Page 105 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018

A CHENGHUA IMPERIAL ‘LOTUS’ BOTTLE

ϓʷ੿Ⴁڡڀᚂ،ڀᇳᖙɹଧ

By Regina Krahl ੰጶё

he short Chenghua reign (1465-1487) is renowned as one of the most
׼ϓʷɓಃዝࣛᒱ೵dۍίʕ਷Ⴁନ̦ɪᗅ remarkable periods of China’s porcelain production, where the body
ᄳ̈əɓݬᆪᐓٙෂփf ࣛ౻ᅃᕄ੿㜺ה͜ T and glaze materials used at the Jingdezhen imperial kilns reached
ନߣeཊࣘѩ᙮ЇጲdᖵΘ௴ܠѶจdอۜ the highest quality and where the potters were particularly inventive in
ᄴ̈fᝈ͉ۜଧd७ུዹतdၚʈ̷Ⴁd their designs. The present bottle – an extremely rare upright vessel from
᙮ϓʷ੿㜺฽Ӽͭ΁dˈމ೽ޜfঅᘒ׹΋
the imperial manufacture of this period – is most unusually fashioned and
͛׵׼૶ନኜᛡ֛‘ɓࣣʕ˸੹ྡ༱፽Ϥ
masterfully executed. Geng Baochang, who illustrates it in colour in his
ଧdԨ၈Չމ˜ϓʷࣛಂڡڀኜٙՊۨ™
standard work on Ming and Qing porcelain, calls this bottle a model example
(׼૶ନኜᛡ֛‘d࠰ಥd1993ϋdࠫ88)f
(dianxing) of Chenghua blue-and-white (Ming Qing ciqi jianding [Appraisal of
ϓʷନኜd˸ཊሯᆦ๞νകe׼ᆗଋጰԈ Ming and Qing porcelain], Hong Kong, 1993, p. 88).
၈d፯ҿ฽ၚdᝈʘ૶್dᅨʘጒ׋d˼ಃ
ନኜ฿ʔ̙ʿd͉ଧ͍᙮ጲԷf The most distinctive feature of Chenghua porcelain is its superb, smooth,
silky texture, which derives from an extremely pure material and is a delight
ϓʷନʕͭ΁฽ˇdԈϓʷନኜत࢝ྡ
not only for the eyes, but also to the touch, and unequalled by porcelains from
፽‘d̨ᝄ݂ࢗ௹ي৫d̨̏d2003ϋd
any other period. The tactility of its surface is one of the features immediately
ৰʃۨႊᜦʿɓʃੂడ̮dуೌ࢝̈Չ˼ͭ
΁f noticeable when holding this piece.
The Chenghua period is not noted for its production of vases or any upright
shapes and no such pieces, except for small covered jars and one small
unmarked wine ewer, are included, for example, in the exhibition catalogue of
Chenghua porcelains from the imperial collection now in Taiwan, Chenghua
ciqi tezhan tulu/Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch’eng-hua Porcelain
Ware, 1465-1487, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2003.