Page 30 - Christie's July 9th 2020 Hong Kong Important Chinese Works of Art

PROPERTY FROM THE YI LAN TANG COLLECTION
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A VERY RARE YUE INCISED AND 五代 越窯青釉刻花卉紋帶蓋執壺 「千」字刻款
INSCRIBED ‘FLORAL’ EWER AND COVER
FIVE DYNASTIES (907-960) 來源
徐氏藝術館，香港
The globular body is finely incised with stylised floral blooms 倚嵐堂珍藏
separated by cloud scrolls below a band of petals, applied to the
shoulders with a gently curved spout and an upright arched handle. 執壺外壁針刻花卉紋及雲紋，肩部刻花瓣紋一周，底部陰刻「千」字楷
The base is incised with a character qian ‘thousand’. The cover with 書款。蓋為兩層狀，每層各刻雲紋，上配寶珠鈕。蓋和壺施淡綠色青
a double-bud finial is similarly incised with cloud scrolls on both 釉，釉汁輕薄清潤，蓋底及壺底有支釘痕，露胎處胎質細緻，呈淡灰白
steps, pierced on one side with two apertures for attachment. Both 色。
ewer and cover are covered with a thin glaze of pale sea-green
tone, with the exception of spur marks on the undersides and 此執壺不只保留原蓋，且品相保存極佳，非常難得。底部所刻「千」字
interior of the ewer, revealing the very fine, greyish-white biscuit 款，更是不為多見。造工規整細膩，幾乎滿釉，且胎質堅細淨白，誠為
body. 五代越窯青瓷中之臻品，應為達官顯宦而製。
8 7 in. (22.1 cm.) high overall, box 保留原蓋的同類執壺非常少見。北京首都博物館藏一例，造型相似但壺
HK$1,200,000-1,800,000 US$160,000-230,000 身呈瓜楞式，上刻人物紋飾，同樣定年五代，見2008年北京出版
《北京文物精品》，圖5號（圖一）。另一例刻雲鶴紋，但壺及蓋均有
PROVENANCE 修復，2017年11月8日於倫敦蘇富比拍賣，拍品82號。再一例壺身飾凸
Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong 弦紋，蓋有金漆修補，2016年4月5日於香港佳士得拍賣，拍品70號。
This exceptional ewer is very rare not only because it retains the original
cover, but its overall condition is incredibly well preserved. It is singular
as it is incised on the base with a qian character, which is extremely
unusual. The thin potting is of superb quality and the vessel is almost
fully glazed, the unglazed areas revealing the extraordinarily fine body
of a pale greyish-white colour. It represents some of the finest wares
made at the Yue kilns during the Five Dynasties period, and would
undoubtedly have been made for the elites or upper echelons of society.
Very few Yue ewers of this form and decoration retaining their original
covers are recorded. A ewer and cover of similar form but with
lobed sides and incised decoration of figures, also dating to the Five
Dynasties, is in the collection of Capital Museum, Beijing, illustrated
in Beijing wenwu jingpin, Beijing, 2008, no. 5 (fig. 1). Another example
also with lobed sides and incised with crane decorations, but with
restoration to both the ewer and cover, was sold at Sotheby’s London, 8
November 2017, lot 82. A further example with raised ribs on the body
and lacquer repair to the cover was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 5
April 2016, lot 70.

inscription fig. 1 Collection of the Beijing Capital Museum
刻款 圖一 北京首都博物館藏品

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