Page 164 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Song Ceramics

This meiping can be considered one of the major masterpieces 此梅瓶器形端秀，釉色斑駁，堪稱江西吉州窰傳世精品。
of the Jizhou kilns in Jiangxi province. Although the serene 乳白及赤褐色在棕黑釉上蜿蜒流動，是為吉州窰特色，
shape of this vase and the mottled glaze, with its irregular cream 但只有少數釉色斑紋如此流麗精巧，妙趣天成。且梅瓶大器甚
and russet-coloured markings on a lustrous dark brown ground, 少，此瓶比例精妙，器形流暢，屬罕見珍品。此釉色又稱鷓鴣
are characteristic of the kilns’ production, the patterned glaze has 斑，若琥珀色斑紋較多，則稱玳瑁斑，乃吉州窰匠精心創製，
rarely turned out as successfully as on this piece, and vases of 工藝複雜。瓷匠須於器表均勻施釉，並隨意摻灑含高釉灰量之
this type are rarely as large and superbly proportioned. This glaze 斑點，上品色斑渾然天成，有如鷓鴣翎羽或玳瑁龜殼。此類紋
pattern, in China generally known as ‘partridge’ (zhegu) or, with 飾意仿自然，切合南宋文人意趣。
more amber-coloured splashes, ‘tortoiseshell’ (daimei) mottling,
is one of the highly creative and technically challenging decorative 吉州窰瓷雖以盌類為大宗，但南宋末年至元朝年間亦偶見少量
techniques developed at the Jizhou kilns by evenly covering the 立件。其時梅瓶之器形比例已稍遜前代，可參考韓國新安沉
surface of the vessel with an irregular pattern of ash-rich glaze 船發掘所得一例；此船載有大量中國瓷器，在駛往日本途中沉
splashes to achieve a naturalistic effect reminiscent of the spotted 沒，時約元朝至治三年，參閱《新安船》，卷2，韓國國立海洋
pattern of partridge feathers or hawksbill turtle shells. Such 博物館，木浦，2006年，頁289，圖版08，及《大元帆影：韓
techniques, inspired by nature, appealed to the predilections of the 國新安沉船出水文物精華》，浙江省博物館，杭州，2012年，
Southern Song (1127-1279) literati. 頁46。

Although bowls formed the largest output of wares from the Jizhou 比較 Samuel T. Peters 夫人藏梅瓶，尺寸稍小，斑紋與本品相
kilns, a small number of upright vessels was produced in the later 似，現存紐約大都會藝術博物館，展於《Treasures from the
years of the Southern Song and into the Yuan (1279-1368) dynasty. Metropolitan Museum of Art》，中國館，紐約，1979年，編
The slight degradation of the proportions towards that later period 號36。另一件梅瓶類例，頸短直，斑紋更豐富潑麗，乃清宮
can be observed when comparing an example recovered from the 舊藏，現存北京，錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．兩宋
Shinan ship that sank off the coast of Korea around 1323 while 瓷器（下）》，香港，1996年，圖版216。紐約蘇富比曾售一
on its way to Japan with a large load of fine Chinese ceramics on 較小瓶例，Janos Szekeres 伉儷舊藏，1983年12月7日，編號
board; see The Shinan Wreck II, National Maritime Museum of 210，展於《Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers.
Korea, Mokpo, 2006, p. 289, pl. 08; and Da Yuan fan ying: Hanguo Chinese Brown and Black-Glazed Ceramics》，哈佛大學藝術
Xin’an chenchuan chuchui wenwu jinghua/Sailing from the Great 館，劍橋，1995年，編號91。還有一例，售於紐約蘇富比
Yuan Dynasty. Relics Excavated from the Sinan Shipwreck, Zhejiang 2016年3月16日，編號262。
Provincial Museum, Hangzhou, 2012, p. 46.

Compare also a slightly smaller meiping decorated with similar
flecks as the present vase, from the collection of Mrs Samuel T.
Peters, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, included in
the Museum’s exhibition Treasures from the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, China House Gallery, New York, 1979, cat. no. 36; a meiping
of this type, but with a short straight neck and a greater profusion
of splashes, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing,
published in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace
Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), Hong Kong, 1996, pl.
216; a smaller version from the collection of Mr and Mrs Janos
Szekeres, sold in our New York rooms, 7th December 1983, lot 210,
and included in the exhibition Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge
Feathers. Chinese Brown and Black-Glazed Ceramics, Harvard
University Art Museums, Cambridge, 1995, cat. no. 91; and another
sold in our New York rooms, 16th March 2016, lot 262.

End of Sale

162 | SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比