Page 93 - Ming Porcelain Auction March 14, 2017 Sotheby's, NYC

T his magni cent jar represents the height of Wanli porcelain production
and embodies the distinctive style during his reign. Complex in composi-
tion, this design is endowed with added vitality through the outstanding
use of the wucai palette. While the Wanli Emperor is not historically known as
a leading statesmen or art lover, the relative stability of his long reign and his
great love of luxury allowed potters working at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen
to develop enameling techniques as well as produce a signi cant amount of
porcelain. The present example is distinctive for its palette, as the basic Wanli
wucai palette has been extended by the addition of a pale pinkish tone, created
by a thinner iron-red wash. This further animates the composition with deer
shown in ve alternating colors.

The motif of ‘one hundred deer’ appears to be an innovation of the Wanli
reign, and carries numerous auspicious messages. Traditionally the deer is an
emblem of immortality in China, believed to live to a very great age. The animal
successfully foraged for lingzhi and was believed to store the fungus’s power
within its antlers, which then became prized for their medicinal use. The deer is
also associated with o cial salary, as the two words are homophonous, hence
images of ‘one hundred deer’ are representative of ‘one hundred promotions’.

In addition to its auspicious messages, the scene on this jar, which continues
around the whole vessel as if on a handscroll, may also be of the imperial
gardens or hunting parks where deer and other exotic animals were known to
reside. Ming emperors spent much time in the Imperial Western Park, adjacent
to the Forbidden City, which had been reconstructed at the beginning of the
Ming dynasty and renovated to resemble an immortal land under the direction
of the Jiajing Emperor, who moved there in 1542.