Page 153 - September 23 to 24 Important Chinese Art Christie's NYC

SHIRLEY MUELLER 博士珍藏, 印第安納波利斯, 印第安納州
明嘉靖 青花湧泉麒麟紋執壺
來源:
Richard Verity 博士珍藏, 後家族傳承, 威尼斯, 義大利 (傳)。
Anthony Gray, 倫敦, 1992年。
出版:
S. Mueller, 《Inside the Head of a Collector:
Neuropsychological Forces at Play》, 2019年, 頁 168-169。

The origin of the design of this ewer, and others like it, has
been the subject of much research. The form and decoration
represent a combination of a variety of cultural influences from
China, Europe, and the Middle East. The shape is inspired by
Near Eastern brass pitchers, but the decoration may relate to
that found on contemporaneous majolica wares or in paintings.
The design of many of these ewers also often incorporates
elements that are more commonly found in Chinese material
culture, such as the qilin crouched beneath the fountain.

A similar blue and white 'magic fountain’ ewer, but with a white
hare mark, is illustrated by Jessica Harrison-Hall in Catalogue
of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London,
2001, p. 221, no. 9:10. Harrison-Hall suggests that ewers of this
design may have been commissioned by Jesuits who lived in
Macao from the mid-sixteenth century, and some were involved
in the Chinese porcelain industry. Furthermore, it is known that
ewers of this design were sent to Europe for export as early as
the seventeenth century, as depictions of them are present in
the paintings of the time. According to Linda Rosenfeld Shulsky
('The Fountain Ewers: An Explanation for the Motif’, Museum
of Far Eastern Antiquities Bulletin, no. 67, Stockholm, 1995, pp.
49-78), there are a number of aspects of Christian iconography
which could account for the appearance of fountains on these
ewers, such as depictions of the Virgin Mary Tota Pulchra, which
show 'the Virgin surrounded by symbols of her immaculacy
taken from the Song of Solomon' including fountains similar
to those on the ewers. Furthermore, it is known that ewers
of this design were sent to Europe for export as early as the
seventeenth century, as depictions of them are present in the
paintings of the time.
In addition to being sent to Europe in the seventeenth century,
ewers of this design were also sent to the Near East by the
same time period. 'Magic fountain' ewers can be found in the
collection of the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul and in the collection
of the Ardebil Shrine, Tehran, bearing Near Eastern metal
mounts which date to the seventeenth century. An example with
metal mounts is illustrated by J. Ayers and R. Krahl in Chinese
Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul, vol. 2, Yuan and
Ming Dynasty Porcelains, London, 1986, p. 655, no. 1015.

‘Magic fountain’ ewers can be found with a variety of marks on
the base, including four-character auspicious marks like that
on the present example, as well as Jiajing marks, Ming marks,
and white hare marks. See ibid., pp. 654-656, nos. 1013-1016,
for examples with each mark. See, also, the ewer illustrated
in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol. 3, fig.
200, from the Museum Pusat, Jakarta, with a four-character
auspicious mark.

A further related ‘magic fountain’ ewer without a mark, from
The Leonora and Walter F. Brown Collection, San Antonio,
Texas, raised on a high foot with lappet decoration, was sold at
848
Christie’s New York, 25 September 2020, lot 1559.
Dr. Shirley Mueller illustrates this ewer in her recent book, Inside
the Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play, 2019,
p. 169. The author brings a collector’s perspective to provide
unique insight and present research on the neuropsychological
forces at play in the brain.
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