Page 71 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018

he Yongle reign (1403-24) is renowned for having dramatically innovated
׼͑ᆀɓಃdନุཻସdး˴௴อfࣛ౻ᅃᕄ China’s porcelain production. One of its unique creations was the ‘sweet-
੿㜺௴ደ଩ͣཊନdᆦͣ९ଋdၚʈՙഒdމϤ T white’ glaze, which enabled the manufacture of the most exquisite, pure
ಃዹ௴f͑ᆀ܎ጙւН઺dϾ˜ͣ™ɓЍ׵Нԫ white porcelain ever made by the Jingdezhen imperial kilns of Jiangxi province.
ᄃό̌߰˳ʆd݂݊ͣନඩሳ௪աࢗҒڡຕf Since white was a ‘color’ of the utmost importance for ritual use in Buddhist
ceremonies, which the Yongle Emperor strongly patronized, the re! nement of
͑ᆀ଩ͣdཊࣘतࣿdʔԈ˼ۜdഒڢ౷ஷೌ
७९ନfڡڀନཊd˸૶ᆋeೌЍeΈᆦމɪd white porcelain vessels was of particular interest to the court.
఻૧ீ׼d߉̈७ུd್ఊЍͣཊኜۆ˸ཊʘ
ЍዣeശሾeᙃชϾሞf͑ᆀͣཊdཊᄴ૮ێ Yongle porcelains with ‘sweet-white’ (tianbai) glaze are not simply porcelains
ᇘ੗dଫᜑԪዤd๝ੈޮྼdථඩ଩ጰfNigel without painted decoration. If the ideal glaze for blue-and-white porcelain is
Wood (Chinese Glazes. Their Origins, clear, colorless and translucent, i.e. basically invisible, to bring out the blue
Chemistry and Recreation‘dࡐ౱d1999 decoration to best e# ect, the beauty of a monochrome white piece depends
ϋdࠫ66) ၈଩ͣཊࣘ઄˸ཊͩႡϓdཊϲ͜ඎ on the tone, sheen and feel of its glaze. Yongle white wares are glazed with a
ฆ˷ՉฆdϤϞй׵ዝ˾ͣཊʿΝಃڡڀ͜ཊf particularly lush and mellow, slightly opaque, tactile white glaze, that was not
used for any other wares, which gives the porcelain a warm, opulent presence.
ሞʿኜҖe७ུd଩ͣନၾڡڀନԨБʔࣁf͉
ᆵᆵːЪڀόකΈdʫུᖸ໢໧ൃྡdᐑ˸ұ Nigel Wood (Chinese Glazes. Their Origins, Chemistry and Recreation, London,
،ڀ؈ᜳٺ७dޫ׵ߣɪၚʵ୚ՍϾܝ݄ཊd 1999, p.66) describes the ‘sweet-white’ glaze as consisting almost entirely of
ᇞૢʱ׼d֟߰അᖭϾϓfˢɓڡڀಞኜԷd७ ‘glaze stone’ with little or no ‘glaze ash’, di# erent from white glazes employed
ུ޴Νd׼੿㜺㜺ѧ̈ɺd࢝׵౻ᅃᕄ̈ɺ׼ in other periods and from glazes used for contemporary blue-and-white.
ڋ֜㜺ନኜ‘dᒿᐤߕஔ᎜d̨̏d1996ϋdᇜ
໮55d࢝ᚎ၈Ϥᗳᆵאމഷڀόʃްʘֵϖd Sweet-white porcelains were made side-by-side with blue-and-white wares
̙ԈɓԷdᇜ໮56dၾۃԷΝ፽ɓஈi׼֜㜺፲ and largely share their shapes and designs. On the present dish the charming
ѧʕd͑ᆀڋϋήᄴ̤Ԉ଩ͣཊᆵɓԷdҖՓe design of grape vines within a lobed panel and surrounding fruit, " ower and
ɽʃ޴߰dΈ९ೌ७dאΪཊࠦක˪Ͼቊ૝d̈
lingzhi sprays is delicately incised into the body before application of the glaze,
ஈΝɪdᇜ໮115f
but is distinct and clear to see, as if drawn with a pen. For a blue-and-white
counterpart of the same design, see a fragmentary dish recovered from the
waste heaps of the Ming imperial kilns, included in the exhibition Imperial
Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation,
Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 55, where it is suggested that such dishes may have been
used as stands for small bracket-lobed cups, an example of which, cat. no. 56,
is illustrated together with it; the early Yongle stratum of the Ming imperial kiln
sites have also brought to light an undecorated ‘sweet-white’ dish of this form
and size, which may have been rejected due to its glaze crazing, ibid., cat. no.
115.