Page 24 - Important Chinese Art Sothebys March 2019

the striking depiction of powerful dragons on these jars, Liu Yuan introduced a finely penciled style, with figures often
which appear especially lively against the pristine white placed against undecorated backgrounds. his influence
ground, displays the enormous efforts to restore quality is evident on these jars through the clever use of a white
at the Imperial kilns and create an original style that also background that enhances movement. technical advances
celebrated China’s glorious porcelain tradition. the fine proved essential for the flourishing of this style; the skillful
porcelain body, dynamic design, and undecorated ground, application of different layers of cobalt, as seen here in the
mark a development in style and quality that paved the way sinuous movement of the dragons’ spines, increased the
for succeeding Qing emperors. three-dimensionality of designs that would otherwise appear
rather flat.
the Kangxi emperor successfully revived the Imperial
porcelain factories at Jingdezhen after a long dormant Vases of this type appear in two variations, differing slightly
period that lasted nearly sixty years. according to palace in their form, size and mark. a closely related example in the
documents, production was revived on the 19th year of national palace museum, taipei, is published in Illustrated
the Kangxi reign, corresponding to 1680, and in 1681 the Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace
emperor sent four officials to Jingdezhen to oversee the Museum, vol. 1, tokyo, 1980, pl. 9; another in the Baur
rebuilding of the kilns and serve as imperial supervisors. Collection, is included in John ayers, The Baur Collection,
among them was the talented Zang Yingxuan, Director Geneva, vol. 4, Geneva, 1974, pl. a513; a pair in the Frick
of the Bureau of Forestry and Craft under the ministry of Collection, new York, is published on the museum’s website,
Works, who is credited with the development of innovative acc. no. 1965.8.164; and a further example was sold in our
techniques and designs. In 1682 Zang employed the gifted hong Kong rooms, 26th october 1993, lot 163.
painter and calligrapher Liu Yuan (c. 1638-1685), known Compare also a larger vase of this type, but with the mark
for his illustrations of the book Lingyange gongchen tu written in two horizontal lines, in the palace museum, Beijing,
(portraits of meritorious statesmen for the hall of Lingyan), illustrated in Qingdai yuyao ciqi [Qing imperial porcelains],
a reproduction of portraits of twenty-four legendary tang vol. 1, pt. 1, Beijing, 2005, pl. 45; and another from the
dynasty statesmen who helped Li shimin establish the collection of J. Insley Blair, sold at Christie’s hong Kong,
tang dynasty. the Qingshi gao [Draft of the history of Qing] 28th november 2012, lot 2110, and again in our hong Kong
records:
rooms, 5th october 2016, lot 3693.
“at that time, the imperial kilns were established in Jung hsing hsiang was one of the largest antique shops in
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. Yuan presented hundreds of paper Beijing during the early 20th century. Founded in 1905, it is
designs for porcelain samples. these designs draw recorded that Jung hsing hsiang was among the first few
inspirations from both ancient and modern forms and antique shops in Beijing that received official permission
combine with innovative ideas. they are most notable for to buy and sell ming and Qing dynasty imperial porcelain, a
figural images, landscape, the birds and flowers, which are category which became its primary focus until its closure in
better than ming dynasty wares.”
1945.

22 SOTHEBY’S Important ChInese art