Page 114 - Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Works Of Art May 30 2022

Impressive vases of this type would have been intended to adorn
Imperial palaces and a pair of such vessels was displayed in the
Forbidden City, Beijing, in the Palace of Gathering Excellence
(Chuxiugong, shown in episode 68 of the CCTV television series
《故宮100》, 2012). The Palace of Gathering Excellence was originally
built in the Ming dynasty and was in the north-eastern section of
the Six Western Palaces, where the empress and imperial concubines
lived. The palace was originally called the Palace of Longevity
(Shouchanggong), but the name was changed in the Jiajing reign
(1522-66). A similar vase from the collection of the Nanjing Museum
is published in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty,
Shanghai, 2003, pl. 212, and a vase of this type was also included by
the respected Chinese scholar Geng Baochang in his major publication
Ming Qing ciqi jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 274, pl. 469.
A further example of this type of vase is in the collection of the
Matsuoka Museum of Art (illustrated in Selected Masterpieces of the
Matsuoka Museum of Art, Tokyo, 1975, pl. 102). A small number of
such vases have been sold at auction, including an example very similar
to the current vase in shape, size and design, which is now in the
collection of Alan Chuang, having been sold by Christie’s Hong Kong
fig. 3 Sold at Christie’s Hong Kong,
27 April 1998, lot 724 27 April, 1998, lot 724 (illustrated in The Alan Chuang Collection of
圖三 香港佳士得，1998年4月27日，拍品724號 Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong. 2009, pp. 118-9, no. 36)(fig. 3).

此尊紋飾所用的鈷藍極為講究，其寶藍色澤與瑩潔的白胎對比鮮明。畫師巧加利用這一特色，在紋飾繁密處周邊大量
留白，使主題益發突出。各裝飾元素的構圖和佈局疏密有致，與器形環環相扣，其中又以棱面交接處的紋樣尤具巧思。
本拍品口沿起六條棱線，下延至底足，對陶工而言燒造難度極大。所有棱面器物，均存在窯燒時棱面折角易裂的難題，
本拍品器型如斯敦碩，是以問題愈加明顯。陶工必須確保所有棱面厚薄一致、嚴絲合縫，方能避免窯燒之際開裂變形。
及至十八世紀，御窯的青花和單色釉棱面瓷器數量大增，足證當時的窯燒技術已臻上乘。

此等佳妙之作應是為裝點宮廷而燒製的御瓷，北京紫禁城儲秀宮內仍有一對近似的六方尊，二者曾亮相於2012年央視
紀錄片《故宮100》第68集。儲秀宮於明代落成，地處西六宮之東北角，乃妃嬪居所。該處原名壽昌宮，嘉靖年間（公元
1522-66年）始易今名。另一近似例為南京博物院珍藏，著錄於《中國清代官窯瓷器》頁212（上海：2003）；國內知名學
者耿寶昌在其扛鼎之作《明清瓷器鑒定》（香港：1993）中亦曾收錄一件近似之作，圖見頁274圖版469。

松岡美術館藏中也有一例六方尊，圖見《松岡美術館藏名品圖錄》圖版102（東京：1975）。拍場上亮相的近似例寥寥
可數，香港佳士得曾於1998年4月27日拍出（拍品編號724）拍出一例，其形狀、大小與紋飾俱與本拍品十分接近，現為
莊紹綏先生珍藏，圖見《中國瓷器：莊紹綏收藏》頁118-9編號36（香港：2009）（圖三）。

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