Page 19 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

PEERLESS PORCELAIN –

A SUPERB XUANDE STEM CUP

Rosemary Scott
Senior International Academic Consultant Asian Art

When the Qianlong Emperor (1736-95) wanted to bestow extravagant ΐᵁ㑗࿘䣀ᒝೢ࿍
praise on Qing dynasty porcelains he compared them to the wares of the
Ming dynasty Xuande and Chenghua reigns, since these were recognised 㕲⼲☽˕㮽♃㭙㉚↚
as the twin pinnacles of achievement in imperial porcelain production.
Indeed, even in the Ming dynasty itself the Chenghua reign was praised for ⳹ἯῚ
its polychrome wares, while the Xuande reign was especially admired for ̯ᨕⳔ⻒㒴㇔᪨४㢄ೀ⻒㧣ࠑ
its underglaze-decorated wares. Looking at the perfection of the current
Xuande stem cup it is easy to see why this should be so. The potting of the
vessel is faultless, producing a beautifully balanced profile. The well-refined
Գ㪏⎑Ⴝ ݩ݉ ⯍ ჺ ⊐ㄌ㍵ુ᳖≢
materials from which the body, glaze and decoration are created allow the
צהᛞ卿ᬔᬔ჎ཆԠࣇᾅᚺջ໿ᇪǮᎰࢇ≢଍卿
potter to contrast the rich red of the fish with the expanses of pure white
porcelain to great effect. The decorative elements themselves are not only ⎐୬໿ᎰՀងԛᇙ≢῟㙁टӳݦٖݩ㊘⎏᧐⛠ǯ
ideally positioned and applied, but have been skilfully fired to achieve an ༰ߺ᚝ᙻᚺջ卿Ꮀ⚨Նᆭ≢Ⴁलᔆ഍Ӵ卿⩧໿ᇪ
ideal depth of colour. ᝬἃ՞♑㮹⎏ߺᛓ㞏Ӵ㬪Ɽǯᛓ᪖ᐽ㐈⎏໿ᇪ
㵶㑷⎷৅⏟໭⧻卿㈊Ԡ⋁ᝯᚺ⎊໿≢⢞㬳᱖ᇑ⽗
The extraordinary quality seen on Xuande imperial porcelains may, to
लǯ᫉⎷㙁௛Ὅ፼जᖿ卿ᬘ׾㫅㪿ক㋞ǯ໦⎏⫭
a significant extent, be a reflection of the emperor’s own interest in the
porcelain produced for his court. The consistent beauty of the porcelains 㐏Ǯ㞏ᙠক⡠㱈⎐⊇ᙠӳԧ卿ײ㪃႙ᇑᇵ፽Ꮫ卿
from this reign was due in part to the fact that the Xuande Emperor ⊇ᬂ⡚⎏㷚⡠׹ᛇ㇏⇰⎊஠ຽ卿ᘤ៧㸓ᚺՙ㿃ǯ
insisted on strict quality control. Indeed, the reason that we have such ⎷㕇⡠㱈⎏ׁ཭Քᚺሐ⋓កǮ⊂࡚۔▵卿ӻ⚨῟
rich archaeological finds from the Xuande strata at the imperial kilns at
ỉ٣ᑣᒜ⠢ᴽ卿୬᫉ⰰᆭ⎏ḼᲶ᳅᳍ὍӶቲߪൃ
Jingdezhen, is because if a piece failed to satisfy the rigorous criteria for
⽔ǯ
acceptance by court officials, it was deliberately smashed and the broken
pieces were thrown into a waste pit. According to the Fuliang Xian Zhi ໿≢᭢ᴽഞצ卿ᇈഌ☶ᄟӳᎵ፽᫔࠻ᙻ⎑ӳཌᇙ
( ᱙ᢌ⥂ሂ Fuliang County Gazetteer) it was in the Xuande Emperor’s
≢Ԡ㨸᯷ǯ⋁ᛞצהൈ㫡卿⯝໿ᇪ⎑Ⴝཌ㐏㞔㇝
reign that officials were first sent to Raozhou to supervise the production
୍᭯ⲂӶὍ㨸ؠǯㅳ৅☸ᝳӶ⛾ងᅡ⎏୍ᡟ㇝
of imperial porcelains. Unusually, orders were issued for imperial
᭯卿ӬᇋⓖᬈᢾԠᙻᅒ≢శ卿Ꮢսᜀᇪ㤯ᇙ⚨໿
porcelain from the first year of his reign. Traditionally a new emperor
suspended building projects and the firing of imperial ceramics as part ᇪ≢ྉ⎏⩠ऒ⎉→Ꮭᝯൈ᫉ज㈊ǯᗌǶ᱙ᢌ⥂
of the mourning rituals, but the Xuande emperor does not seem to have ሂǷ㉃㖊卿໿ᇪჺ㧿ងᅡ㲛᪖᰾໶৘㑊㲋႔⏍㙁
observed this custom, even though he was officially still in mourning for ᇙ≢ǯ߅Ԣዪᙠ⎏ᛓ卿⎑ӳᙻ໿ᇪ݉ჺᝪ㮿ׁӬ
both his father, the Hongxi Emperor ᰪᾭ r. 1425, and his grandfather, the
㙣㨸ᙻ῟㙁ᇙ≢⎏⪛᚜ǯ،ᾅ۔⢴⎏ੳⷀ◶ܔ卿
Yongle Emperor ᭦ᦼ r. 1402-1424. The Ming Xuanzong Shilu ( ᚺ໿໵
ᙲႽથׅᇌ㯔Ӭჺݤ卿Ῡ㙁Կ࡞⯝ᇙ≢῟㙁Ӭᥙ
༰㢙 Veritable Records of the Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty –
ږ᪱卿Ꮢս⎑ӳ᫉⯟ַԢᝳ㙥▭׾卿୬ձ⋁ᛞ
Ming Xuanzong ᚺ໿໵ was the Xuande Emperor’s temple name) states
th
that in the 9 month of the last year of his father’s reign (first year of his խஙἃݯ‪ᰪᾭႽ ჺஙׅ ࣿ▭‪᭦ᦼႽ
th
reign since his father died in the 5 month), the court issued an order for ݩ݉ ⯍ ჺஙׅ ᝷ੳǯᡜᗌǶᚺ໿
white sacrificial wares. Interestingly, between 1426 and 1430, it was mainly ໵༰㢙Ƿ ໿ᇪ⎑Ⴝᅏ⽚໿໵ 卿ᰪᾭថჺԬᝲ
white wares that the emperor presented either to those of his subjects he ᰪᾭἃ໿໵Ԡ‪գ໵⎏ჺ⽚卿ዂգ໵ࢳᙻՆᝲ卿
wished to honour, or to foreign governments such as the Korean court.
ᘢ⋁ჺխᯒ⊇ᰪᾭἃჺ⽚ 卿ងᅡᝪӴռ῟㙁⎊
The Ming Xuanzong Shilu also makes clear that in certain instances officials
ⰰ◂≢ǯᝳዪሲ⎏ᛓ卿໿໵ᙻ ⯍ ჺឆ
were assigned responsibility for particular types of production. It notes,
㧿卿Ὅ㋏ᛓ⁴ࡡ⯀ᭆ卿Ꮅᛓ㐃㐁㵶㿃✙இ卿Ꮢ⊇
for example, that in the Xuande reign the official Chang Shan of Raozhou
was given the task of supervising the production of white porcelain ritual ᯿ࢮἃ⎊≢ǯǶᚺ໿໵༰㢙Ƿᝤᚺ┱ᑨ߅卿ងᅡ
vessels decorated with dragon and phoenix. ᝯᑪ༰㪡㫬㇝᰾՞⏍ㅳ⁞໸⎏≢଍ǯ㍔ൈ卿ᝧԋ
17