Page 44 - Christie's Hong Kong May 31, 2017 Important Chinese Ceramics and Art

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A FINE PEACHBLOOM-GLAZED BEEHIVE 清康熙 豇豆紅釉團龍紋太白尊 六字楷書款

WATERPOT, TAIBAI ZUN 尊小口微撇，短頸，圓肩，豐底內凹。尊內施白釉。外壁通體施豇豆
紅釉，以綠底苔點，腹部線刻三組團螭紋。圈足內施白釉，底書青花
KANGXI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGALZE BLUE AND OF THE 「大清康熙年製」楷書款。
PERIOD (1672-1722)
來源
The rounded sides rising to a short, slightly flaring neck, incised with 紐約佳士得，1985年6月6日，拍品441號
three archaistic dragon roundels beneath a glaze of even, crushed 米蘭私人珍藏
strawberry tone suffused with mottled areas of copper-green, the rim, 歐洲私人收藏
interior and base white. 香港佳士得，2011年11月30日，拍品2924號
4 …Õ/”ÿ in. (12.5 cm.) diam., box
此器因形似唐代詩人酒仙李太白飲酒的酒罈而得名。其釉色紅豔濃
HK$800,000-1,200,000 US$110,000-160,000 重，襯綠色斑點，相映成輝，清代詩人洪亮古讚譽此種豇豆紅釉為
「綠如春水初生日，紅似朝霞欲上時」。豇豆紅釉是康熙官窯生產的
PROVENANCE 高溫紅釉瓷品種之一，因燒製成功率極低，只有少量出品供皇帝內庭
賞用，多為文房用具或擺設等小件器物，製作工藝精湛。康熙以後，
Sold at Christie’s New York, 6 June 1985, lot 441 豇豆紅釉燒技藝失傳。
A private collection, Milan, Italy
Property from a European Collection 倫敦大維德基金會藏同款尊，見1996年倫敦出版《Earth, Fire and
Sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2011, lot 2924 Water: Chinese Ceramic Technology》，頁34，圖版24號；包爾珍藏，
見1999年出版《The Baur Collection》圖錄，第3冊，日內瓦，圖版
Waterpots of this form are known as Taibai zun, after the Tang dynasty A305、A310、A313-A316號；紐約大都會博物館藏一套豇豆紅釉
poet Li Bai who was also named Li Taibai (701-762). In later imageries 「八大碼」，見1989年紐約出版S. Valenstein著《A Handbook of
Li Bai, a renowned drinker of wine, is often depicted leaning against a Chinese Ceramics》1989年，頁237，圖版236號；大英博物館藏品，
large wine vat of this shape. The vessel's shape is also known as jichao 見1981年東京出版《Oriental Ceramics: The World’s Great Collections》，
zun because their shape resembles that of a basketwork chicken coop that 第5冊，東京，1981年，圖版230號；美國貝萊爾舊藏一例，2012年11
is woven with a small opening at the top through which the chicks are fed. 月28日於香港佳士得拍賣，拍品2112號；及陳玉階舊藏一例，2013年
5月29日於香港佳士得拍賣，拍品1904號。
Peachbloom-glazed vessels were highly treasured by the Kangxi Emperor,
and were primarily fired as small-sized scholar's objects for the Emperor's
table. Beehive water pots belong to a group of peachbloom-glazed vessels
for the scholar's table known as Badama, 'Eight Great Numbers'. This
group was previously thought to comprise a total of eight differing shapes.
John Ayers identified a possible ninth form of the Badama by pointing
out the existence of two slightly different globular water pots. The first is
termed as a pingguo zun, 'apple jar' modelled with a gently inward curving
mouth rim; and the other with a raised, low, neck (similar to a stalk) that
maybe referred to as a Shiliu, or 'pomegranate jar'. See, J. Ayers, 'The
'Peachbloom Wares of the Kangxi Period (1662-1722), Transactions of the
Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 64, 1999-2000, p. 49.

The firing of peachbloom-glazed wares involved a complex procedure
which required colourants to be blown onto a surface covered with
transparent glaze, which was then applied with an additional layer of
transparent glaze before being fired in high temperature.

Similar peachbloom-glazed waterpots are found in various museums and
collections worldwide, including one in the Percival David Foundation
of Chinese Art, illustrated in Earth, Fire and Water: Chinese Ceramic
Technology, London, 1996, no. 24, p. 34; one in the Baur Collection,
Catalogue, vol. III, Geneva, 1999, nos. A305, A310 and A313-A316; a full
set of the eight vessels in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York,
illustrated by S.G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York,
1989, p. 237, pl. 236; and one in the British Museum, Oriental Ceramics,
The World's Great Collections, vol. 5, Tokyo, 1981, no. 230.

Compare also to a similar waterpot of the same size, from the J. Insley Blair
Collection and sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2112;
and one from the YC Chen Collection, sold at 29 May 2013, lot 1904.

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