Page 119 - Sotheby's Important Chinese Art, Sept. 21-22, 2-21, NYC

Fig. 1 A Ge-type meiping, Seal mark and period of Qianlong, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 3rd-4th May 1994, lot 111
圖一 清乾隆 仿哥窰弦紋梅瓶 《大清乾隆年製》款 香港蘇富比1994年5月3至4日，編號111

The Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795) is known for his 乾隆帝好古，喜宋瓷，遍集宋代官、哥、汝、定、鈞
love of antiquity, amassing a vast collection of art and 五大名窰佳器無數，且不惜工本大力仿之，釉色與器
artifacts. During his reign, earlier designs were revived and 形配合極為講究，傳承與創新兼而有之。本品仿北宋
renewed, as exemplified by the present vase, which pays
direct homage to the fabled Ru ware of the Northern Song 汝釉，為其中典範。
107N10748_BY68K_3 dynasty. At the Qianlong court, glazes imitating the ‘Five
Classic Wares’ of the Song dynasty—Jun, Ding, Guan, Ge 本品釉色清雅，形神曼麗、溫潤如玉，完美展現了十
and Ru—were applied over a range of carefully selected 八世紀景德鎮御窰瓷匠登峰造極的精湛工藝。單色釉
porcelain shapes. 瓷對技巧要求極高，步步求精，需取純土、塑佳形、
Elegant in both form and design, the present vase is a fine 施勻釉、穩火入窰，佳器方成。各道工序無數，但見
example of the technical perfection achieved by craftsmen 瑕疵，前工盡棄，修得瓷匠臻絕技藝。
working at the 18th century Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen.
Monochrome vessels required the highest level of skill and
precision in every stage of their production, from the purity 本品器形名為梅瓶，器身端莊圓潤，束口小巧。梅瓶
of the clay and precision of the potting to the evenness of 器形首見於宋代，作酒器使用。至清朝，梅瓶已多作
the glaze and control of the firing. The slightest irregularity 插花陳設之器。本品器身飾微凸弦紋，頗有宋初官窰
would result in the rejection and destruction of the piece, 之意，可比一例曾展於《得佳趣：乾隆皇帝的陶瓷品
thus pushing the craftsmen to the limits of their abilities. 味》，國立故宮博物院，台北，2012年，編號30。宋
The form of this vase is called meiping or ‘prunus vase’. 瓷弦紋可溯源至青銅器，參見一漢代青銅壺例 ，大
Meiping first appeared in the Song period, when they served 都會藝術博物館藏，紐約，編號2007.133。可以見得
as wine containers. By the Qing dynasty, they were primarily
used as flower vases or for display. On this vase, the 清代仿古器可謂盡得前朝精髓，乃集大成之作。
molded fillets may allude to the raised ribs on earlier Song
Imperial stonewares, such as a Guan bottle vase exhibited 乾隆朝此類仿古器且飾弦紋者尤為珍罕。可比一同
in Obtaining Refined Enjoyment: The Qianlong Emperor’s 器形飾弦紋仿哥釉例，售於香港蘇富比1994年5月
Taste in Ceramics, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2012, 3至4日，編號111 (圖一)。一乾隆仿汝釉梅瓶例無
cat. no, 30. The raised fillets on such Song ceramics were 弦紋，曾展於《明清一色釉瓷》，香港藝術館，香
in turn influenced by archaic bronze vessels, as seen on
a Han dynasty bronze bottle vase in the collection of the 港，1977年，圖版118。另一例售於香港蘇富比1984
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 2007.133. 年11月20日，編號484。再比一帶繫梅瓶例，曾兩次
The use of this feature in Qing designs thus references 售於香港蘇富比1977年11月5日及1978年5月24日，
multiple layers of classicism. 編號220及205。
Qianlong period renditions of this particular shape, with its
molded filets, are extremely rare. For an example of identical
form but with a Ge-type glaze, compare one sold in our Hong
Kong rooms, 3rd-4th May 1994, lot 111 (fig. 1). A Qianlong
mark and period Ru-type meiping, lacking the molded filets,
was included in the exhibition Monochrome Ceramics of
Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong
Kong, 1977, cat. no. 118. Another was sold in our Hong Kong
rooms, 20th November 1984, lot 484. Another similarly-
shaped meiping with loop handles, compare one sold twice
in the same rooms, 5th November 1977, lot 220, and again
24th May 1978, lot 205.

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