan royalty. This accounts for the rarity of gilt dragons on ᇙ⊇Ԡ᧐㊗卿Ὅ᫉⡠㱈ߺἃᭆ⊇卿ൈ߿㘚 ჺ໫ᇯ⥝ᚸ⥂݉
Yuan-dynasty porcelains, and is also indicative that the present ջ⚙⻦߅க⻤㞏଍࣊ᛓǯ⩧ᜀᇪ㤯 ჺ㫀ԋ߅க⎏݉ջ≢଍
vase was very likely to be made for Imperial use.
㚃ໄ卿ߺἃ݉ջ༈ᅡᇙ⊇଍⎵ǯទᐽ৅Ꮢᙼ⎏⻤㞏㞖ᆭ䂆⡠卿
ヿᚺݯἃ݉ջᇙ⊇৅㯸卿ӻត㇦ऱ㯸଍⁒⎉ヿ卿Ⅷⲋᑕ∣ǯ
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