Page 63 - Important Chinese Art Hong Kong April 2, 2019 Sotheby's

Exquisitely painted with a luxuriant flower scroll, this piece 此盌外壁滿繪洋花，工巧典雅，頌揚傳統飾紋之美，
belongs to a select group of imperial porcelain that was 卻借鑑舶來技巧，正合乾隆精緻華麗之好，屬當朝珍
greatly treasured by the Qianlong Emperor. The superior 稀彩瓷。所畫繁花，華盛綻，卷葉連綿，濃渙發異國
quality and exuberant flower scroll on these wares catered 風韻，以白料相調，柔色配御用嬌黃，明晦得宜，更
to the Emperor personal taste and served to display the 是悅目。
unsurpassed wealth of the Qing court. A predominant
characteristic of these wares also evident on this bowl, is
their successful combination of traditional Chinese elements 雖有圖案相同之例，然如本品之六字雙方框楷款者極
with newly acquired motifs and technologies. On this piece 罕。林業強曾在〈清代雍乾兩朝御窰瓷器四題〉對乾
the luxuriant scroll was endowed with a Westernised flavor 隆年款加以論述，提出楷款鮮見於乾隆，或只用於早
thorough the feathery rendering of flowers and leaves and 年，是以猶有雍正餘韻，見《機暇清賞：懷海堂藏清
sparing use of white enamel to create the illusion of light 代御瓷器》，香港中文大學文物館，香港，2007年，
and shadow. The subtle pastel hues used for the scroll are 頁55。林氏見解，與清宮檔案所載吻合。乾隆二年
juxtaposed with a rich yellow ground, a colour traditionally （1737）的《活計檔》錄聖旨曰：「黃地洋花宮盌甚
reserved for the imperial court.
好，再燒造些。」
Among bowls of this design the present piece is particularly
rare for its six-character kaishu mark written within a double 相類之盌，上海博物館有藏，圖見陸明華，《清代
square. Qianlong reign marks are discussed by Peter Y.K. 雍正－宣統官窰瓷器》，上海，2014年，圖版3-146
Lam in ‘Four Studies on Yongzheng and Qianlong Imperial 。另有一例，載於 Michel Beurdeley 及 Guy Raindre，
Ware’, Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the Imperial
Qing. The Huaihaitang Collection, Art Museum, The Chinese 《Qing Porcelain》，倫敦，1987年，圖版183。香港蘇
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, p. 55, where 富比也曾拍出一例，1981年5月20日，編號879。
he notes that regular script was rarely used in the Qianlong
period and possibly only in the early years of the reign, 紋飾相類之盌，也有署藍料四字篆款者，見一洋彩
when the influence of the preceding Yongzheng reign was 盌例，載於耿寶昌，《明清瓷器鑑定》，香港，1993
still being felt. This interpretation is particularly fitting as 年，頁281，圖485。有一對例，曾入 A.W. Bahr 及保
according to Palace documents, on the second year of the 羅白納德伉儷雅蓄，1988年11月15日於香港蘇富比拍
reign (1737) the Emperor is recorded to have regarded 出，編號32。紐約蘇富比也售出一例，1983年12月9
‘palace bowls with yellow ground foreign flowers’ to be
particularly beautiful and to have asked for more to be fired. 日，編號381，後再於香港蘇富比易手，1985年5月22
日，編號188。
A closely related bowl in the Shanghai Museum, is illustrated
in Lu Minghua, Qingdai Yongzheng – Xuantong guanyao 此式瓷盌，還有署青花六字篆款之例，如清宮舊藏洋
ciqi [Qing dynasty official wares from the Yongzheng to 彩盌，現存北京故宮博物院，曾展於《十全乾隆—清
the Xuantong reigns], Shanghai, 2014, pl. 3-146; another
is illustrated in Michel Beurdeley and Guy Raindre, Qing 高宗的藝術品味》，台北，2013年，編號II-3.28。也
Porcelain, London, 1987, pl. 183; and a third was sold in these 可參見南京博物院藏例，曾展於《清瓷萃珍：清代康
rooms, 20th May 1981, lot 879. 雍乾官窰瓷器》，香港中文大學文物館，香港，1995
年，編號101。倫敦大英博物館也有藏相近瓷盌，見
Bowls painted with this motif are also known with a four-
character seal mark between squares in blue enamel, such 於莫士撝，《御製》，香港，1976年，圖版6。
as a yangcai bowl illustrated in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing
ciqi jianding [Appraisal of Ming and Qing porcelain], Hong
Kong, 1993, p. 281, fig. 485; a pair from the collections of
A.W. Bahr and Paul and Helen Bernat, sold in these rooms,
15th November 1988, lot 32; and a bowl sold in our New
York rooms, 9th December 1983, lot 381, and again in these
rooms, 22nd May 1985, lot 188.
This design is also known with a six-character mark in
underglaze blue; a yangcai bowl from the Qing court
collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing, exhibited in The
All Complete Qianlong: The Aesthetic Tastes of the Qing
Emperor Gaozong, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2013,
cat. no. II-3.28; a bowl in the Nanjing Museum, was included
in the exhibition Qing Imperial Porcelain of the Kangxi,
Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Art Gallery, The Chinese
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1995, cat. no. 101;
and another in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in
Hugh Moss, By Imperial Command. An Introduction to Ch’ing
Imperial Painted Enamels, Hong Kong, 1976, pl. 6.

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