Page 325 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Chinese Art

After the Chenghua reign, production at the 成化以降，御瓷燒造驟減，是以弘治一朝，任
imperial porcelain kilns appears to have been 何種類之青花瓷也出奇的罕見。除此品外，過
drastically reduced, Hongzhi blue and white 去僅四盤曾售於拍賣，皆飾龍紋，全經由蘇
porcelain of any kind is particularly rare. Only 富比拍出，包括：Hay 氏收藏之盤，售於倫
four other dishes have ever been sold at auction, 敦1946年6月25日，編號46；Eumorfopoulos
all decorated with dragons, all sold at Sotheby’s: 舊藏之器，倫敦1940年5月29日，編號212；
one from the Hay collection in London, 25th 另外兩盤分別售於倫敦1963年12月3日，編號
June 1946, lot 46; one from the Eumorfopoulos 103及香港1997年4月29日，編號548。
collection in London, 29th May 1940, lot 212;
another in London, 3rd December 1963, lot 103 中國瓷器甚少以梔子花為飾，幾乎僅見此圖
and one in Hong Kong, 29th April 1997, lot 548. 案布局。梔子花清麗脫俗，芳香馥郁，雖無
吉祥寓意，然深受古代仕女喜愛。其用途廣
The gardenia (zhizi) is a flower very rarely 泛，如簪於髮間、入茶浸泡，或作妝粉原料。
depicted on Chinese ceramics and known almost 梔子花果實加工後可調出黃色或橘色染料，
exclusively from the present design. It is not 亦可入藥。
immediately associated with any auspicious
meaning, but the highly fragrant flowers were 此盤上圖樣多見於黃地青花器，例可對比大維
popular with ladies to wear in the hair, and 德爵士舊藏例，1968年10月15日售於倫敦蘇
were used for flavouring tea and for preparing 富比，編號108，後入琵金頓珍藏，近又於香
cosmetics, and the small fruits of the plant were 港蘇富比2017年4月5日拍出，編號2。還可參
coveted for dyeing – producing a fine yellow or 考另一玫茵堂舊藏，原屬瑞滋家族雅蓄，圖見
orange colour – as well as for their medicinal 康蕊君，前述出處，卷4，編號1674，後售於
benefits. 香港蘇富比2011年4月7日，編號57。且參考
玫茵堂藏正德及嘉靖黃地青花盤，見康蕊君，
The present design is much better known in 前述出處，卷2，編號683 及684。
blue and yellow; compare a dish formerly in the
collection of Sir Percival David (1892-1964), sold
in our London rooms, 15th October 1968, lot 108,
and recently again in these rooms, 5th April 2017,
lot 2, from the collection of Maureen Pilkington
(1928-2011); another dish from the Reach Family
collection and later also the Meiyintang collection,
illustrated in Krahl, loc. cit., vol. 4, no. 1674, and
sold in these rooms, 7th April 2011, lot 57; as well
as blue-and-yellow examples of the Zhengde (AD
1506-1521) and Jiajing (AD 1522-1566) reigns in
the Meiyintang collection, in Krahl, loc. cit., vol. 2,
nos 683 and 684.

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