Page 37 - Ming Porcelain Auction March 14, 2017 Sotheby's, NYC
P. 37
CARNATIONS SWAYING IN THE WIND:
AN ICONIC YONGLE MOON FLASK
REGINA KRAHL
Y ongle (1403-1424) imperial porcelains are admired for their intrinsic
beauty and physical quality, but this moon ask stands out: it is an icon-
ic piece. Enticingly shaped and alluringly painted with one of the most
enchanting ower designs, it is as pleasing to hold as it is to behold. Its ne
workmanship and its harmony of form and decoration re ect the fundamental
strengths of China’s porcelain production in this period. Its irresistible charm
elevates it beyond the universally high standard of the Yongle imperial kilns.
With only one companion piece of the same design, preserved in the Ottoman
royal collection, this large moon ask is one of the most remarkable upright
vessels of early Ming (1368-1644) imperial porcelain still in private hands.
It was in the Yongle reign that the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi
province were brought under strict imperial control. The Yongle Emperor clearly
recognized the diplomatic potential of a product that was highly sought-after
throughout Asia and of which China held a monopoly. Fine porcelains were
of course also sent to the court and are remaining in the palace collections of
Beijing and Taipei; yet some of the best pieces produced during that period were
o cially shipped abroad or granted to foreign embassies arriving in China, as
prestigious gifts.
In the Yongle reign, the imperial court controlled not only the design and
production of the wares from the imperial kilns, but also their distribution.
Yongle porcelain was not available through the usual trading channels, which
had brought Yuan (1279-1368) porcelains to the lands of the Near and Middle
East and to East Africa. In excavations in the Middle East, where successive
strata testify of the existence of continuous trade in Chinese ceramics, Yongle
wares are notably absent. They were made and distributed under strict court
supervision, with seconds being destroyed and buried so that they could not be
