Page 19 - Taber Family Tianquiping Vase Christies Hong Kong May 2018

A MYRIAD BLESSINGS ON AN

EXCEEDINGLY RARE QIANLONG VASE

Rosemary Scott
Senior International Academic Consultant Asian Art, Asian Art

The current vase is a magnificent example of imperial Qianlong 降爾遐福：
porcelain. The name of this shape of vase in Chinese is tianqiuping 清乾隆 鬥彩暗八仙纏枝蓮紋大天球瓶
天球瓶 ‘heavenly globe vase’, and it is significant that in Chinese
iconography the earth is represented by a square, while heaven is 六字篆書款
represented by a circle. Hence, the large globular body of such vases 蘇玫瑰
provides an ideal reference to heaven. This vase is a particularly 資深國際學術顧問 亞洲藝術部
large and impressive specimen of the tianqiuping shape. The vessel
is extremely well-potted and the generous globe of the body has
retained its form even after firing, while some other examples can
be seen to have sunk slightly under their own weight. The neck is 此瓶為乾隆御瓷中的佳妙之作。這類形制又稱「天球
in ideal proportion to the body, and has also remained in perfect 瓶」，值得一提的是，中國藝術美學素來有「天圓地
alignment. The fact that this large vessel has fired so perfectly is a
testament to the great skill of the potter, who has not only thrown 方」之說，所以這類鼓圓腹的瓶式，不啻蒼穹之妙喻。
it absolutely evenly – so that it did not distort in the kiln – but has 在天球瓶中，本拍品的器型格外敦碩、恢宏大氣。它
perfectly judged the thickness of clay and precise junction of the
neck to prevent the latter from sinking into the body during firing. 的樣式優美規整，渾圓飽滿的鼓腹經過窰燒仍完好無
缺，不像某些近似例因過於厚重而略微凹陷。瓶頸與
Although the tianqiuping shape appears in Chinese porcelains
as early as the 15th century of the Ming dynasty in China, the 器身的比例亦恰到好處，均勻對稱。此例大瓶燒造完
15th century examples have a shorter neck in proportion to the
body than the 18th century vases. This can be seen on the early 美，足證陶工的功力何等精湛，他不僅拉坯成型一絲
15th century blue and white tianqiuping in the collection of the 不苟（可避免窯燒時變形），對瓷土厚薄和接合頸腹
Palace Museum Beijing, illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with
Underglaze Red (I), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the 的拿揑亦無懈可擊，所以瓶頸在窯燒時方免於塌陷。
Palace Museum, vol. 34, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 90-95, nos. 87-89
(fig. 1). The tianqiuping shape really came to prominence in the 雖然中國天球瓶瓷器最早見於十五世紀明代，但按比
18th century on imperial porcelains commissioned by emperors
who were unconcerned by the cost of producing such extravagant 例來說，十五世紀瓶頸短於十八世紀的作品。就此而

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