Page 74 - Christie's Important Chinese Works of Art, May 31 to June 1, 2023 Hong Kong

AN IMPOSING QIANLONG HEXAGONAL VASE

ROSEMARY SCOTT, INDEPENDENT SCHOLAR

This imposing vase combines monumental size with very delicately Western-inspired, symmetrical, graded, scrolling elements – often
rendered decoration in vibrant underglaze cobalt blue. This decoration with small knobs along their exterior outlines - can be seen on a
employs a style in which flowering and fruiting sprays, reminiscent limited number of exceptional blue and white vessels from both
of those on fine Ming dynasty blue and white porcelains of the 15 th the Yongzheng and early Qianlong reigns. Similar elements can
century, accompanied by lingzhi fungus, are complemented by be seen on two Yongzheng pouring vessels in the collection of the
scrolling motifs which owe their inspiration to western designs. The Palace Museum, Beijing (see Gugong Bowuyuan cang, Qingdai yuyao
melding of these two decorative traditions is particularly successful on ciqi, juan 1, vol. 2, Beijing, 2005, pp. 108-111, nos. 43 and 44) (no.
this large hexagonal vase. It is probable that the current vase dates to 43, fig. 2). These pouring vessels lack the large scale of the current
the early part of the Qianlong reign, since a rare blue and white vase of vase, and are round, rather than faceted, so the decorative elements
the same large size, shape and design, dating to the Yongzheng reign are smaller and used differently, but the shared source of inspiration
(1723-35) is housed in the Musée national des arts asiatiques-Guimet, is clear. Interestingly, a large Yongzheng hu-shaped blue and white
Paris. This Yongzheng vase has been published by Xavier Besse in La vase, also in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (see Blue and
Chine des porcelaines, Paris, 2004, p. 119, no. 42, and in The World’s White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), The Complete Collection of
Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics, Vol. 7, Musée Guimet, Paris, Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 114, no. 100)
Kodansha International, Tokyo, 1981, no. 164. (fig. 1) It was formerly has similar decorative elements dominating the band which encircles
in the collection of Ernest Grandidier (1833-1912), was donated to the the shoulder of the vessel, as do two large blue and white Yongzheng
Louvre in 1894 and is now in the Guimet. The extreme closeness in vases in the collection of the Nanjing Museum (see Qing Imperial
the appearance of the current Qianlong vase to the Guimet Yongzheng Porcelain of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Nanjing, 1995,
example suggests that they were made within a few years of each other. nos. 43 (fig. 3) and 44). Similar Western-inspired decorative elements
can also be seen on a large Qianlong blue and white garlic-mouth vase
in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated Blue and
White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), The Complete Collection of

碩中寓巧：清乾隆青花三多折技花果紋六方尊

蘇玫瑰 (獨立學者)

此尊造型敦碩，兼之釉下青花濃艶、畫工精妙，觀之氣派 本拍品所採用的西洋纏枝紋(外沿多以小巧珠狀作結)構圖
非凡。器身的折枝花果紋與十五世紀上品青花明瓷遙相呼 對稱、層次分明，近似者亦見於一批雍正和乾隆初年的青
應，並輔以靈芝紋，其間繪西式纏枝圖案。以中西合璧的紋 花佳瓷，惟其數量不多。北京故宮博物院藏二例雍正水注，
飾而言，本六方大尊的效果尤為出眾。它很可能燒造於乾 其紋飾中也有近似的元素，圖見《故宮博物院藏清代御窯
隆初期，蓋因巴黎吉美國立亞洲藝術博物館藏一例珍罕雍 瓷器》卷一(下)頁108-111編號43及44。但兩者的體形均不
正(公元1723-35年)青花尊，其器型之大與形制紋樣俱與 及本拍品，而且均屬圓器，不具棱面，所以各紋飾元素相對
本拍品如出一轍。這件雍正作品曾著錄於Xavier Besse 較小，鋪陳格局不盡相同，但其參考的藍本顯然系出同源。
所撰的《La Chine des porcelaines》頁119編號42 (巴 有意思的是，北京故宮尚有一例雍正青花大壺，其器肩也有
黎：2004)，以及《The World’s Great Collections, 類似的紋飾，圖見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：青花釉裏
Oriental Ceramics》卷七之「巴黎吉美博物館」編號164 紅(下)》頁114編號100(香港：2000)；此外，南京博物院藏二
（圖一）(東京：國際講談社，1981)。它源自葛荻耶(Ernest 例雍正青花大尊亦紋飾相若，圖見《清瓷萃珍：清代康雍乾
Grandidier，1833-1912年)舊藏，1894年贈予羅浮宮，現 官窯瓷器》編號43（圖二）及44(南京：1995)。在北京故宮
已納入吉美館藏。鑑於本季推出的乾隆尊與吉美雍正尊大同 芸芸藏品之中，一例乾隆青花蒜頭大瓶亦糅合了類似的西洋
小異，看來兩者的燒造年代僅相隔數年。 紋飾，圖見前述《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：青花釉裏紅
(下)》頁135編號121；以本拍品的仿明折枝花果紋與如意雲

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