Page 42 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018

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

While many porcelains of the Yongle period were created speci! cally for
diplomatic missions, to be distributed as imperial gifts to foreign potentates, ͑ᆀɓಃdᄿකᖛਹdւБஷԴd੬˸ନۜ
and are characterized by larger sizes and a bolder aesthetic approach, more ሧሮ̮ԞdהႡኜεˉʂ၂ɽd७ུࠬࣸ͵
delicate and sophisticated wares such as this jar, were produced at the same ଫ਋୑ᖄf್̤ԈӸඩၚᆞʘۜdۆዹމ׼
time to cater to the needs of the imperial family and the court at large in the ҒϾደdԶ׵ެ܃d˸ޮอேf͉ۜႊᜦd
ࡡᏐЪ൧ಒɿʘ͜dאಀໄ׵ެ܎྾ࢗഃ
new palace buildings in Beijing. The present jar, which was probably designed to
ஈdࢷி୚Ⴁdהደ฽ˇf
hold chess pieces, may have been destined for the Emperor’s private quarters
towards the back of the Forbidden City. Such pieces were made with the Ϥࣛಂ੿㜺ɽᑔ௴อd༊ደʔΝཊЍdڐЍʘ
greatest care, in very small numbers. ۜd͵ᘌ̋ਜʱd˸ጲϓЍၚ๟fࣛอ௴Ϥഃڡ
ཊۜ၇ʔɨɧᗳdྼيཊЍ̙ԈࢨମdϾසԈͪ
Many di$ erent glaze colors were experimented with at the imperial kilns during ྡۆ฿ᗭਜʱfГ˙ѩਗ਼Ϥᗳཊ၈މ̆ڡཊd
this period, and even closely related, yet clearly distinguishable shades could Ͼʕ਷ۆϞһ༉ᗳʱf
be created with daunting precision. No less than three types of pale greenish
ՉɓፗၯڡdЍ௰Գdၯ၀ᄮྲdᆦڥΈ
glazes, for example, appear to have been developed and employed side by side
ᆗfՉɚމ̆ڡא؇ڡd༰ટڐ౷ஷڡཊd
in the Yongle reign, all of which look rather di$ erent in real life, but less so in
ཊЍฆฆ৪රdཊሯଫˇ೷ڥdᏐจͷᎲ
illustrations. In the West all three are thus generally referred to as ‘wintergreen’. ݰd̙Ԉ͑ᆀ৷ԑ䋘ԷfՉɧڡͣd̙Ԉ䋘
In China, however, they are clearly di$ erentiated by di$ erent terms. Էdฮڀྌᇳ७dಀε஗ᓙЇɤʞ˰ߏ΢
ಃdʦʕ਷౷ཁႩމ຅᙮͑ᆀdจͷ҂ڡͣ
The sparkling bluish-green glaze of the present jar – arguably the most ନf
desirable and the most prestigious green hue – is in China called cuiqing. Cui
means ‘king! sher’ and is used to denote any kind of blue green reminiscent
of the bird’s plumage, for example, that of a kind of green bamboo, or that of
jadeite. What in China is generally called ‘wintergreen’ (dongqing), but also
‘Eastern green’ (dongqing written with a di$ erent dong character), is a more
typical celadon color, more yellowish and less glassy, probably intended to
imitate Longquan celadon, which is known from Yongle stem bowls. Finally, a
paler, more watery, bluish-tinged glaze is seen on some deep conical bowls with
incised lotus scrolls, which have been attributed to various ! fteenth-century
periods and in China are now generally dated to the Yongle reign. That glaze is
called qingbai (‘bluish- or greenish-white’), thus again relating it to a ware of the
past.