Page 32 - Bonhams Hong K June 2016

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AN IMPERIAL BLUE-GLAZED ALTAR VESSEL AND COVER FOR
THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, DOU
Qianlong seal marks and of the period
The stem bowl raised on a high splayed hollow foot, moulded with
decorative bands around the sides, the domed cover decorated with
overlapping wave bands, surmounted by a pair of rope-twist handles,
covered overall with a rich lustrous glaze of deep violet-blue.
27cm (10 1/2in) high (2).

HK$100,000 - 150,000
US$13,000 - 19,000

清乾隆 霽藍釉豆 「大清乾隆年製」篆書款

Provenance 來源:
Lieutenant-Colonel T.S.Cox and thence by descent

T.S.Cox中校舊藏，後由其家族繼承

The blue glazed dou would have been part of a set of ritual food 此器為一組三件供器之一，按照古代成規，皇帝每年孟春正月上旬要
and wine vessels used in Qing state rituals in the Temple of Heaven, 親臨祈谷壇舉行祈谷禮，為百谷求雨，祈求風調雨順，五穀豐登；
the Tiantan, where the emperor made offerings to heaven at the 在冬至日要到天壇祭天，拜謝皇天上帝。歷代王朝都有全套的祭祀制
Qigutan, or Altar for Bountiful Harvest, during the first lunar month 度，包括對祭器的使用規定，而不同的祭祀活動和祭祀中的不同方位
of the year. Although the colour coding for the four main altars was 須配用不同的顏色釉瓷祭器，甚為講究。乾隆十三年，霽藍釉瓷祭器
instituted in 1530, it was only during the Qianlong reign in 1748 that 被定為農曆正月帝王到天壇和祈谷壇祭天和祈谷的祭祀用具。
archaistic shapes were designed by Imperial decree, with the objects
illustrated and described in The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial 此霽藍釉豆為模仿東周青銅器造型而製。東周時期的青銅豆例子可參
Paraphernalia of the Qing Dynasty. The Qianlong emperor decreed 閱《中國青銅器全集10：東周4》，北京，2006年，圖版31-33。
that fashioning ritual vessels in conventional forms was inconsistent
with ancient practice and that the shape ought to reflect antiquity. 瀋陽故宮博物院藏一件類似的清乾隆霽藍釉豆，見《瀋陽故宮博物院
In accordance, the dou, is similar in form to archaic bronze vessels 院藏文物精粹：陶瓷卷下》，瀋陽，2007年，頁249，圖10；倫敦維
dating to the Zhou dynasty; see three examples of dou vessels dated 多利亞和阿伯特博物館藏三件清乾隆霽藍釉豆，亦可作參考。（博物
to the Eastern Zhou dynasty, illustrated in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji. 館編號FE.94&A-1970，FE.96&A-1970以及C.17-1957）。倫敦邦瀚斯
Vol.10. Dongzhou 4, Beijing, 2006, pls.31-33. 曾售出清乾隆霽藍釉供器一套，其中包括一件簠及兩件豆，2015年5
月14日，拍品160。
As the Son of Heaven, the emperor mediated between heaven and
earth. His secluded existence in the Imperial Palaces was punctuated
by performances of solemn ceremonies set according to the
agricultural seasons. The correct observance of these ceremonies
was considered vital to preserving the order of the universe, securing
peace and prosperity. The traditional form and highly ritualised use of
these vessels reflected the concerns for the stability and continuity of
the Qing.

Compare a similar blue-glazed dou and cover, Qianlong mark and
period, in the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, illustrated in The
Prime Cultural Relics Collected By Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum:
The Chinaware Volume. The Second Part, Shenyang, 2007, p.249,
pl.10. Three other related examples of dou vessels, Qianlong mark and
period, are in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
(accession nos. FE.94&A-1970, FE.96&A-1970 and C.17-1957).

See an Imperial blue-glazed altar set for the Temple of Heaven,
comprising a fu and cover and a pair of dou and covers, Qianlong
seal mark and of the period, sold in our London rooms on 14 May
2015, lot 160.

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