Page 65 - Sothebys Imperial Porcelain Private Collection

Blue and white chargers of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) are 元瓷鼎新，尤青花盤軼群而出，別具一格。青花盤皆匠心
among the most impressive and characteristic porcelains 獨運，舉世無雙，全然相同二例未有所見。因工序繁複，
of that innovative period. No two dishes are identical as the 且所耗鈷料有賴進口，造價不菲，青花盤產量大為受限，
craftsmen conceived each dish individually. Their onerous
陶匠故而逐漸從簡，盤改作圓形，白地繪青花為飾，省時
production process and generous use of the expensive
imported cobalt pigment severely limited the number that 減料，以求增產。
could be produced, resulting in the potters switching to a
simpler version of circular form and designs in blue on a white 此類瓷器外銷亞洲各國，因經久耐用、宜供宴飲，中東對
ground, which were better suited to serial production. 之搜求備至。成器魁碩有力，菱口沉厚，造形利落，又以
Porcelains of this type were exported all over Asia and highly 鈷藍勾勒盤邊為飾，猶如點睛之筆。器心紋飾取材天然，
sought after for their durability and suitability for Middle 揮灑自如，箇中神韻盡顯中式風情，猶見南方園林，有奇
Eastern banquets. Their massive and powerful potting, 石、竹藪、渚蓮、牡丹等，潛薈蔥蘢。此類景德鎮青花瓷
and thick, crisply moulded bracket-lobed rim, has been 首開食器審美之變，影響遍及亞洲，先為中東富賈所好，
dramatically emphasised by outlining the barbed edge in
用其宴饗以博賓客歎羨，後得中土顯貴青睞。
cobalt blue. Furthermore, the exoticism of their quickly
sketched central nature scenes, which are unmistakeably 此盤可尋一近似例，藏阿德比爾神殿，刊於 John
Chinese, evoking lush Southern gardens with fantastic
rocks, bamboos, lotus, peonies and other plants, would have Alexander Pope，《Chinese Porcelains from the
appealed to wealthy Middle Eastern merchants keen to dazzle Ardebil Shrine》，華盛頓，1956年，圖版22，編號
their audience back home. Such porcelains represent the 29.123，盤心繪蓮塘，內壁藍地，與此盤如出一轍，然其
vanguard of an overarching change of taste in tableware that 口沿飾纏枝牡丹及射干紋，同錄一例，編號29.129，盤周
embraced all of Asia, although it was to take some time before
藍地模印牡丹紋。依 Pope 所論，內壁藍地多飾於整器繪
China’s elite fully embraced Jingdezhen’s blue and white
colour scheme itself. 藍地白花之盤，而甚少見盤心畫白地青花圍飾藍地白花（
頁67）。另比較一例，繪蓮塘鴛鴦，邊飾與此盤相仿，原
A close comparison to the present piece in the Ardabil Shrine
is illustrated in John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelains from John Carswell 教授雅蓄，先後售於倫敦蘇富比1981年12
the Ardebil Shrine, Washington D.C., 1956, pl. 22, no. 29.123, 月15日，編號195，及紐約佳士得2013年9月19或20日，
decorated with a very similar lotus pond enclosed by a blue
編號1288。
border, but painted with a peony scroll and with blackberry
lily around the barbed rim, together with a second dish, no. 一菱口盤，器心繪蓮塘，內壁繪以白地青花纏枝蓮紋，口
29.129, depicting a lotus pool surrounded by a moulded blue- 沿飾錦紋，售於倫敦蘇富比1987年6月9日，編號209。另
ground peony border. According to Pope, blue-ground borders
are more often found on dishes decorated entirely in white on 一例，口沿飾卷草紋，售於倫敦佳士得1986年6月16日，
blue, rather than enclosing a central design in blue on a white 編號148。
ground, and always with a barbed rim (p. 67). Compare also
a charger painted with two mandarin ducks in a lotus pond, 此盤乃第十二代從男爵 John Home（1872-1938年）舊
surrounded by similar borders to the present piece, from the 藏。Home 爵士生於愛丁堡，1925年升任埃及國家銀行
collection of Prof. John Carswell, sold in our London rooms, 行長，駐職開羅。Home 爵士自埃及獲藏頗豐，上世紀二
15th December 1981, lot 195, and again at Christie’s New York, 十年代捐獻部分珍藏予倫敦大英博物館。David Home 爵
19th/20th September 2013, lot 1288.
士（1904-1992年）後繼其位，並於1942年加入東方陶瓷
Bracket-lobed dishes decorated with a central lotus pond but 學會。
bordered with a blue lotus scroll on a white ground include one,
with a trellis-diaper painted rim, sold in our London rooms, 9th
June 1987, lot 209; and another, adorned with a classic-scroll
rim, sold at Christie’s London, 16th June 1986, lot 148.
This charger once belonged to Sir John Home (1872-1938), the
12th Baronet. Born in Edinburgh, he rose to become Director of
the National Bank of Egypt, Cairo, in 1925. He acquired much
of his collection in Egypt and donated some of these pieces to
the British Museum, London, in the 1920s. His heir, Sir David
Home Bt. (1904-1992) became a member of the Oriental
Ceramic Society in 1942.

IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE COLLECTION 63