Page 24 - Baofang Collection Imperial Ceramics, Christie's Hong Kong May 29, 2019

FULFILMENT OF IMPERIAL DESIRES

A PAIR OF YONGZHENG YUZHI BOWLS

Rosemary Scott
Senior International Academic Consultant Asian Art

This pair of Yongzheng yuzhi bowls is exceedingly rare. A bowl of similar
size, also with an underglaze blue yuzhi mark, and similar decorative scheme 㢪᢫ྼ⽖
is in the collection of the Musée national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet in
Paris (see website http://www.guimet-grandidier.fr/html/4/index/index. ☽ঃ㟚ԲḰ˸♃↡ˏയ
htm) (fig. 1) This Guimet bowl, which came from the famous collection of
Ernest Grandidier (1833-1912), shares with the current bowls a red ground ⳹ἯῚ
and yellow panels, but while the layout of the decoration is the same, some ̯ᨕⳔ⻒㒴㇔᪨४㢄ೀ⻒㧣ࠑ
of the colours of design are different. For example, while all the large
blossoms in the yellow panels on the current bowls are deep pink, some of
those on the Grandidier bowl are pale purple. No other closely comparable
Yongzheng yuzhi bowls appear to have been published. ᛓ᪖ᐽ㐈⎏㫇᫈ᇙㅳ⎾᫢ἃ⧎㏟ǯႣ㿰म⧻இ⛁Ռᰲ⻱ワࢷ⁒
㱦⻦Ӭ׾ഌཎ⏟ⲋ⎏≢⎾卿ऱ᧙ᄓᝧ㞏Ӵ㬪Ɽᇙㅳ᪪卿ӻ⡠
A similar style of decoration to that on the current bowls can be seen on
㱈㫥ऱ卿ལ᫉जࣻ⩠ݯ⣥⛆ IUUQ XXX HVJNFU HSBOEJEJFS GS
three rare Yongzheng yuzhi-marked cups with slightly everted rims – one
in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in Porcelains IUNM JOEFY JOEFY IUN ॲː ǯम⧻⻦৅ᴹᙻⶬल⎏ⶰ⳷ⰻ⯠
with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, The Complete ⻦ &SOFTU (SBOEJEJFS 卿 ⯍ ჺ 卿ݯ⡚஠Ԡӳ㱈㿩ⰰ㧷
Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 39, Hong Kong, 1996, p.
ݏ卿⯝ទᐽ৅ൈ߅Ӭ㗂卿ӻ⡠㱈ׁ཭ԮӬ᧘Ӭ᧙卿ۣⲋჸ㯭ⰰ
93, no. 81) and another in the Baur Collection, Geneva (illustrated by John
Ayers in Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, vol. 2, Geneva, 1999, pp. ᝳߣǯ㍔ൈ卿ទᐽ৅㿩ⰰ㧷ݏݤ⎏┣ഌⱤࢭ१ᜡ⟾⡚卿⩧ⶰ᭄
98-9, no. 217 [A614]). A further cup with a matching cup stand, also with ⻦৅⎏㛑֍Ɽࢭ࣐הᲶ⡻ǯ㩶ⶰ᭄Ⅷ⻦Ԡം卿ⶬ㢙ԋַԢត㇦
underglaze blue Yongzheng yuzhi mark, was published in the catalogue of
पᙹ㬷ൈ᫉⏟۬⎏㫇᫈ᇙㅳ⎾ǯ
the Min Chiu Society exhibition Splendour of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong,
1992, p, 291, no. 158, later sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 April 1999, lot
⯝ទᐽ৅ㅛ㱈㰍ᡟ㘆ַ⩢卿ᝳӲ׾ऑᯒ⊶ᖊ⎏Ⅷ⧎㫇᫈ᇙㅳ᪪
537. (fig. 2) These cups share with the bowls a deep red ground with three
reserved yellow-ground panels containing large pink blooms. In the case of ≢⎷厍ݯӬἃ࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴Ⅷ⻦卿எ㇦Ƕᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦ᙔ⁒
the cups, the blooms are roses, rather than the peonies of the current bowl Ⅷ৅ݥ㫀 厍⇈⇶ᆭǮ⟾ᆭǷ 㲞ᳰ厍 㮰 ⤔⽚ 厎ݯ
and the Paris bowl. The yellow panels are framed by green vegetal scrolls in
Հἃᚚݤ≖㷿‰Ⅷ⻦卿எ㇦ⰻ‰ᙱ +PIO "ZFST ⶬהǶ$IJOFTF
both cases, but those on the cups are clearly leaves, while those on the bowls
are deliberately dissolved and more baroque in style. Between the yellow $FSBNJDT JO UIF #BVS $PMMFDUJPOǷ ᚚݤ≖厍 ࣍Հ㮰 ⤔
panels both bowls and cups have decorative motifs top and bottom, but
⽚ < Ⅷ⻦⽚ " >厎औӬ׾㜩ᝳ⏊Ꮴ卿ऱ᧙ᄓᝧ㞏Ӵ㬪Ɽ㫇
while the cups have a butterfly above and a lotus flower below, both in pale
᫈ᇙㅳ᪪卿எ㇦ᘨ᭯⠢⯣Ƕ᳖ង⇷༾Ƿ 㲞ᳰ厍 ཿ㈇எ㢙
lemon, the bowls have a blue camellia below and a smaller blue flower with
leafy fronds above – the small blue flowers forming part of the panel frames. 㮰 ⤔⽚ ॲ̤ ǯ⯝ទᐽ৅Ӭ᧙卿ӳ㘚Ӳ׾⎐㱈Ӳ㬷㿩
஠㧷ݏ卿ݤ⥾┣ഌ⎏⟾⡚Ɽࢭ卿㧷ݏം஠ຽ᳅⡚ǯֿप⎷ك⥾
A related decorative scheme can be seen on a pair of small tub-shaped
⅌⇷卿⩧Ӷᛓ۬ទᐽ৅কम⧻⎾⯺ս⁍ԕἃ㯪ǯՀ⎾⎏㿩ⰰ㧷
cups with iron-red ground and reserved yellow enamel panels with simple
lobed frame, which are in the collection of the National Palace Museum, ݏം卿⎐⊇⣔ⰰ⦞៨᣿⁒ἃ㚒ᡨ卿⩧Ӳ⎷ߺ⊇⣔⶟㿽⣧卿⎾⎏
Taipei (illustrated in Porcelain with painted enamels of Qing Yongzheng period
㚒㱈ᝤ⯦ཿ㇧ᙃ卿ം㈊ᝤᓞ㘆Ⴃᰞݐ㰍ᡟǯप׾⎾⎷⎏㿩ⰰ㧷
(1723-1735), Taipei, 2014, pp. 62-3, no. 24). The panels on these cups contain
ݏԠ㧿卿⡠㱈㯪ឬ⎐սӳӴἃߎ厍⎷ἃӳ〴Ӵ⸥卿ݦ⩢மהᩏ
different flowers – rose, peony and chrysanthemum – while the spaces
between the panels are decorated with large and small blooms. ᩄ㿩厎⎾ߺӴ⥾⻤ⰰྒྷⳍⱤ卿ݯӳ⻤Ɽ㖅ཎ卿㇏ս⷇⺋Ɽ⶟卿
⻤ⰰཎⱤႛה཭㛑㚒ᡨǯ
The distinctive and visually rich style created by covering the whole bowl or
cup with vivid enamel colours appears to have come to prominence in the
झ࢈இ⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦Ӭཌ⦵ᅴཎ⎷卿ݯ⡠㱈ᡟ཭Ԯᝳ㘆ַԠ
Kangxi reign. While porcelains had been completely covered with colours
in the Ming dynasty, the effect was very different and lacked the precision ⽔卿⎷㕇█⡚஠㱈㿩ⰰ㧷ݏ卿㚒ᡨἃ➯੷≓ᅴ卿எ㇦Ƕ㞖Ꮀ᚟ᛇ厍
of painting, variety of colours and elaborate scrolling devices of the Qing ᳖㫇᫈⇈⇶ᆭ≢Ƿ झ࢈厍 㮰 ⤔⽚ ǯՀ⎷㧷ݏݤ
enamelled wares. In the Kangxi reign red – both iron-red and ruby-red, ⎏Ɽࢭ৅♎ӶӬ卿ߎߣᝳ⅌⇷Ǯ⁍ԕকⴵⱤ卿⩧㧷ݏԠ㧿ߺ㇏
yellow and blue were the most popular ground colours for these vessels,
while the Yongzheng emperor also favoured black. In order to achieve սഌཎप⊿⎏ភⱤǯ

20