Page 6 - 2020 Nov 30 Christie's Hong Kong Important Chiense Works of Art

fig. 1 William Cleverly Alexander (1840-1916)
எӬ Ռ᫓ྒྷഌ⢂೥卻 卼

had a relatively small firing chamber, while the refined Ding white vessels ໬ջⵖ࢈஠ࢥ卿ྏᨕ὘⚨卿‐ᵐज㵶㙤
P
needed to be protected from kiln debris by being placed in saggars (fire clay $ ႚठ卿⩧໸⚨଍༛्᭘ࢇ㡜卿≢க
boxes), which took up additional space within the kiln. In order to allow 㮷㵶ᵐ῟Ꮀǯ㲀㯔⚨⎏⦷㿽ᛓ⚨⮃㖅ཎ卿
the firing of more than one vessel within a single saggar, without leaving a ⩧໸⚨ӳԧ⎊㞏଍ك⊇࢑㠍卻᯵࢑卼⚨῟卿
disfiguring mark on either vessel, stepped setters and ‘L’-shaped ring setters ս㪛ᗀ⚨ݤ┎ོ卿୬᫉⚨⮃ݤ੷৅Ꮢ׌⚁
were developed. The Ding wares could then be fired using the fushao ㇡ 䃤 㧿ᝤഌǯἃԻ⊇Ӭٖ࢑⦸῟㙁ݦ։Ꮅսӳ
upside-down method, in which the mouth rim of the vessel was wiped clean ⎏଍⁒卿ࣽ㇝┱ظᏒᝳה৅໭ൃὍ⦷卿അ
of glaze and it was fired upside-down, standing on its mouth rim. Thus, ⡯㇡῟ಝ㠍⯝ - ᆨᘒ஄㙖፽㙛⩧⊂ǯ⊐᫉
pieces of ascending size could be fired on a stepped setter, while dishes of the ໸⚨଍ᙹ⬒㇡῟卻࣊ᐬࣸ଍⁒ऑᯒ⎏㞏卿
same size could be fired in the ‘L’-shaped ring setters. ݻཆԠӳӴٜ⧡卼⩧ᎰǯӬ⯺׹㊯卿അ⡯
㇡῟ಝ㠍㙴⊇ᙻ଍௛᷉᪖ಫ࠼⩢卿⩧⏟ऱ
The upside-down firing of a bowl of this size would, however, have been real
ഌཎ⎏⏎ߺ໺⊇ - ᆨಝ஄ǯ
test of the skill of both the potter and of the kiln master, since there would
have been a significant risk of warping and/or cracking during firing. Given ㇡῟ഌཎ⯝ទᐽ৅⏟ⲋ⎏଍⁒卿⚨῟ᛞ㍩ᆨ
that, in addition to the attendant risks, the cost of fuel for firing the kilns ࣿ Ꮅ㧷ㅆ⎏㰍㪬≾㵶卿ཌ㪃ࢎক⚨Ⴧ׹㊯
was very high, and only a few large pieces could be fired at a time, the cost 㛢ᛓӬ㮴୍࿰⎏⩠㴾ǯ㩶Ի㋭അ⎏ᐃワ㫙
of manufacture for a vessel the size of the current bowl would have been 㯪卿⚨῟⎏ῒᙠՔᎰទӶⵙ卿࠼ӳᬔᏼ῟㙁
considerable. It would not have been undertaken lightly, and would almost ⎏ഌ௛଍⁒ᙇ㞔ᝳ㩨卿Ꮢս۬ទᐽ৅Ӭ㯸⎏
certainly have been in response to a specific order from an important patron. ഌ⎾໸὞㙁܎㵶ᚮǯㅳהᙹ୻὞୍㩵սᇅ卿
Consequently, Ding open-ware vessels of this large size are very rare. ⩧㈳ㅳ⩢Ք㬳༛ߺ㏟ǯ㫙ሾ଍௛ᘹ┣ൈទᐽ
৅⎏໸⚨⏎⎾卿۔ӽ⩢ཐൈ㺨ᬝ㿋㈍ǯ
The interior decoration on extant examples of these large bowls is
predominantly either fish or lotus, while the exteriors can be plain, →ໄऱ㯸௛ഌ⎾Ԡԋ卿଍ݤ㱈㷚⡠Ꮅ⸥⡠
decorated with lotus scrolls, or, as in the case of the current bowl, carved ⩢཰അ卿଍ംᎵݏ⡵Ὅ⡠卿Ꮅ㱈⦞៨⸥
with bands of low-relief over-lapping petals. It is likely that very few of ⡠卿Ԯᝳ۬ទᐽ৅⯺᳍ߴՒ⋎≓⡠⎏׾
these large bowls were ever successfully fired, and thus few extant examples ຽǯ᫉㯸ഌ⎾⎏Ꮀ࠻Ԡה⏭׹ᙇ㞔ᥑཐ卿
have survived into the present day. An example with lotus on the interior ᘢ᫉۔ӽ৅ᆚ㑷Ⅷ㏟ǯ࢈՗ԋஇஇ།ࢷ⁒
and low-relief over-lapping petals on the exterior is in the National 㱦⻦Ӭ׾卿⎾ݤ㱈⸥⡠卿଍ം᳍ߴՒ⋎≓
Museum of China, Beijing (see en.chnmuseum.cn/collections_577/ ⡠卿எ㇦ FO DIONVTFVN DO DPMMFDUJPOT@
collection_highlights_608/201911/t20191121_172679.html). A similarly DPMMFDUJPO@IJHIMJHIUT@

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