Page 132 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Nov 2014 Hong Kong

Eternal Elegance: A rare blue and white garlic-mouth vase,
yongzheng seal mark and of the period
Geng Dongsheng
Built upon the strong foundation of the Kangxi period, Chinese
porcelain production reached its zenith during the thirteenth year
of the reign of the Yongzheng emperor, which saw the emergence
of porcelain unparalleled in quality. The Yongzheng emperor
possessed an affinity towards the art of appreciating porcelain and
showed great understanding as well as demand for their shape and
decorative techniques. It is written in the imperial Palace Workshop
records that the Yongzheng emperor was overwhelmingly insistent
with exact measurements and for his porcelain pieces to project a
powerful impression and commanding appearance.
Qingdang. Yongzheng Jishizalu records that, “Eunich Wang Taiping
presented to the emperor seven small wucai porcelain on the
seventeeth day, first month, fifth year of the Yongzheng reign. Upon
strict inspection, they were approved by imperial decree to be made
as such by the imperial kilns.” The imperial kilns at Jingdezhen
were under stringent orders to satisfy the emperor’s vision and
were authorised to use the best raw materials to create porcelain
of unsurpassed quality. Guided by the uncompromising taste of
the Yongzheng emperor, the porcelain produced during this period
were plentiful in varying forms and of high quality. The Qing scholar
Chen Liu, recorded in Ci Ya that “of all the porcelain, the best are
those of magnificence; of all the magnificent porcelain, the best are
those of Kangxi and Yongzheng.” Yang Xiangu also expressed, “in
the development of Chinese porcelain, none have surpassed Kangxi,
Yongzheng and Qianlong.” On the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng
period, Tang Ying recorded in Taocheng jishi bei that the crucial eight This is truly an extremely rare sight; a very precious work of art.
years between the sixth and thirteenth year of the Yongzheng reign,
the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen have successfully created fifty-seven
designs: the best results were achieved by the fanggu, falangcai,
famille rose and enamelled porcelain.
The fanggu porcelain of the Yongzheng period drew inspiration from
the five main wares of the Song dynasty, but more also from Ming
dynasty Yongle, Xuande and Chenghua blue and white porcelain.
It is said that the fanggu technique of this period has attained such
realism that one will be unable to differentiate between the Ming from
the Yongzheng examples. This is made possible by using a uniquely
stable and rich cobalt blue, whereby the ‘heaping and piling’ spots
bears close similarities to those evident on Yongle and Xuande blue
and white porcelain. The body in contrast, is of a refined white tone
of purity. The main decorative motifs which predominate this period
include floral decoration as well as the dragon and phoenix motifs,
where the subject often stands out amidst the uniform background.
A Yongzheng blue and white porcelain must abide and encapsulate
every aspect mentioned above to achieve the iconic fusion of
elegance and beauty, in comparison to the solemn grandeur of the
Kangxi porcelain, and extravagant nature of the Qianlong porcelain.
The current vase is a prime example of a Yongzheng period fanggu
porcelain in the style of Yongle and Xuande. The body is overall
decorated with interlocking floral scrolls, plantain leaf lappets,
ruyi-head, key-fret scroll and wave borders; the base with a precise
six-character “da Qing Yongzheng nianzhi” mark in underglaze blue.
The garlic-mouth shape differs from other more commonly found
vases of this period, and is an indigenous and rare inspiration of
the Yongzheng period. Towering vases of around 50-70cm tall are
meant to be visually stunning and are evidently incorporated into
the artistic culture of the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially during
the eighteenth century. It is recorded in the Qianlong jishi dang, that
during the twenty-fifth day, sixth month, third year of the Qianlong
reign, the Qianlong emperor ordered by imperial decree to have
the Eunuch Gao Yu deliver a collection of Ming porcelain from the
old Qing Court Collection, directly to Tang Ying at Jingdezhen as
fanggu references. One of the examples mentioned, was a “Xuande
blue and white garlic-mouth vase”, which may have also inspired the
current vase.
The enormous size of the current vase gives the viewer a sense of
awe, whilst the perfection of uniformity and masterful workmanship
provides an infectious artistic satisfaction. Upon admiring such
wondrous piece of Yongzheng porcelain, one can truly comprehend
the phrase, “taking inspiration from the old without being too
conservative, remembering the past but not forgetting ingenuity”.
The only two known published examples are in the Palace Museum,
Beijing: one of which is a Yongzheng example in the Qing Court
Collection, and the other a Qianlong example, illustrated by Geng
Baochang, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III),
Beijing, 1999, nos.107 and 121. The Palace Museum examples
are similar in terms of size and form, except the current vase is
decorated with a unique band of interlocking floral chains at the
shoulder, whereby the later are decorated with the more generic
ruyi-head friezes. The form of the Yongzheng example is further
illustrated by Geng Baochang in Ming Qing ciqi jianding, Hong Kong,
1993, p.236, no.12, pl.403.
Geng Dongsheng is a researcher in the National Museum of
China, Beijing