Page 223 - important chinese art mar 22 2018

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A FINELY PAINTED BLUE AND This skillfully painted box embodies the ׼ਫ਼၄ ڡڀνจකΈᇳ७ႊଷ
WHITE CIRCULAR BOX AND COVER signature qualities of Ming dynasty blue and ɽ׼ྗཨϋႡ‘ͷಛ
white porcelains through its sophisticated
MING DYNASTY, CHONGZHEN ornamentation and dynamic use of materials.
PERIOD The intricate, symmetrical design perfectly
the domed cover ! nely painted to the center with complements the shape of the surface, requiring
careful planning and precise execution. Yet,
a quadrilobed medallion composed of four ruyi-
shaped panels and lotus # owers linked by foliate even within these constraints, the painter
scrolls within a ruyi lappet collar enclosing further executed each line with vivacity and vigor that
lotus scrolls, the box with similar decoration, the enliven the overall composition. The artisan also
made full use of the tonal range of the cobalt
base with an apocryphal six-character Jiajing
mark (2) to vivify individual lines and prevent monotony
Diameter 4½ in., 11.4 cm in the repeating pattern. The ‘heaping and
piling’ technique further added an element of
chance in the ! ring process. As a result, the box
coherently synthesizes order and expressiveness,
conformity and gesture, deliberateness and
surprise. Compared to contemporaneous seal
paste boxes discovered in the ‘Hatcher Cargo’,
for instance the groups sold at Christie’s
Amsterdam, 12th-13th June 1984, lots 601 and
649, the present example demonstrates the high
caliber of craftsmanship that continued through
the end of the Ming dynasty.
$ 20,000-30,000

IMPORTANT CHINESE ART 221