Page 54 - Sotheby's Asia Week March 2024 Chinee Art

‘AS PURE AS POLISHED JADE’

宛若瓊玉

Although the origins of Chinese green ware can be traced 儘管中國青瓷起源可遠溯至商代，富鐵質之青瓷則於
as far back as the Shang dynasty, the iron-rich glazes of 公元八世紀左右方才真正廣受推崇。令此類青瓷聞名
‘celadon’ ware were fully appreciated only from around the 天下者為浙江越窰瓷器，如本場所呈170號拍品即屬
eighth century onwards. These became famous through Yue 其中佳例。唐代陸羽《茶經》評越州茶盌為上：
wares produced in what is now Zhejiang Province, repre-
sented in this sale by lot 170. The Tang dynasty scholar Lu 「盌，越州上……或者以邢州處越州上，殊為不然。
Yu in his magnum opus, the Chajing (‘Classic of Tea’), had 若邢瓷類銀，越瓷類玉… 若邢瓷類雪，則越瓷類
no doubts about the superiority of Yue tea bowls:
冰。」
‘Some think that Xingzhou [another Tang kiln center] ware 本場之越窰青釉盌雅致可人、青釉明亮，如此形容亦
is better than Yuezhou ware, but this is not at all the case. If
Xing wares are like silver, Yue are like jade (...) If Xing wares 甚恰當，讓人想起為進貢越王而製作之著名的秘色
are like snow, Yue are like ice.’ 瓷，乃青瓷早期典範，簡約秀麗。
With its glossy olive-green glaze and remarkable finesse, 唐朝覆滅後，越窰式微，北方青瓷以耀州瓷為上品。
this bowl is no exception. Reminiscent of the famed mise 耀州窰（位於現今陝西）最初以黑、白及三彩瓷器為
(‘secret color’) pieces made as tributes to the princes of 主，唐代開始轉向生產青瓷，至北宋，成品幾乎全屬
Yue, the bowl presents an early example of the understated 青釉瓷器，鼎盛時，所產瓷器多為朝廷貢品，可比定
refinement of green ware.
窰。北宋元豐七年《德應侯碑》，今封存於陝西西安
With the fall of the Tang dynasty, Yue ware was, for the 碑林博物館，曰耀州瓷「巧如範金、精比琢玉」，盛
most part, consigned to history and so-called ‘Northern 讚其品質卓越上乘。
celadons’ - particularly Yaozhou ware - took up the man-
tle. Beginning its operation mostly as a producer of black, 青瓷具古韻，而又符合現代審美；雍容卻又韻致；精
white and sancai wares, the Yaozhou kilns of modern-day 密無比而簡約迷人，以金玉比青瓷之美，實甚貼切。
Shaanxi had already begun turning towards celadon
production in the Tang dynasty and, by the arrival of the 上品耀州瓷器紋飾多數極其精密，然而卻不覺擁擠或
Northern Song (960–1127), produced such wares almost 凌亂。以本場所呈北宋 / 金耀州窰青釉瑞鵝戲水紋盌
exclusively. At the kilns’ prime, Yaozhou pieces were sent （拍品159）為例，雕花精密繁複而精緻流暢，釉色
as tributes to the court and comparable to the likes of 隱現虹彩，幾何葉紋之下波紋隱現，映襯戲水瑞鵝，
Ding. The Stele of Marquis Deying, engraved in 1084 (now 精巧可人。盌足纖細輕盈，彰顯瓷匠造詣，同時展現
a permanent exhibition in the Forest of Stelae Museum in 宋代官窰瓷器之簡約素雅，青釉微泛灰藍，融於盌身
Xi’an), highlights the excellence of these wares, said to be 瑞鵝戲水悠閑畫面，亦稱一絕，更顯瓷匠巧藝。
‘as fine as cast metal; as pure as polished jade.’
Indeed, there is perhaps no more apt description for the
beauty of celadon wares than this comparison with metal
and jade: at once archaic and modern; imposing and grace-
ful; infinitely complex and yet often devilishly simple.
Though superior Yaozhou wares often feature incredibly
intricate designs, these rarely feel crowded or messy. Take,
for example, the extremely fine ‘duck’ lobed bowl (lot 159):
despite the intricacy of the incised design, its style is
remarkably delicate and fluid. Leaving subtle ripples that
fade into a band of geometric foliage, it feels as though
the ducks are drifting along the bowl’s gleaming surface.
Resting gently on a very delicate foot, the bowl combines a
confident display of artisanal skill with the thoughtful sim-
plicity of imperial Song ceramics. Even the choice of glaze
– a delicate gray-blue – blends seamlessly with the idyllic
scene depicted and speaks to the skill of the bowl’s maker.

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