Page 40 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art December 2, 2015 HK

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3111 Compare also to a Hongwu period copper-red glazed tea cup similarly
moulded with dragons but with a cloud motif to the centre of interior,
A FINE AND VERY RARE ANHUA-DECORATED ibid, Taipei, p. 55, no. 33, where the author notes that the size and
TIANBAI ‘DRAGON’ TEA BOWL shape of such bowl were originated no earlier than Yuan dynasty as a
response to the change in tea-drinking practice from powdered tea to
YONGLE INCISED FOUR-CHARACTER SEAL MARK AND OF THE steeping of tea leaves.
PERIOD (1403-1424)
⎘⊿㓭⭖⌂䈑昊㇨啷㶭⭖冲啷⑩炻冯㛔㉵⑩栆Ụ炻⍫夳˪㓭
The thin-bodied bowl is exquisitely potted with deep rounded ⭖啷䒟–㖶╖刚慱䒟炷ᶨ炸˫炻楁㷗炻1968⸜炻枩44–46炻⚾
sides rising from a straight foot ring to a gently flaring rim. The 8ˤ⎎㒂⎘⊿㓭⭖˪ḇ⎗ẍ㶭⽫–勞☐ˣ勞ḳˣ勞䔓˫ᶨ㚠ṳ
cavetto is moulded with a pair of dragons striding powerfully 䳡炻㬌栆啷⑩㕤㶭⭖冲⎵⭂䁢ˬ㯠㦪㫦䘥䒟僓偶㘿漵勞挦˭
amidst ruyi-shaped clouds, above a finely incised reign mark 炻⍫夳˪ḇ⎗ẍ㶭⽫–勞☐ˣ勞ḳˣ勞䔓˫炻⎘⊿炻2002⸜炻
enclosed within a flaming pearl to the centre of the interior. 枩58炻⚾36炻䁢㖶㶭⭖⺟梚勞⽉䓐☐䈑ˤ
4 in. (10.2 cm.) diam.
䙴⼊䪗匲䥨伶炻忂橼㕥䓄䘥慱炻⢾⡩⃱䳈炻ℏ⡩㧉⌘⯰幓暚
HK$1,200,000-1,800,000 US$160,000-230,000 漵䲳炻冯ⷠ夳埴漵䲳徍䔘ˤ䙴⽫憅⇣˪㯠㦪⸜墥˫⚃⫿䭮㚠
㫦炻℞⢾暁⚰᷎㚱栆䀓䃘⚾㟰炻冯⎘⊿㓭⭖啷⑩╖⚰㫦ᶵ
This exquisitely potted tea bowl is very rare and few other similar ⎴炻侴冯⣏劙⌂䈑棐㇨啷㯠㦪㫦䘥慱漵䲳檀嵛䙴䚠栆炻⍫夳
examples are known, the closest being an example in the National ˪Ming Ceramics in the British Museum˫炻枩98炻⚾3:I炻ㅱ䁢
Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Empty Vessels, Replenished ⎴㗪㛇墥⑩ˤ
Minds: the Culture, Practice, and Art of Tea, Taipei, 2002, p. 58, no. 36,
which shares a similar profile and moulded decoration as the current ㉵⑩偶岒䳘兑炻䘥慱㹓㼌䓄伶ˤ☐⼊ˣ⍲⢾⡩⃱䳈冯ℏ⡩㧉
bowl but has an incised Yongle mark enclosed within a circle rather ⌘漵䲳ᷳ姕妰㏕惵炻冯⎘⊿㓭⭖㇨啷㖶㳒㬎䲭慱㘿剙埴漵
than a flaming pearl. The single-circled mark is found on tianbai- 䲳勞挦䚠⎴炻⍫夳˪ḇ⎗ẍ㶭⽫–勞☐ˣ勞ḳˣ勞䔓˫炻⎘
glazed conical tea bowls and stem bowls of this period, see the former ⊿炻2002⸜炻枩55炻⚾33炻ょ㯠㦪䙴䙴⽫ẍ⸜㫦㚧ẋ㳒㬎䙴
in the National Palace Museum, museum numbers Guci 014509- ⽫暚䲳炻䓙㬌⎗夳℞Ḵ侭ᷳ⁛㈧斄Ὢˤ⎴㗪炻娚栆䙴⼊㛒㚦
014510, and an example of the later illustrated in Ming Ceramics in the ↢䎦㕤⃫ẋᷳ⇵炻侴㗗冒⃫ẋ↢䎦᷎ἧ䓐军Ṳ炻ㆾ⌛㗗⃫㛓
British Museum, London, 2001, p. 98, no. 3:1. 㖶⇅剥勞攳⥳㳩埴梚䓐ᷳ䓊䈑ˤ

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