Page 116 - 2019 October Important Chinese Art Sotheby's Hong Kong

Exquisitely painted with a delightful motif of butterflies 本品妙繪彩蝶戀花，展現雍正瓷器之高雅。清代江西
and scattered flower sprays, this dish is an archetypal 景德鎮官窰之瓷匠兼具技藝與創造力，在像本品如
example of Yongzheng porcelain and captures the graceful 此生動構圖上匠心獨運，鬪彩設色掌握自如，多采
and refined character of these wares. The technical 多姿。其技藝之高見於工筆繪彩蝶，翼呈淡色，細
proficiency and creativity achieved by craftsmen active at
the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, in the 18th 節精密，展其纖薄婉柔，身與觸角則以青花勾畫，
century is evidenced in their ability to create highly vibrant 相得益彰。
compositions as on the present dish, by manipulating the
restricted doucai palette and thereby creating a variety 雍正帝喜好和諧勻稱、品質高雅、渾然天成之品，其
of colours and textures. This is evidenced in the detailed 個人品味大大影響官窰瓷藝發展，發展出以素雅與材
rendering of the butterflies, their wings rendered in subtle 美著稱之獨特風格。康熙年間，蝶紋已常見飾瓷上，
tones and minute details to capture their fragile nature while 本品紋飾雖延先朝之風，卻不墨守，推陳出新，飛蝶
their bodies and antennae meticulously painted with very 之間巧留白，筆工入微。
fine cobalt pencilled lines.
與此相類之蝶戀花紋盤甚為罕見，並無同式載錄於
The Yongzheng Emperor took a keen interest in the
production of porcelain at the Jingdezhen imperial kilns, 冊，但仍可參考有相關例子，如雍正年製署款鬪彩加
and his personal taste greatly influenced the workshop’s 粉彩外團蝶紋盤，內綴五蝶，售於倫敦蘇富比2000年
artistic direction. The Emperor’s preference for harmonious 6月7日，編號129。另見仇焱之舊藏無款鬪彩蝶戀花
proportions, sophisticated and yet uncontrived designs 盌，售於蘇富比1981年5月19日，編號559。
resulted in the development of a distinctive style celebrated
for its subdued elegance and material refinement. While 蝶戀花圖，有只飾青花者，如南京博物院藏雍正年款
butterflies are a relatively common theme on porcelain of the 盤，圖載於《宮廷珍藏：中國清代官窰瓷器》，上
Kangxi period (1662-1722), the motif was given here a fresh 海，2003年，圖版149。許漢卿舊藏另一較小例，售
modern aesthetic through the generous spacing of each 於蘇富比1986年11月19日，編號228，後再售於紐約
design element and the exceptional level of detail.
佳士得，2011年9月15日，編號934。
Dishes painted with this motif are very rare and no other
closely related example appears to have been published. 康熙年製雛例，可比較五彩果蝶紋盤，署成化年製仿
Compare a Yongzheng mark and period dish, painted in 款，圖載於 Michel Beurdeley 與 Guy Raindre，《Qing
doucai and famille-rose enamels with roundels of butterflies Porcelain, Famille Verte, Famille Rose》，倫敦，1987
on the exterior and five butterflies on the interior, sold in our 年，圖版94，售於蘇富比1994年5月3日，編號209。
London rooms, 7th June 2000, lot 129. See also a doucai
bowl painted with this motif, but lacking the reign mark, from
the collection of Edward T. Chow, sold in these rooms, 19th
May 1981, lot 559.
This motif is also known painted in underglaze blue, such as
a Yongzheng mark and period dish, in the Nanjing Museum,
illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing
Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pl. 149; and a smaller dish sold
in these rooms, 19th November 1986, lot 228, and again at
Christie’s New York, 15th September 2011, lot 934, from the
collection of Xu Hanqing.
For a prototype of this design, compare a famille-verte
dish with butterflies among fruiting sprays, with a spurious
Chenghua reign mark and attributed to the Kangxi period,
illustrated in Michel Beurdeley and Guy Raindre, Qing
Porcelain, Famille Verte, Famille Rose, London, 1987, pl. 94,
and sold in these rooms, 3rd May 1994, lot 209.

114 SOTHEBY ’S IMPORTANT CHINESE ART