Page 41 - 2019 October Qing Imperial Porcelain Sotheby's Hong Kong

This exquisite vase with its lustrous glaze and refined shape 盤口瓶釉色瑩潤，造形端雅，呼應乾隆帝慕古求精之
ranks among the finest imperial porcelains created at the 審美品味。
Jingdezhen kilns for the Qianlong Emperor (r.1736-1795) and
archetypically reflects his fascination with antiquity as well 乾隆尚古，命御窰依古式，燒造多樣新瓷，並曾詔命
as his desire for perfection.
運送古瓷珍品至景德鎮作為摹本傚之。是時御窰督陶
It is well known that the Qianlong Emperor commissioned 官唐英（1682-1756年）擅詩詞書畫，聰穎多才，促使
many copies of ancient ceramic styles and that he sent 製瓷工藝臻絕超卓，汲古創新，其時瓷器創燒佳作不
some of the actual pieces to Jingdezhen for study and 斷。
research. Largely to the credit of Tang Ying (1682-1756),
the gifted superintendent of the imperial kilns, who was a
serious scholar and skilful artist in his own right, the artistic 本品亦屬唐英所造新式官瓷，器形取材南宋浙江龍泉
and technical level of the porcelain production reached new 窰紙槌瓶。龍泉例見康蕊君，《玫茵堂中國陶瓷》
heights. Ancient forms and styles were not merely copied, ，卷1，倫敦，1994年，編號570。以古為本，添以平
but combined and reinvented to create new Qing dynasty 肩、直頸、雙耳造形簡化，葵瓣式主軸連貫全器，更
designs. 顯新穎，施以豐厚青釉，溫潤瑩輝，傚擬宋代官窰，
The current vessel is exemplary of this new style of 秀麗迷人。
porcelains manufactured under Tang Ying’s supervision.
In shape it was inspired by Southern Song dynasty (1127- 日內瓦鮑爾珍藏一件類同作例，錄於 John Ayers，
1279) kinuta (‘mallet-shaped’) vases of the Longquan kilns 《The Baur Collection, Geneva; Chinese Ceramics》，
in Zhejiang province. See, for example, a piece in Regina 卷1，日內瓦，1968年，編號A370；另一例則見於拍
Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 賣會，紐約佳士得1995年3月23日，編號129，出自
1, London, 1994, no. 570. While the present Qing version Scheinman 舊藏。
retains the angled shoulder, cylindrical neck with cup-shaped
mouth and stylised handles of the Longquan prototype,
the addition of subtly lobed indentations, is strikingly novel, 並比較一件相類仿官釉瓶，器形更近紙槌瓶，亦為日
blending new and ancient in a harmonious way. With its well- 內瓦鮑爾珍藏，載於 John Ayers，同上，編號A341。
matched association of a thick opaque glaze of pale bluish-
grey that is reminiscent of Song dynasty (960-1279) Ru
ware, the piece attains a new level of attractiveness.
A very similar vase of this elegant design in the Baur
collection, Geneva is illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur
Collection Geneva. Chinese Ceramics, vol. 3, Monochrome-
Glazed Porcelains of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Geneva, 1972, no.
A 370; and a similar example was sold at auction, Christie’s
New York, 23rd March 1995, lot 129, from the Scheinman
collection.
Compare also a related vase but with a guan-type glaze, in
shape closer to the kinuta prototype, in the Baur collection,
Geneva, illustrated in John Ayers, ibid., no. A 341.

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