Page 11 - Christie's Four Masterpieces of Jun Ware, May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

Purple-glazed ‘numbered’ Jun bulb
bowls with drum-nail design in the
Collection of the Palace Museum,
Beijing
࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦⡻㞏䀦㞜Ӳ㑷᭢մ⎺

‘Numbered one’, 24.3 cm. diam. ‘Numbered one’, 23.5 cm. diam., with inscriptions
ǸӬǹໃ᪪ ݩߎ reading: ‘Yingtai’ and ‘Jingqixuan yong
ǸӬǹໃ᪪ ݩߎ Ǹẃ⯓ǹǮǸ㬱፠㕜⊇ǹ᪪㍃

Purple-glazed ‘numbered’ Jun bulb
bowls with drum-nail design in the
Collection of the National Palace
Museum, Taipei
இ⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦⡻㞏䀦㞜Ӳ㑷᭢մ⎺

‘Numbered one’, 27 cm. diam. ‘Numbered two’, 22.2 cm. diam.
ǸӬǹໃ᪪ ݩߎ ǸՀǹໃ᪪ ݩߎ

Ming dynasties (see Chen Kelun, ‘Juntai yao Beisong junyao chanpin shidai de ⚨ໝワⒺ㈺ᝯ卿㊄㇦ᯇࢶ⏥ᙔ⁒⩠ऒⒺ♾Ꮢभ⤔⎏
zai tantao’ (A further discussion of dates for the products of the ‘Northern
Ƕ ԋஇ◿႔㟕⚨ໝワⒺ㈺ᝯ㋏ᙔ㫀Ƿ卻㜍႔厍
Song Jun kilns’), Shanghai Bowuguan Jikan, vol. 10, 2005, pp. 168-76;
卼厎Հ⩢ᛓ ჺ⯟リ⎏ԋஇ᳅஢໶㟕≢଍
and Lu Minghua, ‘Juntai guanjunci shaozao shidai kaozheng (Investigation
into the production dates of Imperial Jun wares from Juntai), in Henan ໝワⒺ㈺ᝯǯឪ༾ჹᝪᖬ༵Ǵ/VNCFSFE +VO 8BSFT
Archaeological Institute, et al. (ed.), Collection of Papers Presented at the 2005
$POUSPWFSTJFT BOE /FX ,JMO 4JUF %JTDPWFSJFTǵ卿ᙔԋ
Yuzhou Symposium on Jun Wares, op. cit., pp. 71-85). In addition, at the
ᓛ㈺Իӳ㘚ݦ᪖Ⓔ㈺ᝯ⎏ݤ༏卿ᘘ㢙ᙻǶែᙹ㪃≢ໝ
Shenzhen symposium in 2006 researchers compared certain excavated
Jun forms, bearing glazes similar to the finer ‘numbered’ Jun wares, such ᝯᝯߒǷ ჺߒ⽚ 㮰 ǯ
as square spouted ewers with peach-shaped panels on either side of their
flattened bodies (see Li Baoping, op. cit., p. 69, fig. 3), to Jingdezhen imperial ⯝㟕≢ऱᏼ߅க⎏ᙔ⁒ԋᝳӬٖ㢲❧卿ໝ⩢սᇁᗌ
wares of the Yongle reign (1403-24) and to precious metal wares of the
᫉ཆ⤔⽚㟕≢ᙷջἃ࢈໬卿ֿ㊄࠼ᨼ㴾ᇌ⎉→㢲❧
Xuande reign (1426-35). It seems likely, therefore, that fine ‘numbered’ Jun
wares, such as those in the current sale could have been made for the court ԛ㐬৅卿⩧ݯᇌ⎏Ǹഠⵖǹ᪪Ք⋕㿽㞒㞒ǯݻ⩢卿ᙲ
th
th
in the late Yuan-early Ming dynasties - late 14 - early 15 century, and this ⎏⩠ऒ⎉→Ԯᓽ؊Իᙲ⎏⤇⡷ǯ ჺ卿㟕झཿ㧷
would account for the relatively high proportion of the extant examples
ԻऔӬ᪖ᕑᘩ⎉ᓒ႙Ꮛ卿ݯ᲎⸌㬷♥⡙ ჹᙹ⟬卿
being preserved in the imperial collections.
⯝ ჺ⎏⎉ᓒ஠㿽⏟㒚⡙ ⟬ǯݯԋӬٖ៏⣔
The high status that such vessels enjoyed as antiques at the Qing imperial
㞏≢‷ஷݤԮᝳ⤔⽚㟕≢卿⩠ऒ՞৘ᡜᗌ㞏ᙠকᆨ
court is confirmed by examples preserved in the palace collections, a
߰ཆԠᙷջἃ݉≢卿㊄㇦㛖ప⫙ᏒᖬǴ◿႔㟕झ⚨⩠
number of which bear Qing dynasty inscriptions incised through the glaze
on the base of the vessel, which specify where in the Qing palaces they were ऒᙲ⎉→⯝ߝ᫊Ⓔ♾ǵ卿⎉ヿᙻ߿㘚ᯇࢶ⏥ᙔ⁒⩠
to be deployed. Their use in imperial gardens is significant, since gardens
ऒⒺ♾Ꮢभ⤔⎏Ƕ ԋஇ◿႔㟕⚨ໝワⒺ㈺ᝯ㋏
were of considerable importance to the Qing emperors and the Qianlong
ᙔ㫀Ƿ㮰 ǯ⤔⽚㟕≢᫬‷⎏ῂ㞐ݏ᳭㉹㰆▔卿
Emperor has been quoted as saying:
ݯᙷջἃ݉ջকᚺߝ卿㊄㇦㪀ݐٳᏒᖬǴ㟕झ⚨࢈໬
‘If he has time before holding an audience or attending to the affairs of
㟕⚨⊄৅ᛞջ⎏ݻᓛ㈺ǵ卿ݥᙔ⎉ヿᙻǶӳᱡࢷ⁒㱦
state, an emperor should enjoy strolling in extensive grounds and admiring
beautiful vistas. If he has such places, he will be able to cultivate his mind 㫀ߒǷ ჺߒ⽚ 㮰 厎սࣿ㪅ᚺⵖᏒᖬǴ㟕
and refine his emotions; otherwise, he may take pleasure in trivial things and झ໶㟕≢῟㙁ᛞջ⩠㌴ǵ卿ᘘ㢙ᙻ߿㘚ᯇࢶ⏥ᙔ⁒
that will only sap his energies and willpower.’
⩠ऒⒺ♾Ꮢभ⤔⎏Ƕ ԋஇ◿႔㟕⚨ໝワⒺ㈺ᝯ
Five Jun bulb bowls, of similar shape to the current examples, from the ㋏ᙔ㫀Ƿ㮰 ǯ᫉ം卿Ⓔ♾՞৘ங ჺ⎏᳅
collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing have been published (see Porcelain
஢Ⓔ㈺ᝯӳ卿ཆഅ᪪߅க㟕≢卻ݯ㞏ᙠ㘆ַ৅⏟㖅
of the Song Dynasty (I), vol. 32, The Complete Collection of Treasures of
צ⎏⤔⽚㟕≢卿׾ൈឪ༾ჹ߿㘚㋏ᙔ㮰 எ Ꮢ▔
the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1996, pp. 28-33, nos. 24-28), along with
further examples with lobed rims (ibid., pp. 34-38, nos. 29-33). Of the three ⎏Ꮣ஋⭬㱈ݦ㬷ᡥᆨ㧷ݏ⎏ᙹ᱁న೭卼卿⯝᭦ᦼ卻
8