Page 83 - Tianminlou Hong Kong Sotheby's April 3 2019

The elegance and harmony of this bowl captures the in the early 15th century, local cobalt high in manganese
strength of Xuande reign porcelain, which is considered was sometimes mixed in. Imported cobalt, which arrived
to be one of the most celebrated periods of porcelain in China through the tribute system, was highly valued
production in China. The vivacity of the floral scroll as exemplified by an entry from 1431 in the Ming shi lu
with lush blooms and tendrils reveals a high degree of [Veritable Records of the Ming dynasty] which recounts
confidence in the use of cobalt. The exceptional quality the arrival at court of a Samarkand envoy with 10,000
and great variety of designs that were either created or catties of foreign cobalt as gift to the Xuande Emperor. On
perfected during the Xuande reign could hardly be better this occasion the Emperor declared: ‘We should show our
illustrated by the four ‘fruit’ bowls in this collection, appreciation of their having travelled such a long distance
including the present piece and lots 5, 7 and 11. The by sending them away with lavish gifts’ (Imperial Porcelain
Imperial Porcelain Factory at Jingdezhen had been set of the Yongle and Xuande Periods Excavated from the Site
up in the Hongwu reign and came under the control of of the Ming Imperial Factory, Hong Kong Museum of Art,
the imperial administration in Beijing during the Yongle Hong Kong, 1989, p. 70).
period. However, it was only during the Xuande reign that A closely related bowl in the National Palace Museum,
court officials and eunuchs began to be sent to Jingdezhen Taipei, is illustrated in A Panorama of Ceramics in the
to supervise production. Under their close scrutiny, the Collection of the National Palace Museum. Hsüan-te Ware
Imperial Porcelain Factory was able to vastly increase its I, Taipei, 2000, pl. 52; one in the Palace Museum, Beijing,
capacity while improving the standard of workmanship is illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji [The complete
and control distribution. Refinement of body and glaze works of Chinese ceramics], vol. 12: Ming (I), Shanghai,
materials seems to have been stipulated, while forms and 2000, pl. 64; another from the collection of Mr and Mrs
patterns were pre-designed.
Eugene Bernat, included in the Exhibition of Blue-Decorated
The floral blooms on this bowl loosely reference the Porcelain of the Ming Dynasty, Philadelphia Museum of
changing seasons; the lotus is followed by chrysanthemum, Art, Philadelphia, 1949, cat. no. 62, was sold twice in these
rose, tree peony, pomegranate, hibiscus and camellia. rooms, 31st October 1974, lot 61, and 21st May 1984, lot 59;
Flowers that came to symbolise the seasonal cycles in a fourth bowl from the collection of Major Lindsay F. Hay,
nature became a popular porcelain pattern during the Yuan was sold in our London rooms, 25th June 1946, lot 29, in
dynasty. It is also in this period that the poet Yu Ji (1272- our New York rooms, 25th October 1975, lot 177, and again
1348) first associated celebrated scholars with seasonal at Christie’s London, 7th June 1993, lot 47; and a further
flowers: chrysanthemum, lotus, plum blossom and orchid example from the Palmer collection illustrated in Sir Harry
came to represent Tao Yuanming (365-427), Zhou Maoshu Garner, Oriental Blue and White, London, 1973, pl. 26a, was
(1017-1073), Lin Hejing (967-1028), and Huang Shangu sold twice at Christie’s Hong Kong, 17th January 1989, lot
(1045-1105) respectively. Auspicious flowers and birds 573, and 1st-3rd May 1994, lot 632.
were also a popular painting genre among professional Bowls of this form, all featuring a Xuande reign mark
court painters active in the early Ming dynasty. On under the rim, are known with a variety of motifs, including
porcelain, flower designs evolved from their Yuan dynasty dragons amongst clouds, lotus, peony, rose and lingzhi
origins, with a wider variety depicted in a naturalistic and scrolls, the Eight Buddhist Emblems, the Three Friends
identifiable manner.
of Winter, and clusters of fruits. Eight bowls painted with
The cobalt used for this piece was fired to a bright sapphire different patterns, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei,
tone, and features the characteristic ‘heaping and piling’ were included in the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te
effect. While imported sumali cobalt, which is believed to Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, cat.
have originated in the area of Kashan in Iran, was favoured nos 42-49.

此盌妙繪朵妍，枝葉相纏，運筆有勁，不失婉麗，大方悅 台北故宮博物院藏類似盌例，圖見《故宫藏瓷大系：宣德之
目，展瓷匠畫功，顯宣窰雅風。宣德年間，藝匠精益求精， 部（上）》，台北，2000年，圖版52。北京故宮也有藏例，
既納舊、也出新，專場所呈宣德大盌，除此外另有三例（拍 收錄於《中國陶瓷全集》，上海，2000年，卷12：明（上），
品編號5、7及11），紋飾各異，恰為佳證。景德鎮御窰廠， 圖版64。參考 Eugene Bernat 伉儷藏盌，曾展於《Exhibition
洪武年間成立，永樂時內府「定奪樣制」，監管窰務，但到 of Blue-Decorated Porcelain of the Ming Dynasty》，費城美
了宣德一朝，才派官宦督陶，讓御窰廠大幅增產，藝技更進 術館，美國費城，1949年，圖版62，曾兩度在香港蘇富比
步、分配更完善。當時御窰廠對瓷土與釉料似乎有一定規 易手，1974年10月31日，編號61及1984年5月21日，編號59
範，器形、紋飾顯然也是依樣而造。 。Lindsay F. Hay 上校舊藏也可作例，1946年6月25日售於倫敦
蘇富比，編號29，再先後售於紐約蘇富比1975年10月25日，
盌上所繪，除了冬茶夏荷，還有象徵秋天的菊花、月季、芍 編號177及倫敦佳士得1993年6月7日，編號47。還有一例，屬
藥、石榴及朱槿。瓷上四季花卉紋飾，自元朝風行，時詩人 Palmer 舊藏，刊於迦納爵士，《Oriental Blue and White》，倫
虞集（1272-1348年）談四愛，以花詠人，陶淵明（365-427 敦，1973年，圖版26a，兩度在香港佳士得售出，分別為1989
年）愛菊、周茂叔（1017-1073年）愛蓮、林逋（967-1028 年1月17日，編號573及1994年5月1-3日，編號632。
年）愛梅、黃庭堅（1045-1105年）愛蘭。明初宮廷畫師也喜
繪祥瑞花鳥圖，但在瓷器之上，花卉品種較元代多，且更生 採此器形之盌，沿下皆書宣德年款，紋飾不一，包括雲龍、
動寫實，較易辨識。 蓮花、牡丹、月季、靈芝、八吉祥、歲寒三友及折枝果子。
參考台北故宮博物院藏八盌，所畫紋飾各異，見於《明代宣
德官窰精華特展圖錄》，台北，1998年，編號42-49。

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