Page 73 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art December 2, 2015 HK
P. 73
fig. 1 fig. 2
the colour is in fact created using underglaze blue covered with Chenghua, Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns. A Chenghua ‘chicken
khaki-coloured enamel derived from iron.There was considerable cup’ and one from the Kangxi reign are in the collection of Sir
difficulty in this period in producing a black enamel that was Percival David (Illustrated by Rosemary Scott in Imperial Taste -
glossy and that did not rub off too easily - a problem that was Chinese Ceramics from the Percival David Foundation, Los Angeles
not completely solved until the 18th century. In the case of the and San Francisco, 1989, p. 73, no. 42 and p. 75, no. 44.The David
Kangxi ‘chicken’ cups the tails are painted in black enamel, but Chenghua and Kangxi cups are of similar size to the current
this enamel was neither glossy nor very stable and so had to be Yongzheng cup, and all depict hen, rooster and chicks beside
covered in a clear pale green or purple enamel in order to prevent rocks, roses, palm or bamboo, and daylilies. All bear six-character
it being rubbed off, and to give it depth and gloss. It was not until underglaze blue marks within double squares. The layout of the
theYongzheng reign that a true glossy black enamel was developed design on the Chenghua and Kangxi cups is virtually identical,
- allowing the porcelain decorators to apply the colour in and there is a known version of doucai ‘chicken’ cups from the
calligraphic styles - both for calligraphy itself, and in the painting Yongzheng reign which is also extremely similar to this layout.
of trees, rocks and the tails of roosters.This gave a new freedom to One such cup was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 27 May 2008,
the porcelain decorators which was embraced by the decorator of lot 1587 (fig. 1), while the current cup belongs to a small group
the current cup. Instead of the rather static tail feathers seen on the of Yongzheng vessels which include the more naturalistic painting
roosters on Chenghua and Kangxi cups, the tails on the roosters so the roosters’ tail feathers, see a similar example sold at Christie’s
of the Yongzheng cup have are painted in a more natural manner, Hong Kong, 3 June 2015, lot 3144 (fig. 2).
with fluency and movement.
Kangxi and Yongzheng ‘chicken’ cups adopt not only the general
Archaism has been an important influence on the design of style of the Chenghua decoration, but also the style of the
both form and decoration in many of the Chinese arts since Chenghua reign marks. While some Qing dynasty ‘chicken’ cups
the Song dynasty. The British scholar Craig Clunas has stated were undoubtedly made with the dishonest intention to satisfy
that: ‘Interaction with the past is one of the distinctive modes the burgeoning antiques trade in these wares, and bear spurious
of intellectual and imaginative endeavour in traditional Chinese Chenghua marks, those described above do not. They bear the
culture (Craig Clunas, Superfluous Things Material Culture and correct Qing dynasty reign names rather than adopting the
Social Status in Early Modern China, Polity Press, Cambridge, 1991, Chenghua name. This makes it clear that these ‘chicken’ cups
p. 91, n. 91; Murck, 1976, p. xi). It is also worth bearing in mind were not made as copies with any intention to deceive, but were
the section of the Confucian Analects in which it was stated that: commissioned as homage to the porcelains of the earlier reign. Not
‘A man who can gain new insights through re-studying what has only the collection of antiques, but the commissioning of pieces
already been learned may serve as a teacher.’(Wei Zheng, Analects in archaistic style was a major feature of the arts of all three of
of Confucius, Book II).TheYongzheng ‘chicken’ cup may be seen as the great Qing emperors. The famous ceramicist Tang Ying, who
exemplifying the careful study of an antique porcelain style, while was appointed from the Imperial household staff to take the role
adding new insights in enamel technology, to produce a vessel of of resident assistant at Jingdezhen in 1728, became famous for his
great beauty which resonates with the spirit of antiquity. exemplary copies of ancient wares, which were praised as being of
similarly high quality as the original wares. It seems likely that the
It is interesting to compare the ‘chicken’ cups made in the current Yongzheng ‘chicken’ cup was made under his supervision.
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