Page 14 - Christie's Hong Kong Imperial Amphora May 31, 2017

figs. 9a figs. 9b
圖九 a
fig. 9a glaze is illustrated by John Ayers in Chinese Ceramics in the
Tang sancai horse Koger Collection, London, 1985, now in The Chen Art Gallery,
offered at Christie’s California (fig. 14), and another teadust-glazed Yongzheng
Hong Kong this season, amphora from the Idemitsu collection is illustrated in Chinese
Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, 1987, no. 962. An amphora of glaze paying homage to the Southern Song. However, credit
lot 3111 this form with Guan-type glaze from the Walters Art Gallery,
Baltimore was illustrated by S.W. Bushell in Oriental Ceramic
fig. 9b Art, NewYork, 1980, p. 82, fig. 116.
Detail of lot 3111
A somewhat smaller (H: 32.3 cm.) Yongzheng amphora of the
fig. 10 same shape, but decorated in underglaze cobalt blue is in the
Detail of the sprig- collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, and is illustrated in
moulded appliqués on Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III),The Complete
Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 36, Hong
the present lot Kong, 2000, p. 108, no. 94. A larger Yongzheng blue and white
amphora of the same shape as the current vessel, and of similar
fig. 11 size (H: 52.3 cm.) is in the collection of the Victoria and
Courtesy of the Albert Museum, London (illustrated by Rose Kerr in Chinese
Cleveland Museum Ceramics - Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911, London,
1986, p. 30, no. 13). A similarly-shaped amphora, decorated in
of Art underglaze blue, from the Ohmer Collection in the Roemer
Museum, Hildensheim, Germany is illustrated by U.Wiesner in
Chinesisches Porzellan, Mainz am Rhein, 1981, no. 51. A smaller
(H: 32.4 cm.) Qianlong amphora of this form decorated in
underglaze blue was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong 27 May,
2009 Lot 1830 (fig. 15). Qianlong examples of this form are
rare and were probably only made in the early years of the
reign, when, as will be discussed below, Tang Ying was still
responsible for production at the imperial kilns.
The delicate celadon glaze on the current amphora has its
origins in fine high-fired mise celadons of the Tang dynasty,
from the Yue kilns in Zhejiang province, which no doubt
inspired the glazes of the Northern Song dynasty celadons
made at the Yaozhou kilns in Shaanxi province, and the
imperial Ru wares made in Henan province, as well as the
Southern Song dynasty celadons of the Longquan kilns in
12
圖九 b
Zhejiang province. It is the finest glazes of the Southern Song
Longquan kilns that the glaze on the current vase most closely
resembles, and thus the archaistic interest on this vessel is two-
fold – the form being inspired by the Tang dynasty and the
for the beauty of the current glaze must ultimately go to the
potters at the Qing imperial kilns, since it was the result of
painstaking research, and extensive experimentation.
Indeed, in the 18th century the Jingdezhen imperial kilns
devoted considerable effort to the perfection of celadon glazes
which could be applied to a white porcelain body. Although
celadon-type glazes, coloured with small quantities of iron,
were applied to porcelain bodies at the Jingdezhen imperial
kilns in the early Ming period, it was the Kangxi potters who
eventually perfected a particularly delicate version of this
glaze to be applied over the pure white (low iron) porcelain.
The subtle celadon glaze was coloured using only about half
the amount of iron found, for instance, in typical Longquan
celadon glazes of the Southern Song. The new celadon glaze
for porcelain was further modified in the Yongzheng period
to produce even more finely textured and slightly bluer pale
celadon glazes. This range of delicate Qing dynasty celadon
glazes has been much admired by Chinese connoisseurs, and
individual glazes have been given names such as douqing ( 豆青
bean green) and dongqing ( 東 青 eastern green) in the Kangxi
reign, dongqing ( 冬 青 winter green) and fenqing ( 粉 青 soft/
powder green) in theYongzheng reign.
It is significant that the Yongzheng Emperor took considerable
interest in the porcelains made for his court, and that he
appears to have had a particular interest in monochrome
glazes. Certainly, the range of monochrome glazes produced
at Jingdezhen did expand during his reign period. Quite a
variety of monochrome glazes were inherited from the Ming
dynasty and others were initiated during Kangxi’s reign, but it
is clear that a significant number were developed in response to