Page 76 - Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets

fortuitous effect of color and its distribution. The velvety NOTES
surface of 1942.9.506 is richly mottled with dark red on 1. The date of sale to Peter A. B. Widener is not documented for
the cover. The peachbloom glaze is paler on the lower sec- 1942.9.509.
tion, becoming very light green at the closing edge. 2. The date of sale to Peter A. B. Widener is not documented for
1942.9.507 has an even rose coloration, suffusing into 1942.9.508.
lighter mottled sides. The dominant color of 1942.9.508 is 3. Chait 1957, repro., 137. See p. 20, note 18 of the essay on
a soft grayish rose with a deeper pinkish red area in the Chinese ceramic techniques for a discussion of the eight pre-
center of the cover. These tones occur again near the base, scribed shapes.
while the edges at the closing have a pale greenish gray 4. Among them are Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, ace. no.
tone. 1942.9.509 is a model of a successful peachbloom 43.5, and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, bequest of
glaze color. It shades from deep rose to pale ashy pink Benjamin Altaian, no. 14.40.369: Valenstein 1975, no. 7, pi. 138;
with some green speckling on the sides of the top. There also Valenstein 1975, pi. 35 (color). Two were formerly in the
is an even, light green suffusion near the rim of the lower Edward T. Chow collection, Geneva, one of which is illustrated in
section. Chait chose this box to represent the yinsehe the sale catalogue of that collection: Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 19
shape in his article, "The Eight Prescribed Peachbloom May 1981, 98, no. 496. The Baur Collection, Geneva, has three:
Shapes Bearing K'ang-hsi Marks." 1942.9.510 has striking Ayers 1968-1974,3: nos. A3O4, A3o8, and A312. Yale has one in the
coloration. It is peach red on both halves, with a rich Moore collection: Lee 1970, 176, no. 352. For others, see Royal
moss-green clouding especially prominent on the top. Academy 1935-1936, no. 2675; Ceramic Society 1948, which
The glaze has run down thickly to the edge of the cover, includes ten pieces; and Ceramic Society 1951, no. 346.
and at that point the color moves from green to brown. 5. On all the peachbloom shapes, there is a slight demarcation of
This color change occurs often in the copper-red glazes. 6 the foot shown by a delicate trimming line in the paste.
The two boxes from the Bennett collection (1942.9.524 6. For a discussion of copper-red glazes, see the essay on
and 1942.9.531) are of equal quality. Along with Chinese ceramic techniques.
1942.9.523, they apparently constitute the earliest 7. The Chinese refer to the color, specific for this ware, as jiang-
Widener acquisitions in the group. The glaze colors of dou hong, a native pink and red bean often having brown spots.
1942.9.523 shade in defined areas from deep "haricot (or According to Bushell, the plant is Dolichos sinensis (Bushell 1980,
7
bean) red" through medium peachbloom to a soft gray- 163). Another Chinese descriptive term is pingguo hong, or apple
ish rose color. The cover of 1942.9.524 is rose colored red (see the essay on Chinese ceramic techniques). It was
the glaze color to the skin of a peach.
Europeans who compared
with green near the edge, the lower part predominantly
green with paler grayish rose. The basic description of
1942.9.531 is the same as 1942.9.506. A large patch of a REFERENCES
good "haricot red" color is in the center of the top, and 1904-1911 Morgan: 2: 80, no. 1318 [1942.9.506]; no. 1319, pi. 123
the same color appears on the lower section. There are a (top right) [1942.9.507]; no. 1322, color pi. 123 (bottom right)
few green speckles on both top and bottom parts and a [1942.9.508]; no. 1324, pi. 123 (top left) [1942.9.509]; no. 1324, pi.
green edge on the lower section. 123 (bottom left) [1942.9.510].
JK 1911 Gorer: 72, no. 360, color pi. opp. 70 [1942.9.524,
1942.9-531].
1911 Gorer and Blacker: 2: color pi. 160 [1942.9.524,1942.9.531].
1947 Christensen: 30; 1956: 34 [1942.9.506-509].
1957 Chait: repro. 137 [1942.9.509].

60 D E C O R A T I V E A R T S