Page 11 - Christie's Chinese Works of Art St. George November 2018 London

THE UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE dynamic designs of the north, covered in
OF SONG GREEN, WHITE a rich olive-green glaze, such as lot 267,
and the softer silhouettes of the lighter
AND BLACK WARES: A bluish-green hues of the south, such as
COLLECTOR’S TASTE lot 205, reflect the array of green wares
produced during the Song period.
Lu Yu (733-804), known as the Sage of
LOTS 201–285 Tea, coined the phrase ‘bright as silver, white
as snow’ when describing the most success-
ful white tea wares at the time – those of the
The understated elegance and serenity of glaze by both the patron and artisan. Beautiful Xing and Ding kilns of Hebei of north China.
Song period (960-1279) ceramic wares wares were used at court and by the new elite, Xing wares, such as lots 249, 250 and 273,
evoke ideals of classical beauty that appear raising the quality of ceramic production to a embody the spirit of the developing white
to transcend time and space. Such vessels level previously unseen. Although high-fired wares of China and also mark the earliest
are the product of a fresh aesthetic that stonewares had been made in China for true porcelain made in China, and the world.
was brought about by the newly established almost 2000 years, it was during the Song By the Five Dynasties period, production of
Song dynasty and the subsequent quest dynasty that technological advancement and the Xing kilns had passed its peak, allowing
to establish an identity that deviated from innovations in the production process were the neighbouring Ding kilns to overtake their
that of the preceding Tang (618-907). While perfected, allowing potters to produce wares former rivals in the production of fine white
firmly rooted in Confucian Han principles that were refined in form, glaze and coloura- wares, as seen in lots 217, 253 and 262.
and a Chan Buddhist reverence for the nat- tion, and largely inspired by nature. Qingbai porcelain wares, striking for their bril-
ural world, the scholar-elite promoted com- This private collection offers a delight- liant pale blue glaze covering a white body,
mercial liberalism to grant much freedom ful overview of pre-Song and Song dynasty also concurrently developed at the Raozhou
to the activities of merchants, brokers and wares and traces their impressive develop- kilns of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi.
landowners who in turn transformed the ment up until the thirteenth century. It doc- The versatile nature of both artisans
capital into a vibrant, urban hub. uments the wide range of glaze colours and and collectors is reflected in black wares,
In art occurred the rise of a new phe- shades and showcases innovative forms such as lots 231-236. Nature again provid-
nomenon: the emergence of the connois- and techniques through a large number of ed inspiration for the various captivating
seur and collector who came to appreciate individual and distinctive vessels. irregular splashes of russet that adorn these
‘crafted’ pieces as collectable works of art. The green wares of southern China black-glazed bowls. While dark brown glazes
th
Connoisseurship and patronage in ceramics are among the world’s oldest high-fired had already appeared in the south in the 4
encouraged the pursuit of the ideal form and ceramics and the ultimate predecessors century, true black glazes emerged in the
of porcelain. In northern China stone- Tang dynasty (618-907) at the Yaozhou kilns
wares comparable in quality began to and their production spread quickly through-
be made in the fifth or sixth century, but out China, as they were highly regarded as
in three colours: olive green, black and robust, practical wares. The development
white. Amongst the earliest workshops of black wares during the Northern Song
for green-glazed stonewares are those of period (960-1127) appears to have drawn
the Yue region of Zhejiang province, which inspiration from contemporary plain lacquer-
were in operation since at least early his- ware, but different kilns quickly developed
toric times, before the term Yue emerged their own styles. The finest black and per-
as a brand name for fine ceramics during simmon-coloured wares came from the Ding
the Five Dynasties period (907-960), manufactories of Quyang in Hebei province,
as represented by lot 257. Fine celadon a rare example of which is lot 263.
wares were also produced by the Yaozhou This collection is remarkable for the
kilns in Shaanxi in the north and the collector’s clear taste for understated beau-
Longquan kilns in Zhejiang in the south, ty and overall vision in carefully selecting
providing collectors with contrasting yet individual pieces that cover the breadth of
equally attractive aesthetic styles. The Song ceramic production.