Page 100 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art, Hong Kong Dec 3 2021

AN EARLY MING TREASURE:

CLOISONNE ENAMEL LOTUS BOX AND COVER

ZHANG RONG

The copper-bodied box is cast in the form of an eight-petalled lotus for the researcher. This is probably due to the reputation of Jingtai-
bloom standing on a short foot ring. It is 12.4 cm. in diameter and period enamels which spawned a myriad of copies that appeared in
enamelled on the exterior in blue as its ground colour. The centre of later periods, and in turn gave rise to the nomenclature ‘Jingtailan
the cover is decorated with a lotus pod, and each of the lotus petal is (Jingtai blue)’- a popular term for cloisonné enamel which uses a
decorated with a lotus flower spray in either red, yellow, white or blue, reign name to denote an entire genre of craft. Nowadays the term
borne on leafy stems. The interior of the box and cover and the base ‘cloisonné enamel’ is mostly used in English and in the academic
is gilt. The base is incised in the centre with a single-line six-character world, while ‘Jingtai blue’ is widely used by the public. Just like
inscription (made in the Jingtai reign of the Great Ming) in regular ‘Xuande censer’, which is the popular name for bronze incense
script. The lotus petals made in relief are a unique design that requires burners, ‘Jingtai blue’ and ‘Xuande censer’ are both now widely
sophisticated workmanship. The lotus pod motif is derived from accepted trademarks.
elements of Buddhist mural paintings or stone carvings in Dunhuang.
The leaves are decorated in two or three colours to denote shading, A survey of cloisonné enamels with Ming reign marks reveals that
while all the lotus blooms are decorated in three colours to give only four reign marks are found on extant examples – Xuande,
a sense of richness and sumptuousness. There are scattered enamel Jingtai, Jiajing and Wanli. Amongst these, the ones bearing Jingtai
pits on the surface due to technical insufficiency, adding a sense marks number the most numerous and most problematic in dating.
of antiquity. There is an almost identical Jingtai-marked example In the Palace Museum there are more the one hundred cloisonné
in the Taipei Palace Museum (fig. 1), the only difference being enamel works with Jingtai marks, not to mention museums
the location of the mark. According to the exhibition catalogue, worldwide, such as the British Museum, the Brooklyn Museum,
“the base and interior of the box is undecorated and and the Hermitage Museum, which all have substantial
gilt, and the interior centre of the box is incised collections of Jingtai-marked cloisonné enamels.
with the single-line mark from right to The dating of these Jingtai-marked
1
left.” Careful inspection reveals that pieces encompasses Yuan, Ming,
the two marks are very closely Qing and Republic period. The
related in style and appear to current survey shows that most
be done by the same hand. Jingtai-marked examples
Chen Hsia-sheng of the are made in the Kangxi
Taipei Palace Museum is period. These include
of the opinion that “the refashioned examples,
fullness of the petals; the earlier examples that
two or three-coloured are added with marks
leaves; the heaviness of and Kangxi examples
the body; the thickness with Jingtai marks.
of the enamel and The reason behind
the hidden ends of the making of these
the all point to an pieces is still unclear.
early dating. Also the In the records of the
way the mark is done Zaobanchu ateliers
is consistent to those it is also recorded that
on lacquer and porcelain the Qianlong Emperor
of the same period. This Hongli also ordered some
is undoubtedly a real Jingtai Jingtai-marked cloisonné
period example.” 2 enamels. Do real Jingtai-marked
vessels exist? In the accounts by
What real Jingtai cloisonné enamels Late Ming/Early Qing collector
look like has always been a difficult subject Sun Chengze in (Writings after a Bright

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