Page 17 - Sothebys Imperial Porcelain Private Collection

Masterfully potted and covered in a luminous glaze, this 此盌清雅婉約，釉色瑩潤，雍正崇古尚雅的審美意趣可窺
elegant bowl embodies the Yongzheng Emperor’s refined 一斑。本盌意仿南宋龍泉青釉器，其釉面凝滑，雖外觀樸
aesthetic which stemmed from his passion for antiquity. 雅內斂，然瓷胎造形巧緻，罩釉均勻純淨，燒造溫度難
Inspired by Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) Longquan
celadon wares, the delicate glaze accentuates the expertise 控，工匠於每環節務必精準把握，佳器方成。菊瓣式瓷器
required at all stages of porcelain production, from the 製作複雜，傳世品寥寥可數。香港蘇富比曾售兩例，其一
potting and glazing to the firing and finishing. The difficulty in 出自玫茵堂，見康蕊君，《玫茵堂藏中國瓷器》，卷2，
manufacturing such a deceptively simple vessel is evident by 倫敦，1994-2000年，圖版860，2013年4月8日拍出，
the small number of extant examples; two were sold in these
編號5，另一則售於1988年5月17日，編號71。第三例，
rooms, one from the Meiyintang collection, illustrated in Regina
展於《Qing Porcelain from a Private Collection》，埃斯
Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol.
II, London, 1994-2010, pl. 860, sold, 8th April 2013, lot 5, and 卡納齊，倫敦，2012年，編號4。
the other, 17th May 1988, lot 71; and a third bowl was included
in the exhibition Qing Porcelain from a Private Collection, 雍正年間，官窰尚有製作其他菊瓣式瓷器，如盤、茶壺及
Eskenazi Ltd., London, 2012, cat. no. 4. 盌。官窰工匠奉命以歷代名瓷為楷模，而且雍正博學通
During the Yongzheng period, the chrysanthemum-form was 才、好古善鑑，此類菊瓣式器復現，或有賴於此。薛好
employed for a number of wares including dishes, teapots 佩於其文〈In the path of Tao Qian: ‘Chrysanthemum’
and bowls. While potters working in the imperial kilns were Wares of the Yongzheng Emperor〉中，論及雍正時期
instructed to create vessels based on past celebrated wares of
菊式器之發展，並認為此類器或可體現雍正帝對詩人陶
China, the renaissance of this form could be also attributed to
潛之傾慕，承其愛菊之情，羨其歸隱逍遙之仙風道骨（
the Emperor’s broad and thorough studies. Hajni Elias, ‘In the
Path of Tao Qian: “Chrysanthemum” Wares of the Yongzheng 《Arts of Asia》，2015年5-6月，頁72-85）。此外，盃
Emperor’, Arts of Asia, May-June 2015, pp. 72-85, suggests 飾菊花二十八瓣，或對應二十八星宿，即中國古天文學家
that these wares may have served as iconographic symbols
為觀測日、月、五星運行而對天區之劃分；東南西北各
related to Tao Qian (365-427), whose reclusive life associating
with chrysanthemum embodied many Daoist ideals that were 為四象，每象七宿：東方青龍、北方玄武、西方白虎、
greatly sought after by the Emperor, a devoted follower of 南方朱雀。雍正頗好研究天象，故取消康熙禁例，准國
the religion. Furthermore, the number of petals that forms 子監招天文學生員（Hans Ulrich Vogel 與 Gunter Dux
this bowl likely refers to the Twenty-Eight Mansions from 編，《Concepts of Nature. A Chinese-European Cross-
ancient Chinese astrology, which mark the movement of the
moon during a month. These mansions are divided into four Cultural Perspective》，萊登，2010年，頁388）。
categories of seven, namely the Blue Dragon of the East,
the Black Tortoise of the North, the White Tiger of the West
and the Red Bird of the South. The Yongzheng Emperor’s
interest in astrology is evidenced in his admittance of imperial
students with specialisations in astrology into the dynastic
schools, thus lifting the ban the Kangxi Emperor had placed
on such candidates (see Hans Ulrich Vogel and Gunter Dux
(eds), Concepts of Nature. A Chinese-European Cross-Cultural
Perspective, Leiden, 2010, p. 388).

IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE COLLECTION 15