Page 62 - Christie's Important Chinese Works of Art, May 31 to June 1, 2023 Hong Kong

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Samuel C. Davis was the son of a prominent family in St. Louis and gained 盤折沿，弧腹，圈足外撇。內外壁施黃地，盤心繪幾何鑽形，內壁飾蓮紋與
his interest in Chinese ceramics while embarking on a world tour after 蝙蝠相間，口下一周垂葉間以朵花紋。寬沿兩面紅地鏤雕圓孔，描金線相
graduating from Harvard University in 1893 and also from attending the
1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition where there were displays of Asian 繫，框飾花葉邊。外壁飾纏枝蓮紋間以幾何鑽形。足內外松綠地，足牆飾花
art. He purchased many of his pieces from C.T. Loo. On his death in 1940, 葉紋，底礬紅彩書「大清乾隆年製」篆書款。
he bequeathed two hundred and two pieces of porcelain, as well as stone,
bronze and lacquer to the St. Louis Museum of Art. He also gave some 如此器之乾隆款鏤雕折沿大盤非常珍罕，台北故宮博物院收藏一件稍小的
pieces to Harvard University. His brother was Dwight F. Davis, after whom 白地例子，其盤心及內壁同樣飾幾何紋，但無蓮蝠紋（圖一）。形制、紋飾相
the international tennis tournament Davis Cup is named.
近的嘉慶款盤較為常見，因此推斷本對盤燒造於乾隆晚期，或是嘉慶初期
Pierced rim dishes of this type bearing Qianlong reign marks are extremely 作為太上皇的賀壽禮物。此器飾蓮花、蝙蝠紋，寓意「福壽綿長」。
rare. One other Qianlong-marked example is known, which is a slightly
smaller dish of the same form, decorated with a similar 'jewel' in the 然而著錄中的嘉慶款例子，未見黃地裝飾，只有松綠地或紫地，計有徐展堂
centre but surrounded by further jewels on the well instead of lotus and
bats as on the current dish, all on a white ground, in the collection of the 舊藏一件松綠地盤，後捐贈予香港文化博物館；仇焱之舊藏另一件松綠地
National Palace Museum, Taipei (fig. 1). Dishes of this rare design were 例子，2002年10月30日於香港蘇富比拍賣，拍品258號；再一件紫地例子
produced in larger quantities during the Jiaqing period, as there are a 1989年6月2日於紐約佳士得拍賣，拍品218號，及R.J.S 舊藏一例，2022
number of surviving examples bearing Jiaqing reign marks. This suggests 年7月6日於巴黎佳士得拍賣，拍品33號。參考臺北故宮博物院收藏一件嘉
the possibility that the current pair of dishes and the National Palace 慶款黃地大盤，該例形制、紋飾均與本盤相若，惟折沿沒有圓孔，載於1991
Museum example were made towards the end of the Qianlong reign, or
even during the years when the Qianlong Emperor abdicated and styled 年台北出版《中國歷代陶瓷鑑賞‧5‧清官窯及民窯》，217頁。
himself as Emperor Emeritus. The purpose of the apertures on the rims
is still unknown, though generally it has been accepted that this group of 戴維斯出生於美國聖路易州一個顯赫家族，1893年他自哈佛大學畢業後
wares served as offering dishes in the court. However no other example, 作環球旅行，又出席美國路易斯安那1904年舉辦的採購博覽會，開始認
whether with Qianlong or Jiaqing mark, decorated on a yellow ground
appears to be known. 識亞洲藝術品，從此熱衷收藏中國陶瓷，他的很多藏品均來自古董商盧芹
齋。1940年他逝世後，其舊藏中202件瓷器遂贈予聖路易美術館，另外一些
Several Jiaqing-marked pierced rim dishes on various coloured grounds 藏品亦捐贈哈佛大學。著名的戴維斯盃網球賽事，就是以其兄弟Dwight F.
have been published. It is interesting to note that these Jiaqing examples Davis命名。
are all decorated on the well with alternating lotus blooms and geometric
'jewels', differing from the lotus and bat decorations on the current pair
and the band of jewels flanked by Western-style foliage on the National
Palace Museum example. The published Jiaqing dishes include a ruby-
ground example in the Weishaupt Collection, illustrated by Gunhild
Avitabile in From the Dragon's Treasure, London, 1987, no. 21; a turquoise-
ground example donated by T.T. Tsui to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum
(accession no. 1997.97.172); another turquoise-ground one formerly in the
E.T. Chow Collection and sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 30 October 2002,
lot 258; two ruby-ground examples, one sold at Christie's New York, 2
June 1989, lot 218, another from the R.J.S. Collection, sold at Christie’s
Paris, 6 July 2022, lot 33.
Compare also to a Jiaqing-marked dish of the same shape and similar
design on a yellow ground but without piercing on the rim, in the National
Palace Museum and illustrated by Liu Liang-yu in A Survey of Chinese
Ceramics, vol. 5, Taipei, 1991, p. 217.

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

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