Page 21 - Sotheby's Asia Week March 2024 Chinee Art

Fig. 3 Chen Rong, Nine Dragons, Ink and color on paper, Southern Song dynasty, dated 1244 © Francis Gardner Curtis Fund, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Detail)
圖3 陳容，九龍圖卷，紙本設色，南宋 (1244年) © Francis Gardner Curtis Fund, 波士頓美術館 (局部)

The design of the present vase is perhaps inspired by to create a more imposing form. See a Yongle blue and white 本瓶紋飾靈感或來自南宋陳容名畫《九龍圖》(圖3) 龍紋天球瓶近年間鮮見於拍賣場，比較一清雍正青
the famous Southern Song dynasty handscroll painting, tianqiuping strikingly painted with a large striding dragon ，現屬波士頓美術館鎮館珍藏 (收藏編號17.1697)， 花釉裏紅例，雲龍紋飾與本品相近，售於香港佳士
The Nine Dragons, by Chen Rong (c.1200-1266) (fig. 3). among cloud wisps, from the Qing Court Collection, now in 此畫曾屬清宮舊藏，並錄於乾隆皇帝御用畫冊《石渠 得2023 年 11 月 30 日，編號 2840；另比一例，清乾
As one of the most highly treasured masterpieces in the the Palace Museum, Beijing (accession no. 故00145568), 寶笈》。清宮藝匠相信亦曾得見此圖，或從畫中取得 隆青花雲龍天球瓶，售於楓丹白露歐塞娜拍賣會2022
Boston Museum of Fine Arts (accession no. 17.1697), published on the Museum’s website; and another Xuande 本瓶紋飾靈感。宮廷御用龍紋多飾抽象雲紋，後者與 年10月1日，編號36；再比一青花礬紅例，繪礬紅龍
this remarkable handscroll was once in the Qing Court example, illustrated in Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong
Collection and was included in the Qianlong Emperor’s bowuyuan cang mingchu qinghuaci [Early Ming Porcelains in 靈芝形狀相近，更添吉祥寓意。 紋，2018年12月11日售於斯圖加特納高拍賣，編號
imperial painting catalogue, Shiqu baoji. Given its inclusion the Palace Museum], Beijing, 2002, pl. 79. 天球瓶編制宏大，鼓腹如天球，器型始創於明代永樂 346；尚有一粉彩雲龍例，出自 George H. Taber Jr 收
in this seminal catalogue, court artisans of the Qianlong 年間。乾隆瓷匠製作此瓶時參考明初雛本，同時改良 藏 (1859-1940年)，2019 年 4 月 3 日售於香港蘇富比，
period would have had access to this painting and possibly Only a small group of ‘dragon’ tianqiuping have appeared 紋飾及器型，力臻完美，如較粗瓶頸、肩微抬等，均 編號 3614。
drew inspiration from it when designing the present vase. at auction in recent years. See an underglaze-blue and
When dragons are depicted as imperial animals, they tend copper-red example from the Yongzheng period, similarly 令器型更具氣勢。比較一例，清宮舊藏明永樂青花雲
to be surrounded by unreal symbols of highly stylized painted with dragon and clouds, sold recently at Christie’s 龍天球瓶，現藏北京故宮博物院 (藏品編號：
clouds reminiscent of lingzhi to add a further layer in Hong Kong, 30th November 2023, lot 2840; a Qianlong blue 故00145568)，載於故宮博物院網站；另比一宣德例，
conveying auspicious meaning. and white tianqiuping, decorated with nine dragons among 載於耿寶昌編，《故宮博物院藏明初青花瓷》，
clouds, sold at Osenat auctions, Fontainebleau, 1st October
Tianqiuping are often very large in size with a globular 2022, lot 36; another painted with an iron-red dragon 北京，2002 年，圖版79。
body resembling the spherical planets in the sky (tianqiu). among blue and white flower scrolls, sold at Nagel auctions,
This form was first created in the Yongle period. The Stuttgart, 11th December 2018, lot 346; and a famille-rose
Qianlong artisans clearly referenced the early Ming dynasty ‘dragon and cloud’ example from the collection of George
prototypes when creating the present vase, with a focus on H. Taber Jr., sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd April 2019,
further perfecting the design of the painting and form, such lot 3614.
as by broadening the neck and lifting the shoulders slightly

38 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11410 39