Page 109 - Tianminlou Hong Kong Sotheby's April 3 2019

Elegantly shaped with smoothly sloping shoulders and formed of garlic cloves, see Jenny So, Eastern Zhou Ritual
elongated neck, suantouping or ‘garlic-mouth’ vases are Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York,
among the most interesting vessel shapes of Chinese 1995, no. 52, where the hu is attributed to the late Eastern
porcelain. The form, featuring a distinctive bulbous mouth Zhou, late Warring States period, 4th-3rd century BC. The
in the shape of a garlic fruit, was popular in the Ming (1368- bronze hu equally features a slightly flaring ring foot, but
1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Generally, imperial a shorter, rounder body and a longer neck. In its shape,
porcelain vases during the Qing period were manufactured the suantouping of the Ming period tends to be closer to
for decorative purposes or as flower vases. Suantouping, the bronze prototype than the Qing variant, which is much
with their typical narrow mouth, would be suited to hold more elegantly shaped and better adapted to Qing court
one flower or a single fruiting branch, which would match taste.
one of those depicted on the vase. Fired at the imperial ‘Garlic-mouth’ vases of this design were first produced in
kilns at Jingdezhen, this attractive design is beautifully the Yongzheng reign, a Yongzheng example was sold in
rendered, successfully displaying the mottled ‘heaped these rooms, 29th November 1978, lot 234, and continued
and piled’ effect of the most desirable of early Ming period to be popular throughout the Qing dynasty; compare a
(1368-1644) blue-and-white porcelains.
Jiaqing version in the Palace Museum in Beijing, illustrated
The Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795) is known to have in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
commissioned close copies of early Ming porcelains at the Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red
imperial kilns at Jingdezhen. Although there appears to (III), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 145; and a Daoguang example,
be no exact prototype of this kind of suantouping from the included in the exhibition Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing,
early Ming period, its design of individual fruiting branches The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1983,
is seen on ceramic wares as early as the Yongle reign cat. no. 1, from the Simon Kwan collection.
(1403-1424). The Yongle prototypes are painted with six or These vases are also known with various monochrome
ten fruiting sprigs, varying in size and border decoration, glazes, celadon, teadust, iron-red or claire-de-lune. A rare
see Zhongguo taoci quanji [Complete series on Chinese Qianlong-marked Ru-type glazed vase, was sold in these
ceramics], Shanghai, 1999-2000, vol. 12, pl. 12 where a rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 3120.
Yongle meiping vase is illustrated from the Palace Museum
in Beijing. At that time, the design is mostly seen on vases, Identical vases of Qianlong mark and period are in several
although bowls, however rare, are also known, such as the museums: in the National Palace Museum in Taipei,
bowl sold in these rooms, 7th October 2015, lot 3606. illustrated in Gugong cang ci. Qing qinghua ci/Porcelain
of the National Palace Museum. Blue and White Ware of
After the Yongle period, the ‘fruiting branch’ design, the Ch’ing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1968, vol. 2, pls 5a-c; in
celebrating auspicious wishes for longevity and prosperity, the Capital Museum in Beijing, included in Zhongguo taoci
continued to be popular on imperial wares, but then mainly quanji [The complete works of Chinese ceramics], vol. 15:
on bowls and less on vases, compare for example, a Qing (II), Shanghai, 1999, no. 8 and in the Nanjing Museum
Xuande bowl of conical shape, illustrated in Regina Krahl, illustrated in Zhongguo Qingdai guanyao ciqi/The Official
Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003,
1994, vol. 2, no. 671. In the Qing dynasty, this design p. 211.
re-appears on vases.
Similar examples have been sold in these rooms, 19th
The origin of the ‘garlic-mouth’ as a decorative element, is November 1986, lot 225 and in our New York rooms, 30th
uncertain, but the vessel itself is modeled after an archaic March 2006, lot 314.
bronze wine vessel named hu with a mouth distinctively

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