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A RARE WUCAI ‘FISH’ JAR 明嘉靖 五彩魚藻紋罐

MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAJING 《大明嘉靖年製》款
Japanese wood box
23.7 cm 來源：
梅原龍三郎（1888-1986年）收藏
PROVENANCE
Collection of Umehara Ryuzaburo (1888-1986).

HK$ 1,000,000-1,500,000
US$ 129,000-194,000

Boldly painted with a whimsical scene of fish swimming additional firing, resulted in a rich golden-orange tone ideally
amidst waterweeds, the present jar depicts one of the most suited to render the colour of golden carp, among the most
iconic designs during the Jiajing period. It is an exceptional coveted species of fish in China. This complicated wucai
piece of imperial Chinese porcelain which embodied the style was developed in the Jiajing period and seems to be
Emperor’s obsession with ancient Daoist values, as well as a restricted to that reign.
joyful notion of a carefree life.
Two closely related jars from the Henry Oppenheim
The Jiajing Emperor is known as a fervent patron of collection and now in the British Museum are illustrated in
Daoist causes, it is therefore not surprising that works of Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics, London, 2001, pls
art produced under his reign are brimming with Daoist 9:117 and 9:118; and another sold in our London rooms,
imagery. Fish as an image of freedom from restraints played 7th November 2012, lot 325 (Fig. 1). Jiajing wucai fish jars
an important part in Daoist thought since earliest times. were also made in a variety of sizes, see two larger jars in
They are symbols of the happy, free-spirited life. The free the Shanghai Museum (Lu Minghua, Shanghai Bowuguan
composition and vivid execution of the design on this and zangpin yanjiu daxi/Studies of the Shanghai Museum
similar jars beautifully echo the merry spirit of its message. Collections : A Series of Monographs. Mingdai guanyao ciqi
[Ming imperial porcelain], Shanghai, 2007, pls 3-88 and
The wucai (‘five colour’) palette used for its depiction is a
rare version specific to the Jiajing reign that is particularly 3-89).
complex. The available range of ‘five colours’, consisting Umehara Ryuzaburo (1888-1986) was a famous Japanese
of underglaze blue and overglaze red, yellow, green painter as well as an avid collector of Chinese porcelain and
and aubergine, was here enlarged further by a sixth: works of art. Fig. 2 shows a portrait of the artist with the
superimposing red on yellow enamel, which required an present fish jar.

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