Page 95 - Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Works Of Art May 30 2022

doucai charger, decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, from the
imperial collection in the Nanjing Museum (illustrated in Qing Imperial
Porcelain of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Nanjing, 1995,
no. 104) and an almost identical charger in the Shanghai Museum
(see Imperial Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum, The Hague, 2011,
pp. 102-3, no. 71) only have diameters of 50.7 cm. and 51 cm.,
respectively -both smaller than the vase. Only the famous Qianlong
doucai flask with a design of a farmer ploughing his fields (inspired
by the 1696 Yuzhi Gengzhi tu, Imperially Commissioned Pictures of
Tilling and Weaving) in the collection of the Tianjin Museum of
Art (illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan – Taoci juan, Taipei,
1993, p. 442, no. 936) and the Taber Family tianqiuping vase from the
Philbrook Museum of art, sold by Christie’s Hong Kong 30 May 2018,
Lot 8888 (fig. 3)are of comparable size to the current Williams vase.
At first sight the decoration on the current vase appears to be comprised
of complex and exotic floral scrolls. However closer examination
reveals that many ruyi heads have been also been incorporated into the
design. The ruyi motif, based on the form of a lingzhi fungus, indicates
a wish for ‘everything as you wish’ and was a popular motif for imperial
birthdays. On this vase ruyi bands can be seen around the lip of the
vase as well as at the junction between neck and shoulder. They also
appear at a number of points within the floral scrolls themselves. In
addition, four bold gold-coloured swastikas, wan 卍, have been applied
to the body of the vase. This Buddhist symbol entered China from
India, and in AD 693 was declared the source of all auspiciousness
by Empress Wu. In later dynasties it became a popular symbol of
good luck. The combination of the ruyi and the wan symbols supports
fig. 3 Sold at Christie’s Hong Kong 30 May 2018, Lot 8888 the likelihood of this magnificent vase having been produced for an
圖三 香港佳士得，2018年5月30日，拍品8888號 imperial birthday.

頗堪玩味的是，北京故宮博物院迄今似乎僅發表過一例器身高於本拍品的近似例，這是一件鬥彩描金進寶圖乾隆瓶
(高71.5公分)，圖見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集38：五彩、鬥彩》頁274編號251(香港：1999)。即便是北京故宮著名的乾
隆鬥彩龍紋抱月瓶，其通高(49.5公分)亦不及本拍品，圖見E. S. Rawski與J. Rawson合編的《盛世華章》展覽圖錄頁294-5
編號217(倫敦：2005)；南京博物院有一例清宮舊藏乾隆鬥彩八吉祥紋大盤，上海博物館也有一例如出一轍的藏品，其直
徑分別為50.7及51公分，兩者的體量均不及本拍品，前者圖見《清瓷萃珍：清代康雍乾官窯瓷器》編號104(南京：1995)，
後者載於《Imperial Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum》頁102-3編號71(海牙：2011)。器型之大能與韋氏瓶相提並論
者僅有二例：一者為天津博物館著名的乾隆鬥彩耕織圖瓶(其圖紋應脫胎於1696年繪製的《御製耕織圖》，圖見《中國
文物精華大全：陶瓷卷》頁442編號936(臺北：1993)；另一例是費布克美術館(Philbrook Museum of art)的泰貝家族珍藏
天球瓶，此器於2018年5月30日經香港佳士得拍出(拍品編號8888)（圖三）。

乍看之下，本拍品似乎通體皆飾具異域風情的細巧勾蓮紋。但若細心玩味，便會發現當中糅合了許多如意雲頭紋。如意
雲頭由靈芝紋演化而來，喻指「萬事如意」，是宮中習見的慶壽題材。就本拍品而言，如意雲頭紋除了環飾瓶口一匝，
頸肩交接處也有其芳蹤。再者，纏枝花卉紋中也有它的身影。此外，瓶身還以四個描金卍字為點綴。卍字這一佛教標識
從印度傳入中土，武則天曾於公元693年譽之為「吉祥萬德之所集」。自此，卍字成為了歷朝歷代喜聞樂見的禎祥符號。
本季呈獻的典藏級大瓶兼具如意雲頭紋與卍字，進一步證實了此乃皇家賀禮之觀點。

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