Page 12 - Jie Rui Tang Kangxi porcelain mar 2018

A characteristic of the Kangxi period that I have found to be particularly 䐁擳儘劍櫙㐼涸♧⦐暶럊僽礶ㅷ⚛♶㽷ꣳ倴涽
fascinating is that unlike other great eras of high quality porcelain 㹻䖶櫙鸏莅Ⱖ➮醢櫙渿⚆剤䨾♶ず刿곏䖤馱
production, it was not dominated by the imperial court. Many of the ㄂測搭鏪㢵⢕㐼㖳捀字瓡䨾醢꬗ぢ傈恸籗渿
greatest pieces were made for the large and expanding domestic 涸劥㕼䋑㜥荛䐁擳鯱䖕劍❠⡲㢫ꌼⴀ〡䧮儘
market and later into the period, for the growing export market. I have 䌢钢捀䖰醢櫙涸錬䏞⢵闍䐁擳儘劍莅蚛貽粭
often likened the Kangxi period in porcelain to the Dutch Golden Age 殥랔ꆄ䎃➿欩捀湱⡂鸏Ⰽ⦐儘劍㖳ⴀ植✫㺢
in painting. Both periods saw a lot of new wealth and a new group of 酕涸倞爢剚ꥣ㾵⿻倞莇询㹻⟃⢵佅䭰䊨㖷涸
patrons whose means supported the production of the highest quality 谁遯ⶾ⡲谁⻠➃侸❠㣐䌴䲿㟞䪮䊫刿鋅礶
goods. In both eras artists and artisans grew in number and skill to 鹎ぐꟌ谁遯涼剤䎂ⳝ⡲ㅷꧪ鸏Ⰽ⦐儘劍❠
meet the demand. Amid this tremendous increase in production, ♶⢿㢫搭Ⱖ籏넓谁遯颶ꆀ㣐䌴♳⼮⢕⡲㾵
as in all areas of artistic expression, some of the output was quite ⴀ㢵鋅礶棇⛓ㅷ蚛貽粭殥랔ꆄ䎃➿㣐䌌莊
pedestrian. However, in both periods many works rose to the level of ⚆濼そ罜䐁擳䎃꟦ꧪず垺剤醢櫙㣐㹻搭罜
excellence and, in some cases, to the level of masterpiece. In the case そ贫劢剤崩⫄䖕⚆䖕➃⫦〳妇颣棇櫙䠮䧃谁
of the Dutch paintings, the names of the great masters are well known. ⻠荬䪮
With Kangxi porcelain, there are also great masters, but they remain
簳錚䧮涸佐询欰巆䧮♧湬湈⸂㼦鋑ぐ珏㐼䕎
anonymous and we have to appreciate each piece on its own merits.
⿻괐呔涸䐁擳櫙㐼暟蒀䗱湡⚥姽♧儘劍⛓갥
In my many years of collecting I’ve tried to gather a cross section of 秹棇ㅷ剤䎋㖈꧌䧭佐询劍꟦䋑㜥⣘䥰⯏駈
shapes and styles, concentrating on what was in my view, the best of 鸏럊䖰劥䬝颪⽰〳鋅⶷䠦㢵䎃棇询㔿搭ꨈ
the period. Fortunately I was buying at a time when much was available 䰎⡎䣆倴㹻⚥⛓긅询ⱄ㼦⢕暟⛓劍䙂❠걃
on the market as is evidenced by what is in this sale. Of course it is 䠮妇搭剓䖕劆牝ぐ询㹻㖈妇颣棇櫙⛓긅❠
difficult to part with pieces that have been with me for so many years. 〳㥶䧮♧垺䖰櫙㐼殹⚥䖤ⵌ䧃〢涸ㅷ䝎
Some of them have been particular favorites. My consolation is found
Jeffrey P. Stamen
in the pieces of the Jie Rui Tang Collection that still fill the shelves in
my home and the ever present possibility of finding and acquiring a
worthy addition. My hope is that others will not only appreciate these
pieces for their artistic and technical merit, but like me, learn a great
deal from them.
Jeffrey P. Stamen

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