Page 60 - Six treasures of IMpeerial Art Sothebys Hong Kong April 3 2019

‘RARE AS STARS AT DAWN’ -
AN EXCEPTIONAL LOBED GUAN JARDINIÈRE

DR HAJNI ELIAS

This modest, cracked, light-grey stoneware represents one four-petal lobed forms the two guan jardinières and the
of the most sought after wares in the history of Chinese present example are similar to a vessel excavated from a
ceramics – the guan ware of the Southern Song to the Yuan tomb dated to 1205 at Liugongmiao, Zhangshu city, Jiangxi
periods (12th-13th centuries). It is enveloped in an especially province, suggesting a possible manufacture date for all
rich and smooth glaze silk-like to the touch and pleasing to three in this exquisite group of wares (fig. 3). Interestingly,
the eye. Under magnification, the glaze contains millions the National Palace Museum has a further example of a
of tiny bubbles which are referred to by scholars as the larger celadon glazed jardinière of this form, with a copper-
‘Accumulated Foam and Stringed Beads (jumei cuanzhu)’. bound rim and four cloud-shaped feet illustrated ibid., cat.
This is a reference to the scattered nature of the bubbles no. IV-12. It is attributed to the Yuan period (1271-1368)
that make the surface of the glaze lustrous with a jade- by scholars at the Museum who have compared it with
like quality. The distinct web of crackled ‘veins’ running contemporaneous Jun jardinières known from the Museum’s
through the surface of the ware appear natural, displaying collection (to be discussed below).
the technical challenges and trials potters faced in the The general rarity of guan wares is highlighted by the
application of glaze and successful firing. These patterned Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735-1796) in a poem composed in
lines represent the stylish ornamental feature known in 1777 and inscribed on the base of a guan-type vase, formerly
Chinese as the ‘Gold Thread and Iron Wire (jinsi tiexian)’. in the Qing court collection and now housed in the British
The dark body, visible at the foot and in the five spur marks Museum in London. The poem is worth quoting in full as it
in the interior of the jardinière, is a reminder of the iron-rich not only sheds light on the history of the production of guan
material of the body of the vessel which was considered wares from the Southern Song dynasty onwards, but also
special and much imitated by potters at the Jingdezhen mentions the personnel involved in its manufacture and the
kilns of Jiangxi province in the Qing period (1644-1911) when Emperor’s deep appreciation for them which he labelled as
they coated white porcelain with blackish-brown slip before ‘rare as the stars at dawn’. The poem reads and translates
glazing. Scholars in the Palace Museum, Beijing, have named as follows:
jardinières of this elegant shape after the beautiful four
petaled flower of the Malus Spectabilis, commonly known as ‘Guan ware first gained renown when the Song court moved
the Chinese crab apple (haitang). The pinkish-white blossom to the South. The ‘Ware of the Rear Garden’ was modelled on
of the crab apple tree is distinguished by the beautiful the earlier ware of Zheng He. (Shao) Chengzhang directed
shape of its individual flowers and long pedicels. Its name its manufacture solely for Imperial use, and neither ministers
is a pun for a ‘hall (tang)’ which represents the home itself nor common people dared to pass or gaze upon them. More
and in Chinese art has come to convey the message for the than six hundred years have passed since that time, yet one
blessing of an honoured family home. While the floral form or two guan ware vessels, as rare as stars at dawn, may still
for a jardinière may be a reference to its use in gardens or be found. Who knows if the laws of former years survive
terraces, the vessel’s charming small size may also suggest today? Alas, how sad that this should be their plight – A
that it was made to hold a miniature landscape garden, reflection of the fate of the House of Yin in the Zhou dynasty.
known as penjing (or bonsai in Japanese) which became Composed by the Qianlong Emperor in the Spring of the
a highly valued form of art in the Song dynasty. For more cyclical year dingyou (AD 1777)’ 1
details on the art of penjing and its history see the essay for The Emperor in his poem identifies vessels known as the
lot 104 in this catalogue.
‘Ware of the Rear Garden (houyuan)’ belonging to a small
While no two guan wares are ever the same, the present group of wares known as the ‘Xiuneisi guan’. The Xiuneisi,
jardinière is related to two vessels, one in the Palace known as the Palace Maintenance Office, located at today’s
Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Li Huibing, ed., Songdai Guan Laohudong kiln site, was the official manufactory of imperial
yao ciqi/Official Kiln Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (960- guan wares and was installed in the city of Hangzhou,
1279), Beijing, 2013, pl. 53 (fig. 1), where it is described as Zhejiang province - the new capital of the Southern Song
‘Chinese Flowering Crabapple Form Xiuneisi Ware Jardinière dynasty. Following the victory of the Jurchens of the Jin
(Xiuneisi yao haitang shi huapen)’, and another in the dynasty (1115-1234) over the northern territories of China
National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the exhibition in the beginning of the 12th century, the surviving Northern
Precious Morning Star: 12-14th Century Celadons in the Qing Song imperial family abandoned their base in the former
Court Collection, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2016, cat. capital of Kaifeng in 1127 and retreated southwards, setting
no. IV-11 (fig. 2), where it is dated to the 13-14th centuries up a new dynasty at the southern terminus of the Grand
and mentioned as a type of ware that was shaped in a mould Canal of the Yangtze river. Thus was the beginning of the
and fired on a ring setter. Furthermore, in their charming production of a ‘new’ guan ware modelled on the official

58 SOTHEBY ’S SIX TREASURES