Page 65 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018

his dish is a picture-book example that embodies the beauty and
͑ᆀڡڀɮࠋସΤd͉ۜഷڀόᆵвᘆѸ̷d outstanding quality of blue-and-white wares from the Yongle reign
ନሯၚԄd̙ఘ຅ಃ຾Պfݳ؛ࣛಂ׵౻ᅃᕄ T (1403-1424), arguably the best period for the production of porcelain
ண੿㜺ᅀd͟ಃҒ္Ⴁ˸ආɪ˙dۃಂႡЪ೹ decorated in underglaze cobalt blue. Under the strict supervision of the court,
Ⴥ௝جdЇ͑ᆀಃd္၍ᘌࣸdߣeཊe੹ѩɽ the imperial porcelain kilns at Jingdezhen radically improved the materials
ϞҷආdהႡ˚ጲၚഛfڡڀନ೯࢝Ї͑ᆀɓ
used for throwing, glazing and painting in this period, which in the preceding
ಃdʊՈ஝Փd֛ᅵᅺ๟dतЍᒻ׼dމʕ਷ዝ Hongwu reign (1368-1398) had still led to a somewhat haphazard production
̦ɪ௰աપਫ਼Τۜʘɓf͉ۜᆵྼމ͑ᆀڡڀ
line. By the Yongle period blue-and-white had developed a reliable standard
ҁߕᇍԷjᆵֵ९ߣdᚣߣஈฆع˦ͩߎdཊࠦ
ᆦᆗ৪ڡd˸ᘽ௦ᕎڡᖭུdዢᜮ፴ͦdϤᗳཋ and a distinct identity that made it one of the most highly revered ceramic
ࣘబў᚛ሯdጐࣘஈ຾ደႡܝ׵ኜڌኑഐϓල wares throughout history. The present dish displays to perfection the features
౴dуהፗʘ˜᚛ᙔ౴™f that characterize Yongle blue-and-white: the orange tone of the body, where it
remained exposed, the bluish tinge of the transparent glaze, the bright cobalt
ڀ̓७ഷڀόᆵd͵᙮͑ᆀಃՊۨᅵόfிۨe blue, and particularly the tendency of the iron-rich pigment to ! re through the
७ུᒱ͊୭ݳ؛ಃʘਿ͉࣪ݖd್͑ᆀΝᗳᆵ
׵΢˙ࠦѩϞהᄣආfݳ؛ࣛಂdϤᗳᆵᆵː glaze to form blackish spots on the surface, known as ‘heaping and piling’.
Ԉɓ̉ᐑd˸ᖢໄްຐd͜ЪຐϖfЇ͑ᆀdՉ The barbed shape and the painted " ower design are equally characteristic of
ו׳ްຐʘ͜௄Ꮠ͊һҷdШᆵː̻վd̉ᐑ
ʊʔూίd݂Ͼቇ͜ᇍఖฏᄿd್ԈϤࣛᆵː this great period. Although both are directly derived from Hongwu prototypes,
ɓਸ਼ᇳᖙʘᖭجd̮ᄱʫ॥dଫϞ仑೵dՈ፹ൖ in the Yongle period they were equally improved in every respect. Hongwu
ชdʥ૧ڌତ̉ᐑʘൖࣖf prototypes were molded as cup stands, with the ring of petal panels painted
onto a raised ring in the centre that would hold the cup. Dishes such as the
ݳ؛ɓಃdഷڀόᆵމᅼᏀϓҖd݂ɹض༰ێd present one are also believed to have been intended for this purpose, but with
ұضeഷԉe↉঑ʿֹ̇ஈ༰މφቚf͑ᆀഷ
their " at centers would obviously have been much more universally useable.
ڀόᆵdۆബ࢝Ⴠᑛdᗙᇝ෥ᆗdϜᇞݓᇠf࿁
ˢɓݳ؛ᆵԷd̈ɺ׵׼˾੿㜺፲ѧdಀ࢝Ԩ The way the short petal panels are painted, however, has a trompe-l’oeil e# ect,
፽׵౻ᅃᕄ̈ɺ׼ڋ֜㜺ନኜ‘dᒿᐤߕஔ also suggesting a raised ring.
᎜d̨̏d1996ϋdᇜ໮17f
In the Hongwu period, the bracket shape, created by double molds, had sharp
angles, ridges and grooves, and a thick, angular rim. In the Yongle reign, the
brackets – in China likened to the form of the water caltrop (ling) – were much
softened and the rim became broader and thinner, with a well-rounded edge;
for the Hongwu prototype compare a dish excavated from the Ming imperial
kiln site, included in the exhibition Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain
Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 17.