Page 110 - Bonhams May 11th 2017 London Fine Chinese Art

193
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE ‘LI BAI’ BRUSH WASHER
Chongzhen
Finely potted with a slightly recessed base and deep sides, the well
painted in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue with a scene of the Tang poet
Li Bai in an audience with the Tang emperor Minghuang, flanked by
ministers and court officials, all within a palatial setting beneath large
curtains.
20.6cm (8 1/8in) diam.

£35,000 - 50,000
CNY300,000 - 430,000

明崇禎 青花「李太白念誦番書」圖盤

Provenance: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 18 November 1979, lot 138.
Thompson Collection, no.90 (label)

Published and Illustrated: R.S.Kilburn, Transitional Wares and Their
Forerunners, Hong Kong, 1981, p.123, no.86.
Chinese Ceramics of the Transitional Period (circa 1620-1680 A.D.)
from the Collection of Mr & Mrs Peter Thompson, Hull, 1985, no.90.

來源： 1979年11月18日於香港蘇富比拍賣，拍品138號
Thompson舊藏，藏品90號（標貼）

出版及著錄：
R.S.Kilburn著，《Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners（明末清初
瓷展）》，香港，1981年，頁123，圖86
《Chinese Ceramics of the Transitional Period (circa 1620-1680 A.D.)
from the Collection of Mr & Mrs Peter Thompson（Peter Thompson伉
儷藏明末清初瓷器）》，Hull，1985年，編號90

The inscription on the top left of the scene:

李太白念誦番書

Which may be translated as:

‘Li Taibai reading aloud a barbarian letter’

Li Bai 李白 (701-762), also known as Li Taibai, is one of the most
famous poets of the Tang dynasty and of Chinese literary history.
He has been the inspiration for numerous depictions by artists and
craftsmen, but subjects of the legendary Chinese poet reading and
speaking a foreign ‘barbarian’ language are rare.

Scholars argue about the famous poet’s background, but it is generally
agreed that the Li family were merchants originally from Sichuan that
moved and did business in central Asia. Li Bai was born in present day
Kyrgyzstan, at the height of Chinese power in inner Asia, and claimed
to be able to speak a number of foreign languages. His rare ability to
speak a foreign language allowed him to be employed as a translator
at court where he earned the emperor’s favour. The Tang emperor
Minghuang was so fond of Li Bai that he even held a banquet in his
honour.

Stories about Li Bai speaking foreign languages were included in the
Ming collection of ‘Stories to Caution the World’ (Jingshi tongyan 警世
通言), by Feng Menglong (1574-1646).

108 | BONHAMS For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.