Page 22 - important chinese art mar 22 2018

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A PEACHBLOOM-GLAZED period under the supervision of the skilled Zang ૶ੰဢ ḉԌߎཊฮՍྠᎲ७˄ͣయ
BEEHIVE-FORM WATERPOT Yingxuan, who was sent to Jingdezhen in 1681 ɽ૶ੰဢϋႡ‘ಛ
to oversee the rebuilding of the kilns and serve
KANGXI MARK AND PERIOD Ը๕
as imperial supervisor. To manage the fugitive
" nely potted of classic domed ‘taibai zun’ form, copper-lime pigment, it is believed to have been John Sparks Ltd dࡐ౱
the slightly tapered sides rising to a rounded sprayed via a long bamboo tube onto a layer of Sidney T Cook 1910 1964 ϗᔛdϤܝ࢕ૄ
shoulder and short waisted neck below a lipped transparent glaze and then " xed with another ෂו
mouth rim, the exterior evenly applied overall layer, so as to be sandwiched between two layers
save for the rim and base with a rich crimson-red of clear glaze.
glaze characteristically mottled with shades of A waterpot of this type in the Palace Museum,
lighter pink and dots of emerald green imitating Beijing, is illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng.
the skin of a ripening peach, the body faintly Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum
incised with three stylized archaistic dragon Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 125; one in the
roundels, the recessed base with a six-character Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is published in
mark in underglaze blue in three columns Wang Qingzheng, ed., Kangxi Porcelain Wares
Diameter 5 in., 12.7 cm from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong
Kong, 1998, pl. 206; another from the Sir Percival
PROVENANCE
David Collection, now in the British Museum,
John Sparks Ltd., London. London, is published in Margaret Medley, Ming
Collection of Sidney T. Cook (1910-1964), and and Qing Monochrome Wares in the Percival David
thence by descent. Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1989, pl. 580;
The present piece is a particularly successful and a further example of slightly smaller size, in
example of peachbloom glaze as evidenced by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is
the vibrant copper-red that evenly covers the illustrated in Suzanne G. Valenstein, A Handbook
surface. Notoriously di* cult to achieve due to the of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, pl. 234.
temperamental nature of the copper pigment, These waterpots are known as taibai zun after the
the attractive blushing glaze is only found on the Tang dynasty poet Li Taibai, who is often depicted
eight prescribed vessels made for the scholar’s leaning against a large wine jar of similar form;
table, one of the most iconic groups of porcelain for example see a porcelain sculpture, which
created under the Kangxi Emperor. shows the poet seated with closed eyes and a
Copper-red glazes had been largely abandoned cup in hand, published in Kangxi. Yongzheng.
at Jingdezhen since the early Ming dynasty and Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum
were revived and drastically improved only during Collection, op. cit., pl. 89. They are also referred
the Kangxi reign. Recent research conducted by to as jizhao zun, because their shape resembles
Peter Lam and other leading scholars indicate that of a chicken coop.
that the famous ‘peachbloom’ group was
$ 80,000-120,000
produced during the early years of the Kangxi

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