Page 18 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018

16 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 20 MARCH 2018 MING: LUMINOUS DAWN OF EMPIRE

The Ottoman court in Istanbul was particularly keen on the rich, lustrous green
glaze of celadon and the large size of the vessels suited Middle Eastern eating ᎲݰڡନཊሯቐێᆦᆗdཊЍᇼၠॱଋdଉա
habits perfectly. Highly treasured, the best pieces were strictly reserved for the ෳ౶ਟࢗҒፋຕdɦΪՉኜۨ၂ɽdܦၾʕ؇
sultan and for special occasions. Valued and prized, they were o# ered as part ήਜ˜΍࠮™ʘභ࠮୦࿕ҁߕ۰Υf݂ᎲݰѶ
of their princesses’ dowries or as rewards for outstanding services. ۜᄆ࠽ஹ۬dൖ߰ုᘒd஗Ѽഛڭπ׵ެࢗdઓ
ᘽʗ̙Ԯdא༾ެ࢕ସɽఙΥ˙̙Դ͜d͵Ъ
Representations of pomegranates, fertility symbols both in China and in the ʮ˴̈෴ʘ෴ѱdאމ̌Ѕࢸሧʘሮيf
Middle East, from where the tree reportedly had been introduced to China,
ͩ࿹ࡡପ׵ʕ؇dభจεɿd݂ˏආʕ਷ܝd༹
are popular wedding presents. The composition of pomegranates in the
৛ડՉމ੎෴ʘΛୂᗍᓿfϤᆵᆵːྌՍͩ࿹
center together with various $ ower motifs at the well, displayed on the present ७dᆵኣ੗ུڀ̓७ɓ඄dϤছ७ུଡ଼Υ฽މ
dish, is very rare. Pomegranate designs on dishes are unusual. Compare two ӼԈfͩ࿹७ᆵʊʔ੬ԈdᎲݰ㜺፲ѧ̈ɺՇಞ
excavated dish fragments unearthed in Longquan, in Ye Yingting and Hua Էd̙༟ˢ༰d፽׵໢ߵ࣎ʿശڠ༵d೯ତj
Yunong, Faxian: Da Ming Chuzhou Longquan guanyao [Discovery: Imperial ɽ׼ஈψᎲݰ֜㜺‘d؄ψd2005ϋdࠫ251
ware of the great Ming dynasty from Longquan in Chuzhou], Hangzhou, ʿ280dΝࣣ̤̊Ԭ஢Չ˼७ུᆵʿಞ˪dࠫ
240 251ʿ272 283fͩ࿹७͵ུ׵Ꮂݰͭኜd
2005, p. 251 and p. 280, as well as dishes and dish fragments incised with
Էν̨̏਷݂ͭࢗ௹ي৫൧ɓ͗డ݆ଧd̊׵
a variety of other designs, pp. 240-251 and pp. 272-283. The pomegranate
၀ၠ{׼˾Ꮂݰ㜺ڡନ‘d̨̏d2015ϋdᇜ
design is otherwise known on upright vessels such as a yuhuchun vase in the
໮58f
National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Tsai Mei-fen, ed., Bilü – Mingdai
Longquan yao qingci /Green – Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, ͉ۜᆵኣུ΢ᗳڀ̓dΝᗳ ७ᅵ ᆵ͵̙ፗ
2015, no. 58. ᄰ߰݋ԕiઓԈԬ஢ఊུұ،ീڀ७٫dν
ϖ౷̔ˢࢗ௹ي᎜πɓ΁Ꮂݰᆵdᆵːུڀ
The decoration of various $ ower motifs at the well is extremely rare. Only ؈७d༱׵ੰጶёdChinese Ceramics in
chrysanthemum sprays appear to be known, as on the large dishes with the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul‘d
ࡐ౱d1986ϋd՜ɚdᇜ໮233 239fۃ˖౤ʿ
di# erent fruit and $ owering plant designs in the center, illustrated in Regina
ʘไݸ֧㜺ѧdɰಀ̈ɺ޴Чീڀ७ུᆵʿନ
Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1986,
˪dШᆵː७ུ޴ମdྡԈᎲݰɽ㜺ไݸ֧
vol I, nos. 233-9. The dishes and fragments excavated at the Fengdongyan
㜺ѧ̈ɺନኜ‘d̏ԯd2009ϋdࠫ55 62f
kiln site at Dayao in Longquan, Zhejiang province, are similarly decorated
with solely chrysanthemum sprays, encircling a variety of incised patterns in ༐್Ꮂݰ㜺ၾΝࣛಂ౻ᅃᕄႡڡڀʿཊ㛪ߎኜ
ί७ᅵɪϞഹ੗ʲᑌᖩdШͦۃ֠͊೯ତၾ͉
the center, see Longquan Dayao Fengdongyan yaozhi chutu ciqi [Porcelains
ۜ޴Νʘڡڀאཊ㛪ߎᆵf̙ਞϽɓڡڀᆵdɽ
excavated from the Fengdongyan kiln site at Dayao, Longquan], Beijing, 2009,
ʃ޴߰dᆵːᖭӫʗ७d̬մུ΢ᗳڀ̓७d̈
pp. 55-62.
ɺ׵౻ᅃᕄमʆ؇ژ᎘੿㜺ఙ፲ѧݳ؛ήᄴd
ତᔛ̏ԯ݂ࢗ௹ي৫d࢝Ԩ፽׵׼˾ݳ؛͑
Although Longquan patterns were closely linked to those of Jingdezhen,
ᆀ੿㜺ନኜ‘d̏ԯd2015ϋdᇜ໮20dΝࣣ͵
blue-and-white or underglaze-red counterparts of the present dish are yet
༱ɓཊ㛪ߎᆵԷdˉʂଫɽdᇜ໮21f̨̏਷ͭ
to be discovered. Compare a blue-and-white dish of similar size excavated
݂ࢗ௹ي৫൧ɓڡڀᆵdᆵːᖭീڀ७ུdఖ
from the Hongwu stratum at the Imperial kiln site at Dongmentou, Zhushan, ུᚂ،ᇳ७d̊׵࢝ᚎྡ፽ᔝͣሾ݈{{৫
Jingdezhen, now in the Palace Museum, Beijing, with a design of di# erent ᔛ׼˾ନኜ࢝‘d̨̏d2016ϋdᇜ໮6f
$ ower sprays, but with a central painting of peony included in the exhibition
Mingdai Hongwu Yongle Yuyao Ciqi/Imperial Porcelains from the Reigns of
Hongwu and Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2015, cat. no. 20 and a
somewhat larger underglaze-red example, cat. no. 21. Another blue-and-white
dish in the National Palace Museum in Taipei with a chrysanthemum design
in the center and lotus sprays at the sides, was included in the exhibition
Lanbai Huiying. Yuan cang Mingdai qinghuaci zhan/Radiating Hues of Blue and
White. Ming Dynasty Blue-and-White Porcelains in the National Palace Museum
Collection, Taipei, 2016, cat. no. 6.