Page 89 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Eternal Music in Chinese art

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The xiao is a vertical end-blown flute, usually made of bamboo, but 簫瓷質，通施透明釉，胎體精實，作竹節形，吹孔鏤花，按孔六，出
also of other materials such as porcelain, jade, iron and bronze. 音孔二，底部四節刻根鬚，底孔鏤空錢紋，手感厚重，音色清亮，出
Porcelain, however, is the most difficult material from which to make 音準確。明末清初周亮工《閔山記》記載：「德化瓷簫笛，色瑩白，
xiao, due to its instability in the kiln which may cause inaccurate tones. 式亦精好，但累百枝，無一二合調者，遠出竹上。」德化瓷簫音準者
The present xiao is unusually well tuned as F#; slightly lower than a 百中無一，蓋因瓷工並非樂師，且瓷器在窯中膨脹收縮之後，模印的
modern xiao’s tone of G. 簫體往往走音變調，而無法再調。

Applying mould techniques, the form of Dehua blanc-de-Chine 得益于成熟的模印技術，德化瓷簫明代以降形制出入不大。可比較
porcelain xiao have subtle variations between the Ming dynasty to the 北京故宮藏一件明代德化簫，見《中國音樂文物大系北京卷》，鄭
early 20th Century. Compare with a Dehua xiao, Ming dynasty, in the 州，1999年，圖版5，,121；以及英國大維德基金藏一件十七世紀德
Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo yinyue wuwen daxi 化窯白瓷簫，見《Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections》
Beijing juan(Compendium of Chinese Musical Instruments: Beijing), ，東京，1982年，卷6，圖版199。還可比較倫敦蘇富比售出一件十
1999，p.121, pl.5; and a similar 17th century example in the Sir 七/十八世紀的類似德化瓷洞簫，2012年11月7日，拍品編號36；另
Percival David Foundation, British Museum, illustrated by M.Medley in 可比較一件十七世紀德化簫，2016年3月17售於佳士得紐約，拍品編
Oriental Ceramics: The World’s Great Collections , 1982, vol.6, pl.199. 號1183。

Compare also with a similar flute, 17th/18th century, which was sold at
Sotheby’s London, 7 November 2012, lot 36; and another flute, 17th
century, which was sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 2016, lot 1183.

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