Page 192 - Beyond Compare Christie's Hong Kong RU WARE .pdf
P. 192
BEYOND COMPARE: A Thousand Years of the Literati Aesthetic
fig. 2 Eighteen Scholars: Chess (detail). Ming dynasty. fig. 3 Twelve Beauties: Looking in a Mirror. Qing dynasty.
Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
ॱ̣ ᒝ ǗډՋೀૈॱ䢴ᚨǘ䢮㒴䢯 ४⒤ᐅ೫ښḵ㡗ⳉި ॱ˕ ᪹ Ǘ⟞́ॱ䢴യ㜽ǘ䢮㒴䢯 ᐅ೫ښḵ㡗ⳉި
With their bold forms, sophisticated glazes and innovative use of colour, Jun wares are ඓନٙཊЍփˌd݊҂ږʩɧ˾௰ˏɛɝ௷ٙ̚ௗ
some of the most striking ceramics of the Song, Jin and Yuan periods. They rarely have ନʘɓfɽ΅ٙඓନ̮ڌΈ९d˸ێᆗԪዤϾଉ
any surface decoration, but rely for their impact on a remarkable glaze which is thick, ʔɓٙᔝཊމतЍfඓཊމͩϲཊdνՉ˼ڡཊɓ
opalescent and appears in various tones of blue. The Jun glaze is of lime-alkali type, ᅵd΅ᔝЍ͟ˇඎःʷ᚛ίᒔࡡं؟ʕደϓdவۍ
but its particular qualities have been the subject of much research. The opalescence and
Ԩڢிఱඓཊߕชٙ˴ࠅΪ९dϾ݊ᓥΪཊʫ߰ʍ
much of the blue appearance of the glaze are caused by several in-glaze phenomena,
ତfඓཊٙ˴ࠅᔝЍމΈᇞұ࢛ˏৎd௰ࠠࠅɓᓃ
the most important of which is liquid-liquid phase separation - the formation of tiny
݊ɚ૰ʱجdуў৷ᾼٙඓཊʕओᘔഹฆٙ
globules of lime-rich glass within the silica-rich glaze matrix. To produce this emulsion,
ޚᆨሯɿdഃذձቒଡ଼ϓٙӍזᔽ͒fඓཊࠅ
the Jun glaze had to be kept at a high temperature for a significant period and had to be
ପ͛வ၇Ԫኒً࿒d̀ڗࣛග৾वί৷ً࿒ɨd
cooled very slowly. The typical northern Chinese mantou or bread-bun kiln was ideal
್ܝ࿔࿔и䁻fʕ̏˙ٙᗷ᎘ᇉ͟ཞᆠ̌ঐᎴ
for firing this type of glaze, since it had excellent insulation.
ԄdᆽঐϓఱഒԳٙඓཊࣖ؈f
The present jardinière belongs to a rare group of Jun vessels comprising narcissus bowls,
flower pots, and zun-shaped vases, where each vessel has been incised or stamped with Ϥڀޯ᙮ඓନʕɓᗳֵՍאΙϞᅰοٙޯ౻ኜd
a Chinese numeral on the base. The numbers range from one to ten, and judging from ڳ၈ᅰοඓନfՉᅰඎˇdεމᔚᔛdމඓନ
the examples in museums and those examined from the excavations at Juntai, Yuxian, ʕ௰މޜ൮ٙɓᗳfᅰοඓନֵٙᅰοɓЇɤd
the numbers relate to the size of the vessels - ten representing the smallest size and one ʱؓ௹يᔛۜʿ߃ጤඓ̨ᇉѧ೯ઢ̙೯ତவԬᅰο
the largest. A significant number of these numbered vessels have survived in palace Ꮠၾኜيɽʃϓˀˢᗫڷdɤމ௰ʃdɓމ
collections and Jun ware bulb bowls, plant pots and plant pot stands of different forms ௰ɽfeҒᖭʕࣛ੬ԈϞᅰοඓନٙԒᅂd
can be seen in various court paintings of Ming and Qing dynasties, such as in Eighteen
Չաࠠൖٙܓd̙Ԉɓdνɛɤɞኪɻྡg
Scholars: Chess (fig. 2), where a similar jardinière containing calamus roots is depicted
ಒʕۃ౻̛ਜٙᙒόڀޯྡɚdʿߕɛ
in the right foreground, and in Twelve Beauties: Looking in a Mirror (fig. 3), where a
ྡg࿁ᗝʕ̨ɪٙໟόڀޯྡɧf
mallow-form jardinière is placed on the windowsill.
Ϥڀޯ݊ͦۃהٝਬɓٙɓ̬ᙒόڀ
The present jardinière is the only example of this rare form bearing the numeral si,
‘four’. Other jardinières of this form are found with different numerals, these include ޯfՉ˼ٙᙒόڀޯ̙ਞϽ̨݂̏௹ي৫ᔛɧ
three in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, variously incised with numerals ‘one’, dʱމɚeɞeɘdʱ༱
‘eight’, ‘nine’, and illustrated in A Panorama of Ceramics in the Collection of the National ݂ᔛନɽӻ ඓᇉʘd̨̏d ϋdᇜ
Palace Museum: Chün Ware, Taipei, 1999, nos. 17, 18, 19, respectively; one in the e e iᔚږʆԭݲᖵஔ௹ي"WFSZ #SVOEBHF
Avery Brundage Collection in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, incised with ޜᔛɚɓdԈ$IJOFTF $FSBNJDT " /FX
numeral ‘two’, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics: A New Comprehensive Survey, New $PNQSFIFOTJWF 4VSWFZdॲߒd ϋdᇜ i
York, 1996, no. 237; and a further example also incised with numeral ‘two’ from the ˸ʿᏖᆗᓈeᆀഛੀܝᔛɚɓd௰ڐ࠰
collections of J. T. Tai Foundation and Leshantang, last sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, ಥᘽబˢ ϋ ˜ ˚שርdשۜ f
11 April 2008, lot 2508. Compared to this shape, there seems to be a greater number
of known Jun jardinères in mallow form, these include one with a matching stand ༰ʘɨdπ˰ٙໟڀόڀޯᅰඎ৷̈εdܼ̍j
with numeral ‘three’ in the Tianjin Museum, illustrated in Tianjin shi yishu bowuguan ˂ݵᖵஔ௹يᔛʞɓஹࢭdԈ˂ݵ̹ᖵ
cangci, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 37; another with numeral ‘nine’, also with matching ஔ௹يᔛନd࠰ಥd ϋdྡو i࠰ಥԳ
stand, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2012, lot 3976. ɻשርɘɓஹࢭd ϋ ˜ ˚dשۜ
f
180 ʔɭ { ҂˾ߕኪɓɷϋ