Page 69 - Sothebys Imperial Porcelain Private Collection

A striking vitality has been created in this dish through 康熙瓷匠，巧於素胎上以幼線刻劃、墨彩勾勒，再施以
the use of the su sancai enamelling technique, a Kangxi 黃、綠、紫三色低溫彩，二次燒成，紋飾層次分明，彩料
reinterpretation of its Tang sancai (618-907) original. Su sancai
required potters to incise the motifs directly onto the biscuit 暗炫霓虹，雖擬李唐三彩，卻推陳出新，別有一番雅趣。
fired body which were then filled with finely painted black
黃地紫綠彩龍紋盤雖為康熙大宗，但此盤折沿簡飾雙弦，
enamel; once the design was coloured with green, yellow and
aubergine enamels, it was fired for a second time at a lower 有別於常見尺寸略大、沿綴龍紋之盤，後者一類可參見
heat. The incised lines create a subtle three dimensionality and 台北故宮博物院藏盤，圖載於《故宮藏瓷．清彩瓷一》
added sense of movement in combination with the iridescent ，香港，1969年，圖版7。北京故宮博物院也有藏例，見
glaze. 《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系．雜釉彩．素三彩》，上
While dishes of this type are well known from the Kangxi 海，2009年，圖版205。倫敦維多利亞與艾伯特博物館且
period, the present piece is an unusual example: it has been 存一器，收錄於 John Ayers，《Far Eastern Ceramics
potted with a flat everted rim that is accentuated with two
incised lines running around it. More common are larger dishes in the Victoria and Albert Museum》，倫敦，1980年，
圖版197。尺寸與此相近之盤（約35公分），多作直或敞
(c. 40 cm) with a broader everted rim decorated with dragons;
see one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in 口，見北京故宮博物院藏盤，圖載於葉佩蘭，《美哉陶
Gugong cang ci. Qing cai ci/ Porcelain of the National Palace 瓷7．五彩明瓷》，台北，1996年，圖版281。且可參考
Museum. Enamelled Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty, vol. 1, Hong
2014年3月20日於紐約佳士得拍出之盤，編號2177。
Kong, 1969, pl. 7; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing,
illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the 滿清開國之初，承襲多項明朝宮廷舊制，包括五爪龍紋
Palace Museum. Miscellaneous Enamelled Porcelains and Plain
Tricoloured Porcelains. Shanghai, 2009, pl. 205; and a third 乃帝后皇室專屬。就皇室成員用器之色，宮廷也有嚴格
規定。賀利在《Chinese Ceramics. A New Standard
dish from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, published
in John Ayers, Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Guide》，倫敦，1996年，頁26就瓷之色討論，指如此盤
Museum, London, 1980, pl. 197. Dishes closer to the size 般內外均飾龍紋之黃地瓷器，應只帝后可用，僭越不得。
of the present (c. 35 cm) are generally potted with rounded
sides; one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Yeh
Pei-Lang, Beauty of Ceramics, vol. 7: Gems of Wucai Porcelain,
Taipei, 1996, pl. 281; and another was sold at Christie’s New
York, 20th March 2014, lot 2177.
The early Manchu emperors adopted various court practices
from the preceding Ming dynasty including the allocation of
imperial wares, whereby vessels adorned with five-clawed
dragons were reserved for the emperor and his close family.
Stricter rules concerning the colours of the ware were also set
to further signify the supreme status of the imperial household.
This hierarchical-colour coding is discussed by He Li in Chinese
Ceramics. The New Standard Guide, London, 1996, p. 266,
where the author notes that porcelain decorated with dragons
against a yellow ground on both the interior and exterior of the
vessel, such as the present piece, was made for the exclusive
use by the emperor and empress.

IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE COLLECTION 67