Page 107 - 2020 October 8 HK Fine Classical Paintings

46

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE COLLECTION
A FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE IMPERIAL BLUE
AND BROWN GLAZED ‘DRAGON’ BOWL
MING DYNASTY, HONGWU PERIOD
the interior glazed in brilliant cobalt blue and deftly decorated
in anhua technique with two scaly five-clawed dragons striding
amidst ruyi-shaped clouds, encircling a central ruyi-cloud
medallion, the exterior subtly decorated with a band of petal
lappets around the foot and covered in brown glaze
20.5 cm, 8 in.

HK$ 8,000,000-12,000,000
US$ 1,040,000-1,550,000

明洪武 御製外醬釉內藍釉暗花雲龍紋盌

THE EMERGENCE OF AN IMPERIAL STYLE
UNDER THE HONGWU EMPEROR
Regina Krahl

This bowl, which appears to be unique, belongs to a miniscule third from the Norton collection, sold in our London rooms,
3
group of bi-chrome glazed porcelains with five-clawed anhua 5th November 1963, lot 172 (fig. 2). A bowl glazed in cobalt
dragons, among the earliest with coloured glazes. A fragment blue inside and copper red outside, from the collection of Lady
of a similar vessel, recovered near the inner palace buildings David and later the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, was sold
4
at the Hongwu imperial (1368-1398) palace site, Nanjing, in our London rooms 6th July 1976, lot 131; another, glazed
documents use by the imperial family. 1 brown inside and white outside, is in the Yamato Bunkakan,
Nara. 5
Not much is known about the Emperor’s interest in the arts.
Born into a poor family and soon orphaned, his ascent to A set of stem cup, bowl and dish could have served ritual
defeat the ruling Mongols, to found one of China’s most purposes. Harrison-Hall suggests that the colours might
prosperous dynasties and to compose philosophical writings is represent “the blue of heaven and the red-brown of earth”. 6
near-miraculous. The imperial kilns at Jingdezhen demonstrate It is tempting to link this to the fact that in 1377 the Hongwu
the unquestionable emergence of an imperial style during Emperor decided to hold the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth
7
his reign, which exerted a defining and lasting influence on together under one roof. Although traditionally, the colour of
imperial wares. The present bowl is an archetypal example. earth was yellow, yellow porcelains were not yet available at
Anhua (‘hidden decoration’) – achieved by impressing the time.
the piece against a mould, perhaps with a thin layer of 1 See Zhu Ming yicui. Nanjing Ming gugong chutu taoci/A Legacy of the Ming.
slip in between to create a shallow relief – often remained Ceramic Finds from the Site of the Ming Palace in Nanjing, Art Museum, The
unsatisfactory in white on white; with the blue glaze, it is highly Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 26.
effective to emphasize the elegant physique and energetic 2 Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang
stride of the dragons. Foundation, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 15.
3 Harrison-Hall, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British
Both blue and brown glazes were rarely used at the time, two- Museum, London, 2001, nos 1:20 and 21; Sherman E. Lee and Wai-kam Ho,
coloured vessels are even rarer. A monochrome blue dish with Chinese Art under the Mongols. The Yüan Dynasty (1279-1368), The Cleveland
anhua dragons in the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery was Museum of Art, Cleveland, 1968, cat. no. 160.
included in the OCS exhibition The Arts of the Ming Dynasty, 4 It is also illustrated in ibid., cat. no. 162; and in Idemitsu Bijutsukan: Kaikan jūgo
London, 1957, cat. no. 112. Red bowls and dishes were more shūnen kinen ten zuroku/The Fifteenth Anniversary Catalogue, Tokyo, 1981,
numerous; see a fragmentary bowl from the Hongwu stratum col. pl. 765.
of the Jingdezhen kiln sites (fig. 1). 2 5 Yamato Bunkakan shozōhin zuhan mokuroku 7. Chūgoku tōji/Chinese Ceramics
from the Museum Yamato Bunkakan Collection, Illustrated Catalogue Series No.
Only four other blue-and-brown pieces appear to be preserved: 7, Nara, 1977, no. 114.
a stem cup and a dish in the British Museum from the 6 Harrison-Hall, op.cit., p. 69.
Sedgwick and Eumorfopoulos collections, respectively; a stem 7 Christine Lau, ‘Ceremonial Monochrome Wares of the Ming Dynasty’, in
cup in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; and a Rosemary E. Scott, ed., The Porcelains of Jingdezhen, Colloquies on Art and
Archaeology in Asia, no. 16, London, 1993, p. 94.

104 FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUING 詳盡圖錄內容請瀏覽 SOTHEBYS.COM/HK0975