Page 126 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Nov 2014 Hong Kong

A blue and white altar vase, Wanli mark and period;
image courtesy of the British Museum, London

The distinctive shape of the present lot is modelled originally after 明代晚期，佛教復興，因此燒造大批大器如花觚、燭台等為佛教寺院
archaic bronze zun wine vessels. It is extremely rare to find altar vases 用途。本器的青花大器造型壯碩，紋飾雄健有力，燒製難度極高，於
from the late Ming period of this exceptionally large size. The revival 傳世品中鮮見，彌足珍貴。對比兩件青花出戟花觚（分別為85厘米和
and patronage of Buddhism under the the Wanli emperor and the 89厘米高），著錄於《機暇明道：懷海堂藏明代中晚期官窯瓷器》，
empress dowager Cisheng, meant an increased demand for ritual 香港，2012年，頁392-393，編號128。
and ceremonial objects, particularly for the furnishing of important
newly built or restored Buddhist temples and shrines. The extravagant 本器仿古代青銅器尊的造型。巴黎吉美國立亞洲藝術博物館藏一
and imposing size of the present lot, as well as the difficulty in firing 件尺寸較小的花觚可資比較，此器飾穿花龍紋，著錄於《Oriental
sucessfully such a large vessel, suggests it was probably a special Ceramics, The World’s Great Collections, Vol.7》，1981年，編號81
imperial commission for an important temple. Compare a blue 。也見倫敦大英博物館藏一件明萬曆龍鳳紋花觚，此觚造型比本器
and white altar vase of comparable size (85cm) but with flanges, 小，見 J.Harrison-Hall，《Ming Ceramics in the British Museum》，
illustrated in Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming the Huahaitang 倫敦，2001年，頁289，編號11:31。同一器型的尊也出現在五彩器
Collection, Hong Kong, 2012, pp.392-393, no.128. See also a similar 物上，大英博物館藏一例，見同上，頁340，編號11:186。
example, but smaller and decorated with dragons among flowers
instead of phoenix, in the Musée Guimet, Paris, illustrated in Oriental 更多相關例子可參考巴黎蘇富比，2011年12月15日，拍品編號67和
Ceramics, The World’s Great Collections, Vol.7, 1981, no.81. Another 倫敦佳士得，1997年6月9日，拍品編號77。
blue and white altar vase from the same period, also decorated
with dragons and phoenix but much smaller in size (56.5cm) and of
shorter proportions, is illustrated by J.Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics
in the British Museum, London, 2001, p.289, no.11:31. Related altar
vases of zun form also exist in wucai, see one in the British Museum,
illustrated ibid., p.340, no.11:186.

For more related examples, see one sold at Sotheby’s Paris,
15 December 2011, lot 67 and another similar blue and white altar
vase of slightly smaller size (80cm), sold at Christie’s London, 9 June
1997, lot 77.

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