Page 40 - Christie's Important Chinese Works of Art, May 31 to June 1, 2023 Hong Kong

3022 Continued

The form of the present vase, reminiscent of a pomegranate fruit, first 尊折沿口，直頸，鼓腹，外撇足。通體呈六瓣形。青花紋飾。口沿飾蓮瓣紋，
appeared on Chinese porcelain in blue and white in the early 15 century, 頸飾圓圈紋，肩飾蓮瓣紋，腹飾折枝靈芝紋，近足處飾仰覆蓮瓣紋。圈足
th
mostly unmarked, but a few extremely rare ones, including the present 內施白釉。外底署青花楷體「大明宣德年製」雙圈六字楷書款。青花濃重，
vase, bear a Xuande mark on the base.
多處呈鐵褐結晶疵斑，聚釉處白釉泛青。瓶型制典雅，似石榴，故名「石榴
Only three other blue and white vases of this design bearing Xuande 尊」。
marks appear to have been published, one is in the Palace Museum,
Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace 北京故宮博物院一例，載於故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集《青花釉裏紅（上）
Museum, Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong,
2000, p. 117, no. 111 (fig. 2), another in the National Museum of China, 》，香港，2000年，頁117，圖版111號（圖二）；北京國家博物館藏一例，
illustrated in Zhongguo guojia bowuguan guancang wenwu yanjiu congshu 見《中國國家博物館藏文物研究叢書瓷器卷（明代）》，上海，2007年，
- ciqi juan – Mingdai, Shanghai, 2007, p. 65, no. 33, and the third from the 頁65，圖版33號；及琵金頓舊藏一例，2016年4月6日於香港蘇富比拍賣，
Pilkington Collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 6 April 2016, lot 19. 拍品19號。
Several unmarked pomegranate-form vases of this design are known,
including one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see Ming Underglaze 無款青花石榴尊的數量相對較多，例子見諸於全球公司珍藏，包括台北故宮
Blue Porcelains: Decorative Motifs and Glazes, Taipei, 2015, pp. 107-108, 博物院藏一件，見《釉色與紋飾：明代青花瓷》，台北，2015年，圖版20號；
no. 20; one in the collection of Alan Chuang, illustrated in The Alan 莊紹綏珍藏一件，見《中國瓷器–莊紹綏收藏》，香港，2009年，圖版8號；
Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, no. 8; one 北京發掘一例，現藏首都博物館，見《首都博物館藏瓷選》，北京，1991年，
excavated in Beijing and now in the Capital Museum, Beijing, illustrated
in Shoudu Bowuguan cang ci xuan, Beijing, 1991, no. 103; two from the 圖版103號；兩件由Wu Lai-hsi舊藏，一件1939年6月16日於倫敦蘇富比
Wu Lai-hsi collection, one sold at Sotheby’s London, 16 June 1939, lot 拍賣，拍品106號，另一為大維德基金會藏品，現於大英博物館展出，藏品編
106, another in the Sir Percival David Collection in the British Museum, 號：PDF, B. 634；及H.R.N. Norton舊藏一件，1954年於威尼斯《中國藝
London, registration number: PDF,B.634; and one from the collection of 術展》中展出，圖錄編號630。
H.R.N. Norton, sold at Sotheby’s London, 5 November 1963, lot 163, was
included in the exhibition Mostra d’Arte Cinese/Exhibition of Chinese Art,
Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1954, no. 630. 靈芝為中國傳統吉祥圖案，象徵如意長壽。靈芝為吉祥瑞草，出現於君王有
德之時，人服之可以長壽輕身。靈芝紋在元代瓷器上已開始流行，但多為輔
The lingzhi motif had already appeared on porcelain from the Yuan 助紋飾，入明以後，御器厰才將用作為主紋飾。宣德時期，除了石榴尊以外，
dynasty, although as part of the secondary bands, as exemplified by the 靈芝紋亦見於罐上，如台北故宮藏二件小罐，該二例皆以纏枝靈芝紋為主紋
cover of a jar excavated from a hoard in Gao’an, Jiangxi Province, included
in the exhibition Splendors in Smalt: Art of Yuan Blue-and-white Porcelain, 飾，但設計略異，一例與此尊相似，每朵靈芝為雙瓣，另一例則為三瓣，見《
Shanghai, 2012, pp. 178-179, no. 58. It was not until the early-Ming 明代宣德官窯菁華特展圖錄》，台北，頁92-93，圖版19（圖三）及20號。其
dynasty when lingzhi became the dominant motif. For other examples of 他以靈芝紋作為主紋飾的宣德器形還有大盌，見前揭書圖版45號，及小瓶，
the Xuande period decorated with lingzhi as the primary motif, see two 見《青花釉裏紅（上）》，圖版91號。
jars in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of the
Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming
Dynasty, Taipei, 2015, pp. 92-93, no.19 (fig. 3), and pp. 94-95, no. 20, it is 隨附大阪美術俱樂部1939年2月19日圖錄。
interesting to note that there are two caps on each of the lingzhi spray on
the former jar, as in the case of the present vase as well, while the lingzhi
spray on the later jar depicts three caps, showing the variations in design
found on imperial porcelain of this era.
The present vase was sold at the Osaka Bijutsu Club on 19 February 1939,
the catalogue accompanies this lot.

fig. 1 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing fig. 2 Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
圖一 北京故宮博物院藏品 圖二 國立故宮博物院藏品

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