Page 70 - Nov. 2019 Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Ceramics

fig. 1 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
எӬ ࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅

2923 Continued
The Chenghua ‘Palace’ bowls are one of the most treasured types of flattened globular vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in
Ming blue and white porcelain. The present bowl is finely potted and Imperial Porcelains from the Reigns of Hongwu and Yongle in the Ming
delicately painted on the exterior using locally sourced cobalt blue Dynasty, Beijing, 2015, p. 166, no. 76 (fig. 1), is painted in reserve blue
pigment pingdenqing with six Indian lotuses borne on an undulating and white with a dragon above waves on the body, below a blue and
stem. From the soft and elegant tone of the underglaze blue, the white Indian lotus scroll on the neck that is very similar to that seen on
fluid and confident outlines of the design, to the thick and unctuous the present bowl, further testifying to the close association of Indian
transparent glaze with a pink undertone and a jade-like quality, the lotuses with the Ming imperial power.
present ‘Palace’ bowl encompasses the most ideal characteristics of
Chenghua porcelain. The six-character reign mark is also very well The current bowl is nearly identical to the ‘Palace bowl’ that used
written, in a forceful manner using the mid-section of the brush to to be kept in the Jingyang Palace in the Forbidden City, now in the
create full and rounded strokes. National Palace Museum, Taipei, see Catalogue of the Special Exhibition
of Ch’eng-hua Porcelain Ware, Taipei, 2003, p. 49, no. 23 (fig. 2).
The motif of Indian lotuses was reserved exclusively for the use of the According to the inventory check conducted by the National Palace
Ming imperial court. According to an entry listed under the heading Museum, Taipei in 1962, there are only two Chenghua ‘Palace’bowls
chaofu, ‘court attire’ in the section of guanfu ‘headdresses in Ming with this type of Indian lotus design in their collection, see Gugong
huidian (The Code of the Great Ming Dynasty), “In the 2nd year of the ciqilu, vol. 2, Ming-jia, Taipei, 1952, p. 213. It is important to note that
Tianshun reign (1458), an imperial decree was issued forbidding the no ‘Palace’ bowl of this design appears to be in the Palace Museum,
use of mang dragons and Indian lotuses on attires of the officials and Beijing.
civilians.” In the 1620 edition of Libu zhigao (Drafted Monograph of
the Board of Rites) , an entry dated to the 16th year of the Hongwu Two other examples of this design are known, one is in the British
reign records the restrictian in the use of Indian lotus to members of Museum, see Catalogue of Ming Ceramics in the British Museum,
the imperial court, while another entry dated to the 2nd year of the 2014, p. 205, fig. 6-5; another in the Percival David Collection now on
Chenghua reign (1466) forbids officials and civilians from wearing loan to the British Museum, see The British Museum Chinese Ceramics
colours and designs that are beyond their social statuses. A Yongle Highlights of the Sir Percival David Collection, Beijing, 2013, no. 36.

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