Page 96 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018

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

in which palace eunuchs were organized; headed by a eunuch Director …
responsible for preparing ! ne wood and ivory objects for the Emperor’s use”, Շᜦѩ׵᎕௅ᗪʬο܁ᅃಛdࠬࣸၾ͉ۜ޴
but – as these jars attest – also works in other media. ڐd̤໇˜੿္͜ி™ಛdᗇ׼͉ۜމ੿
္͜הႡfኽ Charles O Hucker ࠑd੿
This way of emphasizing the reign mark and the mention of the government ္͜ɗ׼ಃɤɚ္ʘɓdϞ౛Ι˄္dɨ
o$ ce responsible for a work’s production are highly unusual for Chinese ண˄္΢ࡰd౛ிެ܎ה͜˝ኜʿ൥˫ኜ
works of art and suggest an elevated status for the pieces thus inscribed. ഃd͵ᏐႡՉ˼΢ᗳኜd͉ۜуމРᗇdԈ
Similar measures only come to mind from pure gold items manufactured in A Dictionary of O$ cial Titles in Imperial
China‘d౶վ၅d1985ϋdࠫ595dᇜ໮
the Yongle (1403-1424) and the brief Hongxi period (1425) that preceded the
8213f
Xuande reign, recovered from the mausoleum of one of the Hongxi Emperor’s
sons; several gold objects excavated there were inscribed with the name of Ν໇ϋಛʿ္ிዚ࿴ʘኜdხމᒻԈd̙પ಻
the Jewelry Service (Yinzuoju), an o$ ce manufacturing gold and silver wares ήЗڢɭdڐᗳʘኜdאසԈ׵͑ᆀeݳဢ
for palace use, similarly headed by palace eunuchs, see Liang Zhu, ed., Liang ږኜf༈ᗳږኜ̈ɺІݳဢ܎ެɿ௒ྥd੭
Zhuang wang mu/Mausoleum of Prince Liang Zhuangwang, Beijing, 2007, vol. ˜ვЪ҅™ಛfვЪ҅dਖ਼މࢗҒႡږeვ
ኜd͟˄္౛၍dԈ૑ݒd૑୿ˮྥ‘d̏
1, pp. 32-35.
ԯd2007ϋd՜1dࠫ32 35f
The champlevé technique, where design or inscription are cast or carved
ᗪߣ೗๻d˸ᛟeՍ˙όЪུdၾỻക೗๻
into the metal body of the vessel rather than being composed of soldered-
ỻകϓ७ʔΝfϤҦج׵܁ᅃɓಃ฽މӼ
on wires, as in the cloisonné technique, was extremely rarely employed in ԈfԈ̏ԯ݂ࢗ௹ي৫ϗᔛɓ܁ᅃଷԷdஷ
the Xuande reign; yet the Palace Museum, Beijing, holds one unique box of ᜗ᗪᇳ७d੭ಛd༱׵݂⭓௹ي৫ᔛ˖ي
Xuande mark and period entirely decorated with lotus scrolls in champlevé; ޜۜΌණ·ږ᙮ߣ೗๻ኜ‘d࠰ಥd2002ϋd
see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied ྡو31f̤̙Ԉɓᗳỻക೗๻ᘟԷdᘟЀ݄
Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 31; and champlevé was also used to ᗪߣ೗๻dAvery Brundage ϗᔛɓԷdତ
πᔚږʆԭݲᖵஔ௹ي᎜d༱׵Cloisonné
decorate the handles of cloisonné incense burners, such as one from the
Chinese Enamels from the Yuan Ming and
Avery Brundage collection in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, see
Qing Dynasties‘dBard Graduate Centerd
Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, Bard
ॲߒd2011ϋdᇜ໮23ʿࠫ6dྡ1 6iࠫ153d
Graduate Center, New York, 2011, cat. no. 23, and p. 6, ! g. 1.6; p. 153, ! g. 8.3; ྡ8 3i̤ˢՇԷdUldry ϗᔛdԈ Brinker
and two in the Uldry collection, see Brinker & Lutz, op.cit., cat. nos 13 and 15. ʿ Lutzdۃࠑ̈ஈdᇜ໮13ʿ 15f
The reign mark on Xuande cloisonné wares was more typically engraved into ܁ᅃზߣỻക೗๻ኜd੭ಛ٫εމՍಛd໇
the metal body, on the underside of the vessel or its cover. On the present ׵ኜֵאႊֵf͉ۜႊଷֵ௅d͵Ԉ܁ᅃϋ
box a second mark, ! nely incised, appears on the base. Xuande marks ಛdуމՍಛfਞϽɓ܁ᅃՍಛԷdᔛ̏ԯ
݂ࢗ௹ي৫d૶ࢗᔚᔛd༱݂⭓௹ي৫ᔛ
written in this style appear also on the base of a box and cover decorated with
˖يޜۜΌණ‘dۃࠑ̈ஈd2002ϋdྡ
melons, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, from the Qing court collection, see
و32i̤ˢɓԷd̈Іɽၪ·۾ဧϗᔛdତπ
The Complete Collection of Treasures, op.cit., 2002, pl. 32; and twice on the
׵ˋኇༀུᖵஔ௹ي᎜dႊʫʿଷֵѩԈՍ
beautiful ‘crab-apple’ box from the David David-Weill collection in the Musée ಛdԈ׵ Bard Graduate Center ࢝ᚎྡ፽d
des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, once inside the cover and once on the base, see ۃࠑ̈ஈd2011ϋdᇜ໮26ʿࠫ20dྡ2 4f
the Bard Graduate Center exhibition catalogue, op.cit., 2011, cat. no. 26, and
੭ಛ܁ᅃỻക೗๻ኜdމʕ਷ზߣỻക೗๻
p. 20, ! g. 2.4.
ৎ๕౤ԶəʔنྼᗇfᒱዝԸኪஔޢεϞપ
Cloisonné vessels of Xuande mark and period are the ! rst securely datable ಻ʕ਷Ϙίʩ˾ʊϞỻക೗๻d್֐୞සࠢ
׵ίࠬࣸɪආБሞᓙdԨೌᆽྼᗇኽd݂Ї
Chinese pieces executed in this technique. Although the existence of Yuan
ʦϤᝈᓃʥεϞنᙄ€Ԉ Béatrice Quette ী
(1279-1368) or other pre-Xuande cloisonné has long been postulated,
ሞdBard Graduate Center ࢝ᚎྡ፽dۃࠑ
attempts of attribution are so far based almost purely on stylistic evidence
̈ஈdࠫ31 34f
without much attention to material and technical considerations and are still
in debate (see the discussion by Béatrice Quette in the Bard Graduate Center
exhibition catalogue, op.cit., pp. 31-34).