Page 44 - Important Chiense Ceramics and Works of Art, Christie's.pdf

2908 Continued

This delicate set of cups is known as ‘month’ cups. Each cup is ࢦՀᝲռⱤ▵⎷ᎰഩࢦՀ։卿᫢ἃ㫙ᇑǯӬ⎷Ӭᝲ卿ᬔ⎷ߎ⥾
decorated with a different floral design representing the twelve ӶऱᝲռⱤࢭ卿Ԇ㚁㜩⏟፽৿㉼սᥓᝧ༵ᙻ⎷㕇卿Ԇⶔࣇ⛌⡠
months of the lunar calendar, complemented by a different ᙻݯӳ卿ཆ㉼ǮᝧǮ⊺Ǯࣇ⢙भӬ㵲卿֎ⲋࢦՀ㧷ݺ㮰卿ᑪ㗬
poem with relevance to the particular flower depicted, ending
with the seal reading shang (appreciation). Such intricate ᝃपᝲ卿ᬔᝲײ⊇Ӭ⎷卿ᥑݰ⅊㐃܎ٿ卿⩧Ꮀഩظໄ卿ߺᝤἃ
combination of painting, poem and seal on a porcelain surface Ӷᚿ卿ᘢ᳖໿⢴Ӳჺ卻 ჺ卼㪀ṺᏒⶬǶࡿ㪿ǷӬᝧ卿♑㍵ᝠ厍
makes these cups highly coveted items among generations of ǸᄮᾭࢦՀᝲⱤࢭ㜮⎷卿Ӭ⎷ӬⱤ卿ᝳ㬪ⱤǮᝳՆᆭ卿㐏஠≾⺧卿
connoisseurs. These cups are also prized for their remarkable 㠸ݦ⯇㖔ǯģģⲋ᪞ᴈभࢦՀᝲԠⱤ卿㊦ᎸᎸԢݯ㫙ǯ㬪Ɽ܎
workmanship, as each is so thinly potted that the cobalt blue ٿ卿ӻՔӶ≾⏟᎝Ԯǯǹ⋁ᛞǸႡ⩧Ꮀཌ卿Ꮅᇑ୨៦Ǯݪ៦⩢卿
decorations on the exterior can be seen through the eggshell
thin porcelain from the interior of the vessel. Ք㯄ἃ㫙ᇑǯ㘆ߺӬ៦ǮՀ៦ӻӶ⬒㖑㙘Ԡ⒕ǯǹ
There has been considerable debate among scholars regarding ໝ⊤Ӭ⏜ཌⱤ▵⎷ࣿࢦՀᝲռԠ㜩ཌໄᝳӶऱ㇦㈛卿׾ൈǸ᭢
which cup relates to which month. For example, there are մ⎷ǹ࣊ᝳྏ㗬ᝃࢦӬᎵࢦՀᝲԠ㊯厎ǸᢐⱤ⎷ǹՔᝳྏ᫈ᝲ
various views on whether the narcissus depicts the eleventh ᎵࢦՀᝲԠ㊯ǯទஎ㢙Ԡ㜩ཌ卿ᛓࣻᾅ⪐༾ᚸݎ⊂Ƕᚺ᳖≢଍
or twelfth lunar month, and whether the prunus depicts the 㦶໸Ƿ卻࢈՗卿 ჺ卿㮰 卼Ӭᝧ厎㲞ᳰԋᙔഌໝᙔ⁒㱦
first or twelfth lunar month. The current designation in this
catalogue is based on the groupings by Geng Baochang in Քஙݯ ჺǶ᳖≢ⵧⅧǷཿ㈇ԋᅸ⊇᫉㜩ཌ卻எ‸ ⽚卼ǯ
Ming Qing ciqi jianding, Beijing, 1993, p. 207. This designation Ɽ▵⎷Ꮢ⊇৿㉼ἃⱤڔ᯷㈛卿⸌୬᳖ᄮᾭႽ੧৿㉼卿ᙻᄮᾭ
was also adopted by the Art Gallery, the Chinese University
of Hong Kong, in its 1995 exhibition catalogue Qing Imperial ୨ࢦՀჺ ჺ 卿⩠ጳ⤔⦕৿㉼⥙㫀卿ᇌᙻ୨ࢦ୨ჺ
Porcelain of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Hong ჺ Ӳᝲ卿✄Ն᪖ࢶ႗⯍⼖႔ᛞ卿ཆԖᑥـᝧ⎏֌࡞Ւ⢪ᮅ༱
Kong, 1995, no. 21. ⥫㙁ᝨ༖卿ԆཆݤᄙᏒ⻦໋ᑾ໺Ƕ৿㉼ǷӬ㛑⎉Ӵ卿הἃᡉߒ
ᄓទǯऱჺՆᝲ卿⊐ᝨ༖Ԗᑥ卿ஙᔆ႔㧷཭ـᝧ卿⯍᪖ჺࢦᝲ卿
The poems inscribed on these month cups are all couplets
from Tang dynasty poems. It is known that the Kangxi Emperor ࣊⤔ᎰǶݥ৿㉼Ƿണӳ卿ᇑ㉼୨ⶃݨࢨԬ⎋㱛㲛卿޹ՀࢨՀ⎋
was an enthusiast of Tang poems, and ordered the compilation 㱛㉼།卿ݬ㈷ ࣍卿⏖㢙 ࣍ǯᄮᾭႽㇼἃԠהᄑǯ᫉ᛞ卿
th
of all recorded Tang poems in the 44 year of his reign (1705). Ԯቲᛓᜀᇪ㤯ᇙ⚨ᅐᄮᾭᛞឆ໶⚨῟㙁✄Ӳ㪖ᬀ卻 Ĝ
This project came into fruition under the leadership of the ჺ卼Ԡ⪻ਹ卻ࣻ㇦㪅ᚺⵖ厍Ǹ᳖ᄮᾭ໶⚨≢଍῟㙁ࣿ⏟㨸ਮ
official Cao Yin, when Quan Tangshu [A Complete Collection
of Tang Poems] was published in 1706, encompassing over 㯪ǹ卿㖊ᙻǶӳᱡࢷ⁒㱦⻦ᄮᾭ≢எ㢙Ƿ卿ӳᱡ卿 ჺ卿㮰
40,000 poems, including a foreword written by the Kangxi 999*卼ǯங᫉⫫ᜀӴ卿սᄮᾭ⎑Ⴝ੧ዴ⎏৿㉼ᎰἃࢦՀⱤ▵⎷
Emperor himself. Thus, it is likely that these delicate month ⎏Ԗ㯪卿࣊ஙካ↚Ԡԋǯ⩧㫇᫈ងԠᏒᯒ㇑ՆᆭࢦՀⱤ▵⎷⎏
cups, decorated with poems favoured by the Emperor, were ῟㙁卻ࣻ㇦Ƕᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦᳖ջᇙ⚨≢଍Ƿ࣍ӬӴݺ卿࢈՗卿
made during the later period of the Kangxi reign when Quan ჺ卿㮰 卿எ 卼卿սࣿ㫇᫈ǮԳ㪏ݦង⇈⇶ᆭ≢卿Քᓚ
Tangshu was published, intended to please and delight the Son
of Heaven. ⊇ऒ㉼ڔἃᙔໃ㯪ឬ卿ՔἃⱤ▵⎷৿㉼⣌ݱ᧘ᅴԠᅠ⦛ǯ
It is extremely rare to find a complete set of blue and white
Kangxi ‘month’ cups. As early as the late Qing dynasty, the
difficulty in compiling a full set of twelve cups was already
noted by the contemporaneous connoisseur Chen Liu, who
wrote in his book Taoya [Elegances of Ceramics] that “it used
to be rather uncommon to be able to find a pair, or four, or six of
these Kangxi month cups. Recently the chance is even slimmer
to find just one or two of them”.

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