Page 35 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018
P. 35

ྡɓ ૶འ͍ɖϋ ِ̚ྡ€҅௅         Fig. 1  Detail of the Guwantu (‘Pictures
                                                                         ˓՜ ணЍॷ͉                  of Antiquities’), handscroll, ink
                                                                         © ၪεлԭձڛဧЬत௹ي᎜d          and colors on paper, Qing dynasty,
                                                                         ࡐ౱                       Yongzheng period, 1729 © Victoria
                                                                                                  and Albert Museum, London














































                                                               his impressive imperial Yongle kundika, or ‘sweet dew vase’ (ganluping),
              ͉ۜ͑ᆀ੿Ⴁڡڀ͚ᚣଧdޜ೽ᗭ੻dᏐމ֘                             appears to be unique, although a vessel of this form and design – if not
              ۜfའ͍ϋගd૶ࢗ੿ᔛɓԷdԈ׵འ͍ɖϋ                        T this very piece – still appears to be have been in the imperial collection
              הᖭِ̚ྡ‘dኜҖ७ུޫΝd͵א͍މ͉                        during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1723-1735). The $ ask is
              ଧfϤྡତᔛࡐ౱ၪεлԭձڛဧЬत௹ي                         depicted in one of the Guwantu (‘Pictures of antiquities’), painted in the
              ᎜i፽ੰጶёd”The  Yongzheng  Emperor  (r.
                                                          seventh year of the Yongzheng period, 1729, and now in the Victoria & Albert
              1723-1735)•dTransactions of the Oriental
                                                          Museum, London, which records some 250 ceramics and other works of art
              Ceramic  Society‘d՜80d2015 16ϋdࠫ129
                                                          apparently from the imperial collection; see Regina Krahl, ‘The Yongzheng
              dྡ8e€ྡɓf
                                                          Emperor and the Qing Court Collection’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic
              ͉ۜଧͦۃ֠͊Ԉ˼Էπ˰d್̙ˢ༰ɓ޴ᗳ                        Society, vol. 80, 2015-16, p. 129, ! g. 8 e (! g. 1).
              ͑ᆀଋ˥ଧԷdҼ᎕ᄱ໖d໖Ъٜݴd͵މ৷ԑ
              ிۨd̈І H R N  NortoneᏖᆗᓈʿᖯ௫s೜                While no other blue-and-white $ asks of this form appear to be recorded from
              ږ཭ϗᔛdਯ׵࠰ಥᘽబˢ2016ϋ4˜6˚dᇜ                     the Yongle reign, this piece recalls another extremely rare ‘holy water vessel’
              ໮15€ྡɚf                                    from this period, made for use in Buddhist rituals, of pear-shaped form and
                                                          with a long, thin spout, but also raised on an elaborate stepped pedestal, from
              ͉ଧኜҖdЇˇ̙๑๕Їʞ˾ࣛಂfࣛהᖭᝈ
              ࠪ೥྅dу̙Ԉ˓ܵϤᗳଧ٫fϤ̮d࠰ಥᘽబ                       the collections of H.R.N. Norton, J.T. Tai and Roger Pilkington, sold in our Hong
              ˢಀਯɓ΁̏҂ᘴψ㜺ଋ˥ଧdኜҖڐΝd฽                        Kong rooms, 6th April 2016, lot 15 (! g. 2).
              ՉޜӼd̈І  Charles  E   Russell  ʿᖯ௫s೜
              ږ཭ϗᔛdਯ׵2016ϋ4˜6˚dᇜ໮5dྡ፽ʕ                    The present form can be traced back to holy water bottles depicted in
              ̤࿁ϤኜҖ̋˸ሞࠑdࠫ30f                              paintings at least since the Five Dynasties period (907-960) in the hands of
                                                          the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. An important example from the Yaozhou kilns
                                                          of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), from the collection of Charles E.
                                                          Russell, was also in the Pilkington collection and sold in our Hong Kong rooms
                                                          6th April 2016, lot 5, where this shape is discussed in the catalogue, p. 30.
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