Page 7 - Christie's Hong Kong May 31, 2017 Important Chinese Ceramics and Art

THE ROGER BELANICH COLLECTION OF
LONGQUAN CELADON CERAMICS (LOTS 3001-3009)
The Equal of Jade
Rosemary Scott, International Academic Director Asian Art
‘Where do these exquisite porcelains come from? These heavenly products are greatly loved.
With their lustrous, glossy appearance they are the equal of jade. With these green-glazed censers standing here,
big bronze tripod censers hold no attraction.’
－ 14th century Japanese monk-poet
「窯瓷精緻何處來，括蒼所產良足愛，滑潤光生與玉侔，青爐峙立厭鼎鼐」。（日本十四世紀的詩僧）
Longquan celadons are prized for the refined beauty of their glazes, which
combine a range of subtle green colours with delicate translucency and soft
texture. The name applied to these celadons does not come from a specific
kiln site. Instead Longquan is the market town in southern Zhejiang province
to which the ceramics were brought for sale and distribution. To a large extent
Longquan celadons inherited the legacy of the stonewares produced at the Yue
kilns in the same province, and in the Northern Song period the Longquan kilns
produced wares very similar toYue. However, in the Southern Song period, no
doubt influenced by the refined tastes of members of the elite, who accompanied
the new Southern Song court when it settled at Hangzhou, the Longquan kilns
began to develop a high-quality soft green celadon glaze, that was to prove
hugely popular both in China and overseas. This classic Longquan ware has a
lime-alkaline glaze – in contrast to theYue andYaozhou glazes which were lime
glazes, which is more viscous than theYue glaze, and is usually thicker and richer Longquan kilns as late as 1464 - the beginning of the Chenghua reign.
in appearance. Some of the components in the Longquan glaze are less soluble
than those in the Yue glaze, and remain intact after firing. These, together with
gas bubbles, cause the delicate translucence typical of Longquan glazes.
The Longquan glaze was perfected during the Southern Song period, but the
wares expanded in production in theYuan dynasty. Indeed, as theYuan dynasty
progressed, production rose to such an extent that some 300 kilns were active
in the Longquan region. These kilns ranged across a significant area from the
Dayao 大窯 , Jincun 金村 and Xikou 溪口 kiln complexes in the west, which
had been prominent in the Southern Song dynasty, to those further east on the
Ou 甌江 and Songxi 松溪 rivers.These rivers facilitated the transportation of
the ceramics to other parts of China as well as to the ports of Quanzhou 泉州
and Wenzhou 温州 , for shipment abroad.
New shapes and styles of decoration were introduced, and pieces of impressive
size began to be made at the Longquan kilns. While some of the larger pieces,
such as the large dishes, were probably initially inspired by the requirements of
patrons from Western Asia, these and other large forms came to be appreciated
by patrons in both West and East Asia. Fine Longquan celadons were especially
popular in Japan, and a Longquan lidded celadon jar was found in the grave
of Kanazawa Sada-aki ( 金沢貞顕 1278-1333) in the grounds of the Shomyo-
ji 称名寺 Temple. The Shomyo-ji the temple itself, which is believed to have
been set up by H Sanetoki ( 北 条 実 時 1224-76) during the Kamakura
period, still has in its collection two large Longquan celadon vases and a large
incense burner with applied relief decoration. Other major Japanese temples,
such as the Engaku-ji 円覚寺 and Kencho-ji 建長寺 at Kamakura also still use
celadon vases preserved in the temples since the Kamakura (AD 1185-1333) and
Muromachi (AD 1333-1573) periods.
In the early Ming dynasty the celadon-glazed wares from the Longquan kilns
remained popular, both within China and as export wares to other parts of Asia.
It is also clear that some of the ceramics made at the Longquan kilns were being
made for the court, under the supervision of government officials sent from the
capital. Significantly, juan 194 of the 大明會典 Da Ming Huidian states that in
the 26th year of the Hongwu reign [AD 1393] some imperial wares were fired
at the Rao and Chu kilns – i.e. at Jingdezhen in Jiangxi and at the Longquan
kilns of Zhejiang.
洪武二十六年定 , 凡燒造供用器皿等物 , 須要定奪樣制 , 計算人工物料
‘ 如果數多 , 起取人匠赴京置窯興工 , 或數少 , 行移饒 , 處等府燒造 .
In volume one of the 明憲宗實錄 Ming Xianzong Shilu it is noted that Emperor
Xianzong ascended the throne in the eighth year of the Tianshun reign [AD
1464] and after the Chenghua reign began in the following year, an amnesty
was declared. It was also noted that the officials sent by the government to
supervise ceramic production at the Raozhou kilns of Jiangxi province and the
Chuzhou kilns of Zhejiang province were required to return to the capital as
soon as they received the imperial edict. Of the ceramics in production, those
which had been completed should be registered, and work on those which had
not been completed should cease. Failure to comply with the edict would be
regarded as a crime. This makes it clear that there was official production at the
The Longquanxian zhi 龍 泉 縣 志 (Gazetteer of Longquan County) noted
that: ‘After the Cheng[hua] and [Hong]zhi reigns [1465-1506], the form [of
Longquan wares] became so crude and the colour so unappealing, that they
were no longer fit for those of elegant tastes.’
成治以後 , 質粗色惡 , 難充雅玩矣 .
The highpoint of production for post-Song Longquan celadons may therefore
be seen as ending in the latter part of the 15th century.
In the Southern Song period the two most popular forms of decoration on
Longquan wares were the carving of overlapping petals around the exterior
of bowls and dishes, and the application of sprig-moulded elements under the
glaze on the interior of open wares. The translucent glaze softens the features of
this sprig-moulded decoration, which is usually in the form of fish or dragons,
while also providing a suggestion that they are in water. These decorative
techniques and themes were continued into the Yuan dynasty, as can be seen
from the large (D: 42.3 cm.) dish in the current sale, which bears two sprig-
moulded dragons on the interior (Lot 3007). It is rare to have two sprig-
moulded dragons, rather than a single dragon with clouds. However, a smaller
(D: 37.3 cm.) Yuan dynasty dish, similarly decorated with two sprig moulded
dragons is illustrated by Zhu Boqian in Celadons from Longquan Kilns, Taipei,
1998, p. 222, no. 204. The illustrated dish is, however, decorated with winged
dragons and lacks the sprig-moulded flaming pearl of the current dish. It also
lacks the fluently carved scrolling decoration in the cavetto of the current dish.
A Yuan dynasty Longquan celadon dish (D: 35.7 cm.) with carved scrolling in
the cavetto and a single sprig-moulded dragon and flaming pearl is also in the
current sale (Lot 3005). The dragon is particularly crisply moulded and has
a dynamic pose, suggesting that it is turning to grasp the flaming pearl. This
was a popular theme on such celadon dishes in the Yuan period, and a slightly
smaller (D: 34.8) Yuan dynasty dish of very similar design, although missing
the sprig moulded flaming pearl, is illustrated by Zhu Boqian in Celadons from
Longquan Kilns, op. cit., p. 223, no. 205. Further smaller dishes of this type with
the same carved and sprig-moulded decoration were excavated from the cargo
of the Sinan 新安 wreck, which foundered off the Korean coast off Sinan-gun,
South Cholla province, in AD 1323 on its way from Ningbo 宁波 in China to
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