Page 88 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

fig. 1 Collection of the Nanjing Museum
எӬ ࢶ՗ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅

3019 Continued
The form tianqiuping, also known as tianqiuzun, first appeared during the Yongle ഍↗≡卿ࣽ♑഍↗ཉ卿ං῟㙁ᙻᚺ᭦ᦼᛞឆ卿໿ᇪᛞឆՔᝳ
period, and was also made during the Xuande reign. The form is extremely difficult ῟㙁ǯ୬഍↗≡㵲௛ႜഌ卿῟㙁Ӷᚿӻ㪀㉑ᘤ៧ᥑצ卿⩧Ꮀ
to fire but makes a remarkable visual impact, and thus became one of the most
ἃᚺ᳖ᇙ⚨≢଍ԋ⎏ल㏟৅♎卿Ԇईߪ⎑Ⴝ⎏㬪␫ǯൈǶ᳖
precious and highly desirable types of all the Ming and Qing imperial porcelain. It
ᨯǷ࣊㉃㖊ᝳ᳖Գ㪏ӲჺݪᝲՀࢦՆᚚ卿Գ㪏Ⴝ᪩উᮅ㇛৿
is interesting to note that even the Emperor Qianlong conveyed fondness for this
magnificent form, as demonstrated by an entry dated to the 25th day of the 6th Ⲗ῟㙁Ǹ໿⚨ᘞഌ഍↗ཉǹ✙⎏㉃㢙ǯ
month of the 3rd year of Qianlong reign [1739], where the Emperor decreed an
imperial order to Tang Ying, the superintendent of the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, ଍ᆨ㵶ഌ㱇ᶕ卿㘻㵲ս㬪Ɽἃㅛ㱈ǯംऑᯒ⥾ӬॶⶔⱤ᱁᭢
to produce an ‘enlarged Xuande-style tianqiuping’. ⡠卿㯝㛑⯝⭬㛑⥾⦞៨㇛⊹⸥⡠卿⫒㛑ս࣍Ⳟ⡠ࣿൈዪ⦡⢧
⡠⏟㪛卿⭬Ӵ㛑⥾㏘ഩ⸥≓⡠⯝Ԗ㯪⸥⡠⏟भǯᐽ৅⭬㛑
The elaborate lotus meander design on the globular body and the band of upright
petals above the foot also appear on a Qianlong blue and white tianqiuping in ⯝⬨㛑எᡪ⯝ࢶ՗ࢷ⁒㩴Ꮢ⻦Գ㪏㬪Ɽ⦞៨Ɽࢭ⡠഍↗≡㯸
the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing ַ卿ࣻ㇦Ƕ༈ᅡⅧ⻦ԋஇ᳖ջ໶⚨≢଍Ƿ卿ӳᱡ卿 ჺ卿
Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 232, (fig. 1). However the Nanjing example has a 㮰 卻ॲː卼卿ֿ⯇⫒㛑սӳ⯍ംऑᯒ㖓ࡂㅛ㱈⡠Ꮒ὞Ӷ
different decoration on the shoulders and neck, reflecting the variety of decorative ऱ卿ंᛇ߅᳖ջ໶⚨≢଍♵ԋ᭯㍩⎏⻱ワ⁞㿽ǯ
repertoires available at the Imperial kilns at the time.
The Chinese word for ‘lotus’ shares a similar sound as the characters for ‘yearly’ and ଍㕇Ꮢ⊇⦞៨⸥⡠ㅛ㱈卿୬Ǹ⸥ǹ㘻ǸᄺǹǮǸჺǹໃ㮥卿
‘honesty’, and thus conveys the meanings of perpetuality and integrity. Although the ⩧ᝳ᳖ᄺࣿⶃჺ⎏༡ዪǯ㫍὞⦞៨⸥ἃ᳖ջ჎㇦எᡪ卿ֿᙻ
lotus design appears often on Qing porcelain, it is very rare to find it as the main ໶⚨഍↗≡ӳᙼ⊇ߺ㖅ἃཐ㇦ǯ
motif on a tianqiuping.

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