Page 18 - Sothebys Important Chinese Art London May 2018
P. 18

the Qing craftsman has created an upright vessel that can   ࠰ಥd    ϋdྡو   fϤ̮d͵̙ਞϽఊЍͷࡩ
           be appreciated in the round. The ribbed cylindrical neck has
           been retained, but given more prominence through its larger   ཊԷdଧԒʕ̯ᅼΙ௕ජ˄฽७dՉմུ̉ɞ՛७d
           proportions and decorative motifs, and is ß anked by scroll   Շܓਯ׵࠰ಥᘽబˢd΋ܝމ    ϋ  ˜  ˚dᇜ໮
           handles instead of ringed loop handles, thus satisfying the
           contemporary taste for the ornate. Notably, the Yongzheng      ʿ     ϋ  ˜ ˚dᇜ໮   f
           versions are more restrained and potted without the raised
           medallion while painted with elegant fruiting and ß owering
                                                     ૶৷֚ᒤฌ੅ശబᘆʘޜۜdאΪνϤd౟Υ̉ৎ
           branches; see a underglaze-blue decorated moonß ask sold
                            th
                               th
           in our New York rooms, 28 -30  November 1992, lot 340,   ʘ කΈʿശᘆ७ུᗳܯడ֐׵৻ඤɓಃf͉ۜᚂ،ᇳ
                                     th
                                  th
           and again at Christie’s New York, 16 /17  September 2010,
                                                     ७ б҅ʴ၈dၚʈၚᖭd࿎ᜑ೥ࢪڢɭ̷ᖵfνϤ७
           lot 1427; and a copper-red painted version, in the Palace
                                                     ུdᐿϾʔኹd̙Ԉੂഅ٫࿁٤ගʱбࠅ஠ə್ν঍
           Museum, Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of
           Treasures in the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with   ܦνՉʱfᒻ׼఻Оڀᖙ໢७ᗙضdၾ७ུϜᇞ޴݈
           Underglazed Red (III), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 199. Monochrome
                                                     ϓሳdɹضུΫ७dడԑུᜳٺ७dၾడԒ७ུʝ޴
           versions were also produced, which were moulded with the
           eight trigrams (bagua) encircling a raised medallion, such as   ሾ݈fཋڡᓃݑ७ུd௯Ꮭ׼ڋڡڀନዢල᚛౴d̚
           one covered in a Ge-type glaze, with a Yongzheng reign mark
                                               th
           and of the period, sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 14    จॄ್f
           November 1989, lot 187, and 1  November 1999, lot 349.
                              st
           It was only in the Qianlong reign that the moulded medallion   ˢ༰ɓԷdਯ׵࠰ಥᘽబˢ    ϋ  ˜ ˚dᇜ
           with painted designs was combined, possibly in response to
                                                     ໮     d̤ɓԷdʕːකΈೌڀᖙ७ུఖᔎdତᔛ
           Qianlong’s preference for showy and luxurious pieces. The
           ingenuity of the craftsman of the present piece is highlighted in   ׵ ٺ̋ࡩߕஔኪ৫dಀ࢝׵$IJOFTF $FSBNJDT
           the perfectly balanced composition of lotus blooms and foliate   GSPN $IJDBHP $PMMFDUJPOT‘d.BSZ BOE -FJHI #MPDL
           scrolls, all meticulously executed in the Þ nest cobalt blue.
                                                     (BMMFSZdГ̏ɽኪdߕ਷ͺлፕͺψd    ϋdᇜ
           Such rich yet not overcrowded designs could only be achieved
           through a thorough understanding of the importance of   ໮   f
           spacing. Curling lines are o' set by the bold geometric nature
           of the petal and leaf borders, all of which are hemmed in with
           a keyfret band lingzhi scroll around the mouth rim and foot   ͉ኜҖʿˉʂʘܯడdεᖭɞᖙ७ུdӊᖙʫུɞ
           respectively – cleverly selected as they mirror the curvilinear   Λ ୂྡࣩdʕːᖭᕐɤοږ࡝ؔdడ᎕ུᜳٺ७d
           and geometric forms of the overall design. The reference to
           these early wares is further highlighted on the present piece in   ਞϽ ɓԷdྡ༱׵݂ࢗ૶ନྡ፽Ñ৻ඤ㜺gྗᅅ
           the deliberate ‘heaping and piling’ of the cobalt to imitate their   㜺g ༸Έ㜺‘d؇ԯd    ϋdᇜ໮ iՇԷ̈І˚
           predecessor’s mottled e' ect.
                                                     ͉ϗ ᔛd༱׵ʕ਷ௗှj̈Έߕஔ᎜ᔛۜྡ፽‘d
           A closely related moonß ask was sold in our Hong Kong rooms,
           th
           8  October 2006, lot 1066; and another, but lacking the petal   ؇ ԯd    ϋdྡو   ʿ   dܝ٫ೌಛiΎˢɓ
           band encircling the central medallion, in the Art Institute of   Էd̈Іʤ⇴ʘϗᔛd ਯ׵࠰ಥᘽబˢ    ϋ ˜
           Chicago, Chicago, was included in the exhibition Chinese
                                                     ˚dᇜ໮   f֠ϞՇ ԷdՉɓਯ׵ˋኇᘽబˢ
           Ceramics from Chicago Collections, Mary and Leigh Block
           Gallery, Northwestern University, Illinois, 1982, cat. no. 67.  ϋ  ˜  ˚dᇜ໮  d ̤ɓԷਯ׵ࡐ౱ᘽబˢ
           Moonß asks of this form and size are more commonly known   ϋ ˜  ˚dᇜ໮   fϤ̮̤̙ˢ༰ɓԷdᖭ༰ᔊఊ
           decorated with petals enclosing the bajixiang radiating from   ᇳ७dʕːකΈ̉ৎdɪུɧሆሂఖᔎྪοdడ᎕ུ
           a central double vajra and the lingzhi scroll repeated around
           the neck; see one published in the Illustrated Catalogue of   تᏹୂሂf
           Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, vol.
           II, Tokyo, 1981, cat. no. 5; two from Japanese collections,
           published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection,
           Tokyo, 1987, pls. 949 and 950, the latter unmarked; another
           from the Edward T. Chow Collection, sold in our Hong Kong
           rooms, 19th May 1981, lot 544. More recently, another was sold
           in our Paris rooms, 16  December 2015, lot 78; and a pair was
                         th
           sold in these rooms, 15th May 2010, lot 222. Compare also a
           moonß ask of this type, painted with a simpler lotus scroll and
           three bats encircling a shou character on the raised medallion,
           the neck with bats ß ying above crashing waves and the foot
           also with crashing waves, included in the exhibition Chinese
           Blue and White Porcelain, City Museum and Art Gallery, Hong
           Kong, 1975, cat. no. 111.
           16      SOTHEBY’S
   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23