Page 68 - Tianminlou Hong Kong Sotheby's April 3 2019

Vigorous yet elegant, solid yet refined, this bowl previously blended with local manganese cobalts, but in the
exemplifies the taste in blue-and-white porcelain of the Xuande period probably used in a purer form or in a higher
Xuande period (1426-35). percentage in the mixture. It gave extraordinary depth to
the painting, with the different blooms and leaves emerging
Short, barely ten years, the reign of the Xuande Emperor
(1426-35) was stable and prosperous. He was an able, into a range of blue tones.
wise ruler and successfully maintained peace within his The artist who painted the present bowl had probably used
realm. It was, however, for his scholarly pursuits that he a fine brush to apply the colour directly onto the porcelain
is particularly known. An accomplished poet and skillful body, in overlapping, yet continuous strokes, thereby
painter, he has left a collection of poems, Ming Xuanzong preserving a dynamic and vibrant flow. This sophisticated
Huangdi yuzhiji [Collection of poems by Ming Emperor freestyle painting, xieyi (‘sketching thoughts’) as opposed
Xuanzong], and paintings, some of which are preserved in to gongbi (‘brush craftmanship’), is skilfully executed. He
the National Palace Museum in Taipei. created an admirably balanced composition, by painting
the vessel’s area without leaving any space vacant nor
Due to the Emperor’s enthusiastic interest in the arts,
imperial patronage of the porcelain kilns at Jingdezhen, in crowded. The overall impression is one of elegance and
Jiangxi province, was particularly strong. Many technical lightness, despite the sturdy potting of the vessel itself.
and artistic developments took place, raising the level of Xuande porcelains typically assume a wide range of shapes
blue-and-white porcelain to new heights. The quality of and decorative motifs. From plant and flower patterns to
the porcelain attained near perfection on account of the classic dragon and various figure and landscape scenes.
famous Gaoling clay. While earlier designs were newly Among these many pictorial elements, the flower motifs
interpreted into blue-and-white, many new shapes and were particularly popular and they came in a variety of
patterns were created. Blue-and-white porcelain became renderings, some naturalistic, others more stylized.
an imperial ware with for the first time, the reign mark of The lotus on this bowl is probably intended to represent
the emperor standardized in kaishu (‘regular script’), as the pink lotus, nelumbo nucifera, also known as Indian
written in six-characters Daming Xuande nianzhi (‘made lotus. Connected with Buddhism and Buddha himself,
in the Xuande period of the Great Ming dynasty’) on the it is considered a sacred flower with mystical qualities.
present bowl.
As a plant growing in muddy ponds, but with its flower
The vibrant, yet refined painting on the present bowl remaining clean and with a recurrent cycle of opening in the
was conceived thanks to the imported sumali cobalt. It morning and closing in the evening, the lotus is associated
produced a rich blue, sometimes even inky paint, allowing with purity and rebirth. The different stages of bloom are
for the famous ‘heaped and piled’ effect, celebrated and synonymous with the various levels of spirituality attained.
extensively imitated on later blue-and-white porcelain. Fully opened lotus blooms, as seen on this piece would be a
The cobalt may have been first brought to China during symbol of pure enlightenment.
the Yongle period (1403-24), from the Middle East. The While the lotus bloom is rendered in a nearly naturalistic
name was possibly derived from the Arabic word sumawi manner, the undulating tendrils and pointed leaves do not
meaning ‘sky-coloured’ or ‘azure’. Rich in iron oxide, it was