Page 17 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Three Masterpieces
P. 17
fig. 2
Thangka of Vajrabhairava, detail, embroidery in silk, metallic thread and horsehair on silk satin,
Ming dynasty, early 15th century, accession no. 1993.15
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace, Gift, 1993
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Springfield, Mass., with a lotus scroll supporting the Eight While in the Yongle period, large blue-and-white jars (guan)
Buddhist Emblems on the inside and kui dragons on the had largely still been made for export to the lands of North
outside has been attributed to the early Ming period in the Africa, the Near and Middle East and Southeast Asia, in the
exhibition catalogue Cloisonné. Chinese Enamels from the Xuande reign they were generally inscribed with the reign mark
Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, Bard Graduate Center, New and retained for imperial use or disposal. In China guan jars
York, 2011, p. 108, fig. 6.7 and no. 28. are known to have been used as wine jars, and three covered
jars of similar shape, probably made of gold and raised on red
The Xuande Emperor (r. 1426-1435), a diligent and lacquer stands, can be seen on a table laid with golden wine
conscientious monarch, whose reign was marked by peace vessels in the handscroll Emperor Xuanzong at Leisure from
and prosperity, was largely guided by Confucian ideas; yet at the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, which depicts the
the same time he was much influenced by his grandfather, the Xuande Emperor enjoying performances of various games (see
Yongle Emperor. He thus continued and completed many of The Edward T. Chow ‘bajixiang’ bowl, lot 3301, fig. 1). The table
the Buddhist causes begun by his forebear, for example, the further shows a wine ewer, a bottle, a covered bowl and a cup
Da Baoen temple in Nanjing with its porcelain pagoda, whose and stand, all placed in front of a table screen depicting a misty
construction spans both reigns. During his reign, Tibetan landscape. Jars of this type with Buddhist motifs may have
Buddhist motifs became more prominent in the repertoire been used for offering wine.
of the imperial porcelain workshops at Jingdezhen, as blue-
and-white pieces gradually replaced the monochrome white Blue-and-white porcelains with Buddhist-themed decoration
wares formerly preferred for ritual purposes. In addition to appear, however, to have been manufactured in rather small
the ubiquitous lotus motifs, in form of floral scrolls or petal quantities, and the makara dragon design was rarely used.
borders, we find motifs such as Buddhist lions, the Eight Only four companion jars appear to have been published:
Buddhist Emblems (The Edward T. Chow ‘bajixiang’ bowl, foremost the jar in the Palace Museum, Beijing, which features
lot 3301), and pearl clusters, Tibetan invocations, as well in most Palace Museum publications, but differs in one peculiar
as Tibetan shapes, such as the monks’ cap ewer, now being aspect: it has an unglazed base with only the central area,
produced in blue-and-white porcelain. covering the mark, being glazed; see The Complete Collection
THREE MASTERPIECES FROM THE COLLECTION OF AN ENGLISH LADY 15
