Page 48 - Sotheby's London Important Chinese Art Nov. 2019

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A LARGE BLUE AND WHITE ‘PEONY’ JAR Guans of nearly identical decoration include a jar in the
YUAN DYNASTY Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo illustrated in Chinese
Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 617;
the broad sturdily-potted baluster body rising from a an example from the Ataka collection published in Gakuji
spreading foot to a short straight neck with everted Hasebe, Masterpieces of Chinese and Korean Ceramics
rim, painted around the body in rich cobalt-blue tones in the Ataka Collection. China, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 86; and
with six large peony blossoms each rendered with a a further jar in the collection of Baotou City Cultural
luxuriant array of petals, borne on the undulating scroll Relics Administrative Bureau, Inner Mongolia illustrated
with attendant buds and foliage, all above a classic scroll in Zhongguo Wenwu Jinghua Daquan. Taoci Juan [Gems
band, the shoulder encircled with a composite floral scroll of China’s cultural relics. Ceramics section], Hong Kong,
and the foot with a band of upright lappets enclosing 1993, pl. 550.
pendent cloud-like trefoils and rings, the neck painted
with a band of composite floral scroll, the broad foot ring Variations on this design include a jar with a four-petal
and recessed base unglazed band rather than the classic scroll border illustrated
Height 27.8 cm, 10⅞ in. in Yoshiaki Yabe, Toji Taikei. 41. Gen no Shimitsu
[Compendium of Ceramics. 41. Blue and white ware of the
PROVENANCE Yuan dynasty], Tokyo, 1974, pl. 27; a jar without a scroll
L. Michiels Antiquitiés, Bruxelles (according to label). border in the Palace Museum, Beijing illustrated in The
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum,
Sturdily potted guan jars painted with bold designs in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong
cobalt blue are undoubtedly the Yuan dynasty’s greatest Kong, 2000, pl. 6; and an example with a band of waves
contribution to Chinese porcelain tradition. These jars around the collar in the Shanghai Museum included in the
diverge dramatically from the elegant simplicity of the Museum’s exhibition, Splendors in Smalt: Art of Yuan Blue-
Song dynasty (960-1279), which favoured subdued and-white Porcelain, Shanghai, 2012, cat. no. 7.
monochromatic wares in smaller formats, and evidence
the flamboyant style preferred by the Mongol rulers of £ 250,000-350,000
the Yuan dynasty. This change in direction accelerated HK$ 2,450,000-3,420,000 US$ 312,000-437,000
the demise of most other kiln centres in China, and
established the kilns at Jingdezhen as the most important 元 青花纏枝牡丹紋罐
centre of ceramic production for centuries to come.
來源
The painting seen on this jar encompasses the most L. Michiels Antiquitiés，布魯塞爾（標簽）
characteristic elements of Yuan porcelain design: the
peony scroll on the body, lotus scroll on the shoulder,
classic scroll on the rim and lappets. This lively new
decorative vernacular was particularly well-expressed in
underglaze blue. The vast trading networks of the Yuan
dynasty ensured rapid transmission of styles and tastes
throughout the empire. Persian traders supplied the kilns
at Jingdezhen with cobalt ore from Kashan providing
the vibrant blue for which the period is known. Demand
for blue and white guan was considerable from its initial
manufacture, not only in China but in Southeast Asian and
particularly in the Middle East.

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