Page 34 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

the lotus leaf is held on the current jar is reminiscent of the canopies ⸥ཎݓ卿எ㇦ 8JMMJBO 8BUTPO ᏒⶬǶ5BOH
that were traditionally held over the heads of those who enjoyed elevated BOE -JBP $FSBNJDTǷஎ 卻⡥⡙厍 卼ǯ
social status – thus also suggesting a wish for high rank. ວ⸥⢑भᛓᝬ᱁リ⎏ヿ→ᆨᅴԠӬ卿୬ἃ
໦ᚘঈ፽Ի߿㘚ד།⸥Ɽࢇ⊂Ԡ㊯卿❁ԋ
The ceramics of the Song dynasty saw a greater use of images of boy
༡ዪՔὍᬘ◘▼ǯ᫉ം卿Ǹ⸥ǹ㮥ऱǸ㙄ǹ卿
children in their decoration. While those which were carved or incised
ᘢວ⸥भᑨǸ㙄⊂㏟ຽǹǯទᐽ৅Ԯᐂ㖊
into the clay body, under the glaze, of vessels bearing both celadon and
Ի㘺Ӭ㯳ឃ卿୬எԋᝳӬཎݓ㵶⯟⳴⶟卿
‘white’ glazes tended to be of a generic and somewhat static type, those
⶟Ӵᛓݯ㕇㳾⛛㲬⎏⅊ְǯᝳዪሲ⎏ᛓ卿
painted with a brush, underglaze, onto the surface of the body. were often
ទᐽ৅⎏⳴⶟ₕⲋऒᛞ㙤໶㏟՞㯔ӳ⎏ⵖ
depicted as full of life and charm – as are those on the current jar. Early
⸌卿ᏒսԮᝳ□᭯㵶໶࣡◍Ԡዪǯ
examples of boys at play can be seen painted on the upper surface of
Northern Song pillows made at the Cizhou kilns, such as the little boy ࣿ⯍໬ջ卿໐⛐㯸⎏㪃≢⡠㱈ᝤἃ᛿㙝ǯ
fishing on a bean-shaped Cizhou pillow, and a boy playing football on an
㛑֍ה৅ᛓங㬪㞏ক⎊㞏Ӵ⎏⫭㵲ߴࣇᎵ
octagonal Cizhou pillow – both in the collection of the Hebei provincial
᧘ࣇ⩧Ꮀ卿ֿ⡠᧙㖅ἃ੷㊽卿ӻ᱁ᙻ㬱ጔ厎
Museum (illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan – Taoci juan, Taibei,
औӬ㯸ᛓ⊇✖ங଍ヿ㞏Ӵה⊺卿ݯᘤ៧ഌ
1993, p. 302, nos. 443 (fig. 3) and 444, respectively).
അ൘㑪ᨕ⊂卿ទᐽ৅؝ᛓᝬצ׾㌴ǯ᚝ឆ
The theme of small boys playing was not restricted to ceramics, and ⎏ວᏈ⡠जࣻᾅ࢈໬┵႔⚨≢២⎏២㬷卿
paintings on silk depicting children at play found favour as early as the ൈᯇ࢈⏥ࢷ⁒㱦Ⅷ⻦⎏┵႔⚨໐ݓௗ㞣எ
Southern Song dynasty. An artist famous for his paintings of children ២卿սࣿ┵႔⚨⛐ຽ㔙㭥ݨ㈍២卿எ㇦Ƕԋ
th
was Su Hanchen ( ⼖ᶴ⯀ fl. mid-12 century), who, under the Emperor இᙔ⁒⠢ⵖഌݥ厍㪃≢࣍Ƿ㮰 ⤔⽚
Huizong (r. AD 1100-1126) of the Northern Song, was Painter-in- 卻ॲ˖卼ࣿ 卻झ࢈厍 卼ǯ
attendance at the imperial academy and, after the Song court was forced
ວᏈ㯪ឬԆ㬳ۣ㇦ᙻ㪃≢卿ݯ༰᚝ᙻࢶ໬
to flee south to Hangzhou, resumed his position at the Southern Song
ჺ㧿卿⢷ទວᏈ⊺Ⴁ⹎὞Ꮀ㰍ǯ⼖ᶴ⯀
academy. Those of his paintings which have survived into the present
卻᰻㔮ᙻࢦՀӽ⡕ԋឆ卼սᖼ⊺ວᏈलᶕ
day include Children Playing in an Autumn Garden (fig. 4) and Winter Play,
഍Ӵ卿ձᝪᙻ໬ᇯ໵ 卻ݩ݉ ⯍
both preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in A.
ჺஙׅ卼ងԋ֌⊺㩴ᇅ㉭卿໬ༀࢶ᳢ڍ໫
Barratt Wicks (ed.), Children in Chinese Art, Honolulu, 2002, pls. 6 and
ឿ႔Ԡᇌ卿խஙࢶ໬⊺㩴؊⪰ǯ⼖᭄۔
7, respectively), and Children Playing with a Balance Toy in the collection
ӽԠהԋᝳӬზǶ☌ᄥວᏈஎǷ卻ॲौ卼
of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (illustrated in Tales from the Land
কǶސᚚວᏈஎǷ卿ݦ⩢மἃझ࢈இ⛁
of Dragons – 1,000 Years of Chinese Painting, Boston, 1997, p. 154, no. 26).
ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦卿எ㇦ " #BSSBUU 8JDLT Ꮢ
Such paintings continued to inspire designs on the decorative arts from
⤔Ƕ$IJMESFO JO $IJOFTF "SUǷஎ‸ ࣿ
that time onwards. Su Hanchen tended to depict the children within
卻᨞㲞ྒྷ厍 卼厎᫉ം卿᯳೥㯀⧻ワ㱦
garden settings, which emphasised the domestic nature of the scenes.
ՔⅧ⻦Ӭზ⼖᭄ǶວᏈஎǷ卿எ㇦Ƕ5BMFT
It is probably no coincidence that when children came to be painted
on Jingdezhen porcelain in the Ming period, these scenes were almost GSPN UIF -BOE PG %SBHPOT ě :FBST PG
invariably set in luxurious gardens fenced with elegant balustrades – as on $IJOFTF 1BJOUJOHǷ㮰 ⤔⽚ 卻᯳೥㯀厍
this Jiajing jar. 卼ǯ㘺㯸⊺ה⢪ᇌឆ⎏ㅛ㱈⻱ワᓽ؊
ԻᴹᴹӶ⢞⎏㬦ዷǯ⼖᭄അᓼ༵ᄥஊວᏈ卿
Although the theme of groups of children at play does not seem to have
⊺㬷ᰑᵉ␖ḼḼ⎏⊂᰻᭔ቱǯὍℒᝳڮ卿
been much employed on ceramics in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) or in
ᚺջᜀᇪ㤯≢଍⎏ວᏈஎՔᄃԢ᳖Ӭⰰս
the early Ming reign of the Hongwu emperor (1368-98), it does appear
㫌᪃⊺ᣖ⎏ᄥ㩴ἃ⫫ᜀ卿ᛓ᪖ᐽ㐈⎏ૃ㬬
on rare, porcelain bowls of the Yongle reign (1403-24). A bowl of this type
⧉؝ᛓӬ׾ǯ
is in the Tianminlou collection, decorated with sixteen boys playing in a
garden, illustrated in Chinese Porcelain - The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, 㫍὞݉ջ卻ݩ݉ ⯍ ჺ卼≾Ꮅᚺ
Hong Kong, 1987, p. 43, no. 15. (fig. 5) A Xuande mark and of the period ߝᰪ᫋卻ݩ݉ ჺ卼≢଍ԋ卿ཎݓ
(AD 1426-35) shallow, wide-mouthed, bowl with similar decorative ӲՆᎰ⨍ງ㙚⎏⊺㬷ԆӶഅ㇦卿ֿ࣐߅→

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