Page 52 - important chinese art mar 22 2018

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A MING-STYLE BLUE AND WHITE A closely related ewer from the Qing Court ૶৻ඤ ڡڀකΈڀ؈७ੂడ
EWER Collection is preserved in the Palace Museum, ɽ૶৻ඤϋႡ‘ಛ
Beijing, illustrated in Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong
QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND Bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci [Early Ը๕
PERIOD Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace ॲߒԳɻ੻2006ϋ9˜19˚dᇜ໮307
Museum], Beijing, 2002, vol. II, pl. 210, together
$ nely potted with the pear-shaped body rising
with a Yongle prototype, vol. I, pl. 19, and others
from a short, slightly splayed foot to a waisted
attributed to the Xuande period, vol. I, pls 95 and
neck and an everted rim, set on one side with
96; and another in the National Palace Museum,
a curved spout joined to the neck by a cloud-
Taipei, is published in the Illustrated Catalogue of
shaped strut, opposite the arched strap handle
Ch’ing Dynasty, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 7. See also
adorned by grooves and surmounted by a small
a ewer in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul,
loop on top and accented with three knobs at the
together with two Yongle prototypes, illustrated in
base imitating metalwork studs, $ nely painted in
John Ayers and Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics
early Ming style with vibrant cobalt blue imitating
in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London,
‘heaping and piling’ with a quatrefoil panel on
1986, vol. III, pl. 2565, and vol. II, pl. 618; and
either side, one enclosing a branch of peaches,
another from the Meiyintang Collection, published
the other with a branch of loquat, ! anked by
in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the
scrolling ! owers, all above upright lappets and
Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol.
a band of classic scroll encircling the foot, the
IV, pl. 1714, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 26th
the neck with a broad lotus scroll band below
October 1993, lot 179, and again, 4th April 2012,
overlapping plantain leaves, the spout decorated
lot 28.
with classic scrolls, with ruyi-clouds on the strut
and sprays of lingzhi on the handle, the base with For a reconstructed Yongle prototype that was
a six-character seal mark excavated from the Ming imperial kiln sites,
Height 10¼ in., 26 cm see one included in the exhibition Jingdezhen
Zhushan chutu Yongle guanyao ciqi [Yongle
PROVENANCE
Imperial porcelain excavated at Zhushan,
Christie’s New York, 19th September 2006, Jingdezhen], Capital Museum, Beijing, 2007,
lot 307. cat. no. 66.
This elegant ewer, with its well-proportioned
$ 60,000-80,000
shape and expertly painted design, captures the
essence of its Yongle (1403 -24) prototype. The
form originates from the Yuan dynasty, which
was in turn inspired by Middle Eastern metal-
bodied wares. During the Qianlong period, early
porcelains celebrated for their unique form and
superb craftsmanship such as early-Ming blue
and white wares were consciously emulated in
the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, demonstrating
the Qing craftsmen’s ability to adapt classic
designs into a contemporary aesthetic.

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