Page 191 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

fig. 1 Ru ware lotus petal base sherd from the Wumiao site, Ruzhou. Fig. 2 A qingbai duck-form censer. Private collection.
Photo provided by Rose Kerr Courtesy of the collector
எӬ ᮃ႔᫋ᅏ㚃ந߅க⎏ᮃ⚨⸥ᄠ᫬‷ எ‷⊐ᠦ⅌⇷ᓽ؊ எՀ 㬪⎊㞏㻏ᆨ㲞⻌ ☆՞Ⅷ⻦卻எ‷⊐⻦།ᓽ؊卼

to brocaded patterns on silk. The manual Gegu yaolun by Cao Zhao, published in ऱ႙Ԡ൘ǯங ჺߒリ⎏Ƕᡟऒ㇝㋏Ƿԋ卿ᝨ
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1388, describes how different qualities of Ding ware were regarded : ᛑᓽߪᛞ՞ཌप㯸໸⚨଍⎏㉮܎厍ǸࠧⱤ⩢ᝬצ卿

⡵⩢Քൃ卿⥷Ɽ⩢᪖Ԡǯǹ ལ᫉⩧㈲卿ទᐽ৅
The best have incised designs, the second best are plain, while those with
౑♑㫀ഌᎰ⩢卿ࠧⱤǮݏ⡵ক⥷Ɽݳ⩧ᝳԠǯ
brocade patterns are of third quality.
In fact, this censer incorporates all three styles of decoration; incised, plain 㘺㯸଍⁒അ⊇࢑⦸῟㙁⩧Ꮀ卿୬ἃ໸⚨⊇⎏ᛓ㲀
and brocade. 㯔⚨卿⩧ӻᇖࢦӽ⡕㑌սᾂἃῒᙠǯங ⯍
ᘂ᭄ᄟԠ㧿卿㲀㯔⚨ݤῂ࠺ഌಫ卿ⲋὍ࢑⦸
Items were fired in saggers, because Ding kilns were of mantou type and from
th
the 10 century used coal for fuel. This gave great heat in the 1,300-1,340°C ظ㍙卿ᾂ⎏ὸಋज⬒ᝯཌ଍⁒㙁Ꮀᔭ೜ǯ㲀㯔⚨
῟⎏ᛓ᭘ࢇ὘卿ᆨᎰ໸≢⣌ݱ⎏ᵐᷪ㎜⁅ⰰḞ卿
temperature range, but could result in items being damaged from the spitting coal,
if they were not protected by firing boxes. Mantou kilns gave rise to oxidising սࣿ⭨࣡⎏㘲ᚺ㞏ᶊᙚ卿ஙԋஇ㦶⻦⊤⡵ᝳǸᲯ
firing conditions. This gave Ding ware its characteristic warm ivory tone and ⌆ǹԠ㍞ǯទ㲞⻌ംᄓ♥㞏⽔ⰰ१Ա⎊卿⩧⸌ݤ
thicker dribbles of transparent glaze known to Chinese connoisseurs as “tear ⎏㞏ᶊᙚᝳᚺ㰆⎏ǸᲯ⌆ǹᘤ៧ǯ
drops”. The exterior of the censer base has a glaze that is cream-toned where it
ᝬᇌ卿ӻ㍯Ꮁٛ׹ߎ៝ӬӴ᫉‐⁞᫢⎏㙁௛ǯ໸
runs thick, while dribbles of glaze inside the lid show distinct “tear drop” effects.
⚨ᇈཐ῟㙁Ӭ㵲ݦ։⎏㲞⻌卿Ꮢսទᐽ৅ᥑἃ⧎
Finally, we should consider the unusual shape of the piece. A two-part incense ㏟ǯֿ㪃႙⤏׍㇝㏦᫉ᇵ࠺卿ㅳהӬ։ཌݯឬ㐏
burner is not a form usually attempted in Ding ware, which makes this example ׹㊯㫙ൈ⎈഍⎏଍⁒॰厒Ԯ㉓卿ࣥ୬ஙᙻ㲞⻌ទ
extremely rare. Why would potters have striven to manufacture a vessel so
㕇؝ᛓ㑖޹⬴زԠ⁒ǯ὆㲞ஙԋஇ᫓टኑԜ卿᚝
unsuited to their raw material? Perhaps because incense burners were themselves
ᙻॶջႡᝳ⻌ⰻ卿㲞ὸ⥱⥴ᚘजㄳঀ㩶⯉卿Քज
objects of sublime purpose. The burning of incense has a long history in China,
㴯㑢⽷゛ǯ☟ᶴՀջ卿㙣།۔՞ὍӶ㝙ᇵᙻ㧩⊂
and as early as the Zhou dynasty artemisia was employed, its dense clouds of
Ӷ⩞Ԡワ卿սែᱡմಗἃ㙁௛⎏ࢷྒྷ‐㙖፽㙛⩧
aromatic smoke serving to mask unpleasant smells and disperse insect pests.
⊂卿⊇ս⻌ῒप♎᣿⁒ক࡚⁒㯸㲞ᙠǯ᣿⁒㯸⻌
During the Qin and Han periods many philosophers sought to achieve the
secrets of immortality, and censers in the form of immortal paradises were made 㲞ᴹ⯇ᡤ⎪Ǯ᧖⭝Ǯ≼Ⳟকⳋ㲞卿⩧࡚⁒㯸ߺ׹
to burn both vegetable and animal incenses. Plant incense was derived from ⯇㿉㏂ক㿉㲞ǯ㩶Իទக㲞ᙠԠം卿ݣ໬Ԡ߿Ⴁ

cassia, camphor, liquorice and fennel, and animal perfumes came from civet and ߅→᨞㲞Ǯᮩ㲞Ǯ䂆ᱸ㲞Ǯ໫ቱ㲞✙㙊ऑ㲞ᙠǯ
musk. By the Song dynasty, imported fragrances such as sandalwood, garuwood, ᫈ᅴ⎏༈ᅡক໵ᘰܔᅴԋഅᝳײ⊇㲞ᙠক⻌‐卿
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ambergris and gum benzoin supplemented indigenous perfumes. Perfume ײ㘺Ӭ᫓टኑԜ⎏۔⢴ᇑս⻊ỉ⏟۔ǯ㖔ὸӬ⥓卿
and incense burners were widely used in formal imperial and religious rituals, ㎜ᇨ⎏ᛓ഍஠㙁ࢇԠǸ᭔ǹ卿⋁⻌㲞⚅㙞⸌ݤ❖
continuing long and well-established traditions. The wafting incense smoke
㙣卿ݻ⊐㻅㻎Ԡ੥ᇍᇍ㰥߅卿ᙱካᙱᜀ卿ሲԠռ
represented the qi or vital force of the cosmos, and would have made an impressive
՞ኑ὞▵ᇁǯ
sight as it drifted out through a channel in the lid and through the two ducks’
beaks.
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