Page 16 - Important Chiense Ceramics and Works of Art, Christie's.pdf

PROPERTY FROM A JAPANESE FAMILY COLLECTION
2904
A FINE BLUE AND WHITE ‘GRAPES’ CHARGER ᒞ᥊ហ 㤎⩈⮚⭌♄ᇽᦶ↲
YONGLE PERIOD (1403-1425)
⏎ᐙᯒ卿᳍ᆄ⭬卿⏎ᇵ㫐஄ݤ⥾Ӳិᐙ៨ⶶ⵨⡠卿ݤǮം೅
The dish is painted in rich vivid tones of cobalt blue with ⡠㱈⏟ⲋ卿प⥾⦞៨⸥ⱤǮྒྷⳍǮ⎋भǮ⡻ⱹǮⴵⱤǮ᦯
three branches of grapes suspended from slender vines bearing
ຽǮ⁡⁇ⱤǮ㬦ⱐ✙ӶऱⱤࢭ卿ᐙᯒ㱈ᱡ᭢⡠卿⏎ᄓὍ㞏ǯ
coiled tendrils and broad leaves, surrounded on the cavetto by
a composite floral scroll comprising lotus, camellia, lily, aster,
ϝᬝ
chrysanthemum, gardenia, morning glory and lingzhi on an
೭ԋ཰卿ែ՗
undulating leafy stem. The design is repeated on the exterior, the
slightly sloping everted rim decorated with a border of breaking ᚚទ☆՞ᘘ⻦卿ݣ⻦ᙻ ჺջ
waves, the base is unglazed. ᚺջߝឆ⎏ᇙㅳ⻱ワ৅ᇁᇁ჌ᝳḼ㶸⎏֗ᙱ⼵Ꮅ㇛ఓ㰍ᡟ卿᫉
15 in. (38 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box ։᭦ᦼ㬪Ɽ⏎ӳ⎏ⶶ⵨⡠؝ᛓ⢞צ⎏׾㌴ǯ⏟۔ⶶ⵨ᛓᶴ᫋Ⴝ
HK$3,500,000-5,500,000 US$450,000-700,000 ᛞ卿㇛ఓ⁞ײᆌ㴖ᙻݩ݉߿ ჺ୪ងᛞᅸ㙊⎏ԋՌഞⱤ⊿ⳞԠ
Ӭ卿ᛞ⯍৿ջ卿ⶶ⵨ංᎰἃ㞇㜮Ԡឬǯⶶ⵨⡠㸓㇦ᙻ᚝ឆԋஇ
PROVENANCE ⻱ワ৅ӳ卿ᙻ৿ջᚚ㑮᱁リ卿׾ൈ㠩㥚ӳ჎㇦⎏ᱡ℡ⶶ⵨⡠ǯ
Kochukyo, Toyko ֿ⏜⯍ࢦՆӽ⡕ߝ卿ⶶ⵨⡠ංங≢଍ӳഌリݯ㙣卿Ꮀἃ⋁ᛞᇑ
A Japanese private collection, acquired in the 1980s
ռ⎏㬪Ɽ⡠㱈ǯ
Early Ming Imperial porcelains often show strong influences
from Islamic or Central Asian cultures. The current ‘grapes’ ⏟ऱ⡠㱈ֿཨ༿ӶӬ⎏᭦ᦼ⏎जࣻ⩠Ӭ։ӳᱡࢷ⁒㱦⻦৅卿
dish is an excellent example. Grapes are among the plants that ㇦Ƕ㬪Ɽ≢଍ཿ厍ӳᱡࢷ⁒㱦Ꮢ⻦Ƿ卿ӳᱡ卿 ჺ卿⤔
are recorded as having been brought to China from Central ⽚ 厎Ӭἃ(VTUBW 7* "EPMG⯠⻦卿→⻦ᙻᙱᇪড়‰ᕳែᙹࢷ
Asia by Zhang Qian, a returning envoy of Emperor Wu in 128 ⁒㱦卿㇦Ƕ0SJFOUBM $FSBNJDT ,PEBOTIB TFSJFTǷ卿✄ ݺ卿ែ
BC, and many different varieties of grape were grown in China
by the early 15th century. Records show that both green and ՗卿 ჺ卿⤔⽚ 厎Ӭ։⻦ᙻഌⲖࢷ⁒㱦ഌ⣠ᇪఫ㞖ᝯⅧ
black grapes were grown by the beginning of the 6th century. ⻦卿㇦Ƕ*MMVTUSBUFE $BUBMPHVF PG 6OEFSHMB[F #MVF BOE $PQQFS 3FE
Grapes rarely appear as decoration on Chinese art objects of %FDPSBUFE 1PSDFMBJOTǷ卿㮰 卿⤔⽚ 厎Ӭ։⻦ᙻᏤႫࢽᬘ
the early period, but became a more popular motif in the Tang ࢷ⁒㱦卿֗ᙱீై卿㇦Ƕ$IJOFTF $FSBNJDT JO UIF 5PQLBQJ 4BSBZ
dynasty, when, again under Western influences, they were .VTFVN *TUBOCVM ** :VBO BOE .JOH %ZOBTUZ 1PSDFMBJOTǷ卿ٳ
used regularly, for example, as part of the ubiquitous ‘lion and
grape’ motif on bronze mirrors. It was in the early 15th century ᘹ卿 ჺ卿⤔⽚ 厎औՆ։ἃ֗ក㩛ᇪᬘ‰ཀ⻦৅卿→⻦
that grapes became a really popular motif on porcelains ֗កऒջࢷ⁒㱦卿㇦+ " 1PQFⶬǶ$IJOFTF 1PSDFMBJOT GSPN UIF
decorated in underglaze cobalt blue. "SEFCJM 4ISJOFǷ卿ٳᘹ卿 ჺ卿⤔⽚ ǯ
Similar examples include one in the Exhibition of Blue and
White Wares, Shanghai Museum, 1998, catalogue no. 24; a
dish formerly in the Gustav VI Adolf Collection, and now in
the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, illustrated
in Oriental Ceramics, Kodansha series, vol. 9, Tokyo, 1976, pl.
216; an example in the Percival David Foundation, London,
in Illustrated Catalogue of Underglaze Blue and Copper Red
Decorated Porcelains, London, 2004, pp. 27-28, no. 685; one in
the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul, is illustrated in Chinese Ceramics
in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul-II -Yuan and Ming
Dynasty Porcelains, London, 1986, p. 514, no. 606; and five
dishes of this type, preserved in the collection of the Ardebil
Shrine, now in the Iran Bastan Museum, Tehran, illustrated in
J.A. Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, London,
1981, p. 38, nos. 29.50-54.

base
ᄓ㛑
14