Page 18 - Important Chinese Art Sothebys March 2019

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A BLUE AND WHITE VASE, which, in turn, allowed greater freedom in the 明嘉靖 青花纏枝牡丹紋玉壺春瓶
YUHUCHUNPING interpretation of prescribed designs. such new-
JIAJING MARK AND PERIOD found freedom is epitomized by the present 《大明嘉靖年製》款
vase in its unorthodox rendering of the floral 來源
elegantly potted, the pear-shaped body rising band that frames the peony scroll, and the 傳 Arthur Gilstrap Soames (1854-1934) 收藏
from a short slightly tapered foot to a waisted pointed lappet band at the neck.
neck and everted rim, painted in rich tones of Vases of this type are held in important 大英帝國官佐勳章持有者 A. Granville
underglaze-blue with a peony scroll encircling museums and private collections worldwide: a Soames 上尉 (1886-1962 ) 收藏
the body, framed above and below by bands closely related example in the palace museum, 謝菲爾德蘇富比，阿克菲爾德，索塞克斯
of alternating lappets and florets, the neck Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection 郡，1954年3月8日，編號40
painted with two registers of lotus scroll, of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Blue and 英國私人收藏
divided by horizontal lines and upright lappets, White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II),
the foot with a band of keyfret, the base with a hong Kong, 2000, pl. 83; one in the shanghai
six-character mark in underglaze blue within a museum, shanghai is published in Lu minghua,
double circle Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Imperial porcelain of the
height 12⅜ in., 31.4 cm
ming dynasty], shanghai, 2007, pl. 1-51; and
another in the museum of oriental Ceramics,
PROVENANCE
osaka, was included in the museum’s
probably Collection of arthur Gilstrap soames exhibition Blue and White in the East Asia,
(1854-1934). osaka, 1997, cat. no. 15. see also an example
Collection of Captain a. Granville soames, in the huaihaitang Collection, exhibited in
o.B.e. (1886-1962). Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming, art
sotheby’s sheffield park, Uckfield, sussex, 8th museum, the Chinese University of hong Kong,
march 1954, lot 40. hong Kong, 2012, cat. no. 35; one illustrated
english private Collection. in regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the
While following in the tradition of the early Meiyintang Collection, London, 2010, vol. 4,
15th century in both form and design, this pt. 1, pl. 1693; and another from the collection
vase displays the creative freedom enjoyed of e. hultmark, illustrated in L. reidemeister,
by craftsmen active at Jingdezhen during the Ming-Porzellane in Schwedischen Sammlungen,
Jiajing reign. a period marked by economic Berlin, 1935, pl. 19a.
prosperity and great luxury at court, porcelain For the prototype of this form and design, see
production in the ming experienced a last a vase attributed to the Yongle reign, in the
flowering under Jiajing. In order to fulfill a British museum, London, illustrated in Jessica
significantly increased demand for imperial harrison-hall, Ming Ceramics in the British
porcelain, private kilns at Jingdzhen were Museum, London, 2001, pl. 3:17.
employed alongside the imperial kilns. this
required a greater tolerance by the Imperial $ 80,000-120,000
household Department in quality control

sheffield park house
matt Gibson/Loop ImaGes/Getty Images

16 SOTHEBY’S Important ChInese art