Page 345 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Chinese Art

In both its form and painted motif, as well as its 此青花扁壺屬乾隆年器並款，中央飾十字杵，
simulation of the ‘heaped and piled’ technique to 外環飾八片蓮瓣，瓣中飾八吉祥紋。巧以青花
render the design, this moonflask immediately 點苔，模擬十五世紀初之青花黑疵。
references China’s glorious porcelain tradition.
The flattened form with raised medallion is 此類扁壺雖然並不鮮見，但如此尺寸、瓶頸飾
modelled after early fifteenth century flasks, 弦紋及如意耳者較罕，類例可參見倫敦蘇富比
that were in turn inspired Middle-Eastern metal 1969年5月13日，編號137。萬野美術館舊藏
prototypes, while the design is reminiscent of 有例，後售於倫敦佳士得2001年6月21日，編
an early-Ming Buddhist motif of a double vajra 號106。紐約佳士得也曾拍出一壺，2011年9
surrounded by eight petal panels containing the 月16日，編號1547。較大之扁壺，則可參見
bajixiang. Interestingly, in the Qing version the 台北故宮博物院藏器，收錄於《故宮清瓷圖
order of the bajixiang has been slightly altered, 錄》，卷2，東京，1981年，圖版5。且有兩
with the twin-fish emblem appearing before the 例，見《中国陶磁 : 出光美術館藏品圖錄》，
knot and after the vase emblem. 東京，1987年，圖版949及950，後者無款。
南京博物院還有一例，刊於《中國歷代景德鎮
While flasks of this type are numerous, the 瓷器：清卷》，北京，1998年，頁169。
present piece is particularly unusual for its size,
the form of its handles and the raised rib on the 十字杵蓮瓣八吉祥紋之雛型，可參見舊金
neck; similar examples include one sold in our 山亞洲藝術博物館永樂青花八吉祥紋盆，
London rooms, 13th May 1969, lot 137; another 見賀利，《Chinese Ceramics: A New
from the Manno Art Museum, sold at Christie’s Comprehensive Survey from the Asian Art
London, 21st June 2001, lot 106; and a third sold Museum of San Francisco》，紐約，1996
at Christie’s New York, 16th September 2011, 年，圖版398。
lot 1547. Compare also larger flasks of related
form and design, such as one in the National
Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Illustrated
Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the
National Palace Museum, vol. II, Tokyo, 1981,
pl. 5; two published in Chinese Ceramics in the
Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pls 949 and
950, the latter lacking the Qianlong reign mark;
and another in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing,
illustrated in Zhongguo lidai Jingdezhen ciqi: Qing
juan [Chinese ceramics from Jingdezhen through
the ages: Qing dynasty], Beijing, 1998, p. 169.

For the prototype of this motif, see a blue and
white basin attributed to the Yongle reign, in the
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, illustrated in
He Li, Chinese Ceramics: A New Comprehensive
Survey from the Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco, New York, 1996, pl. 398.

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