Page 112 - Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Works Of Art May 30 2022

MAGNIFICENCE AND DELICACY –

A LARGE HEXAGONAL QIANLONG VASE

ROSEMARY SCOTT, INDEPENDENT SCHOLAR,
VISITING CERAMICS RESEARCH FELLOW, PALACE MUSEUM, BEIJING

This imposing vase combines monumental size with very delicately limited number of exceptional blue and white vessels from both the
rendered decoration in vibrant underglaze cobalt blue. This decoration Yongzheng and early Qianlong reigns. Similar elements can be seen
employs a style in which flowering and fruiting sprays, reminiscent on two Yongzheng pouring vessels in the collection of the Palace
of those on fine Ming dynasty blue and white porcelains of the Museum, Beijing (see Gugong Bowuyuan cang, Qingdai yuyao ciqi, juan
15th century, accompanied by lingzhi fungus, are complemented by 1, vol. 2, Beijing, 2005, pp. 108-111, nos. 43 and 44)(no. 43, fig. 2).
scrolling motifs which owe their inspiration to western designs. The These pouring vessels lack the large scale of the current vase, and
melding of these two decorative traditions is particularly successful on are round, rather than faceted, so the decorative elements are smaller
this large hexagonal vase. It is probable that the current vase dates to and used differently, but the shared source of inspiration is clear.
the early part of the Qianlong reign, since a rare blue and white vase Interestingly, a large Yongzheng hu-shaped blue and white vase, also
of the same large size, shape and design, dating to the Yongzheng in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (see Blue and White
reign (1723-35) is housed in the Musée national des arts asiatiques- Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures
Guimet, Paris. This Yongzheng vase has been published by Xavier of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 114, no. 100) has similar
Besse in La Chine des porcelaines, Paris, 2004, p. 119, no. 42, and in The decorative elements dominating the band which encircles the shoulder
World’s Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics, Vol. 7, Musée Guimet, Paris, of the vessel, as do two large blue and white Yongzheng vases in the
Kodansha International, Tokyo, 1981, no. 164 (fig. 1). Formerly in collection of the Nanjing Museum (see Qing Imperial Porcelain of the
the collection of Ernest Grandidier (1833-1912), it was donated to the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Nanjing, 1995, nos. 43 and
Louvre in 1894, and is now in the Guimet. The extreme closeness in 44). Similar Western-inspired decorative elements can also be seen on
the appearance of the current Qianlong vase to the Guimet Yongzheng a large Qianlong blue and white garlic-mouth vase in the collection
example suggests that they were made within a few years of each other. of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated Blue and White Porcelain
with Underglaze Red (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the
Western-inspired, symmetrical, graded, scrolling elements – often Palace Museum, op. cit., p. 135, no. 121), while similar Ming-inspired
with small knobs along their exterior outlines - can be seen on a flowering and fruiting sprays combined with lingzhi fungus can be seen

碩中寓巧：清乾隆 青花三多折技花果紋六方尊

蘇玫瑰 獨立學者暨故宮陶瓷研究所客座研究員

此尊造型敦碩，兼之釉下青花濃艶、畫工精妙，觀之氣派非凡。器身的折枝花果紋與十五世紀上品青花明瓷遙相呼應，
並輔以靈芝紋，其間繪西式纏枝圖案。以中西合璧的紋飾而言，本六方大尊的效果尤為出眾。它很可能燒造於乾隆
初期，蓋因巴黎吉美國立亞洲藝術博物館藏一例珍罕雍正（公元1723-35年）青花尊，其器型之大與形制紋樣俱與本拍品
如出一轍。這件雍正作品曾著錄於Xavier Besse所撰的《La Chine des porcelaines》頁119編號42（巴黎：2004），以及
《The World’s Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics》卷七之「巴黎吉美博物館」編號164（東京：國際講談社，1981）
（圖一）。它源自葛荻耶（Ernest Grandidier，1833-1912年）舊藏，1894年贈予羅浮宮，現已納入吉美館藏。鑑於本季推出
的乾隆尊與吉美雍正尊大同小異，看來兩者的燒造年代僅相隔數年。

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