Page 182 - J.J. Lally Chinese Art CHRISTIE'S March 23 2023 NYC

A VERY RARE 15TH CENTURY FAHUA DRAGON JAR

Rosemary Scott, Independent Scholar

十Ն世紀琺花Ն爪龍紋罐

蘇玫瑰 ġ 獨立學者

his exceptional jar is a very rare example of a Ming dynasty a design of green dragons and clouds on a yellow ground was
porcelain vessel decorated in the so-called fahua technique excavated from the Xuande stratum of the Zhushan imperial kilns
Twith a design of five imperial five-clawed dragons. The at Jingdezhen in 1988 and is illustrated in Xuande Imperial Porcelain
name fahua was coined by collectors in the 1920s and can be excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1998, p. 78,
1
translated as ‘designs with borders’. Fine relief lines of clay slip no. 73. Even more significantly, a very similar yellow and green
were applied to the surface of the ceramic item and these lines dragon dish with fahua decoration was also excavated from the
served as outlines to the design and also created bounded areas in mid-Chenghua stratum at the imperial kilns (illustrated in The
which to apply relatively low-firing alkaline glazes of different Emperor’s broken china – Reconstructing Chenghua porcelain, London,
colours. On some pieces, such as the current jar, details of elements 1995, p. 104, no. 142). (Fig. 1) The similarities of proportion and
such as the scales on dragons, the feathers on birds or the veins on form between the dragons on the green and yellow dish excavated
leaves, were additionally incised into the body of the vessel under from the mid-Chenghua stratum at the imperial kilns and the
the glaze. This type of decoration is also sometimes referred to dragons on the current jar raise the distinct possibility that the jar
as the ‘cloisonné technique’, since it shares some similarities with could date to the Chenghua reign.
cloisonné decoration on metal.
A fahua jar of the same size, shape and decoration as the current jar
The technique of using raised outlines in ceramic decoration is today in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum, having
appears to have initially been used in the Yuan, or possibly even been bequeathed to the museum by Samuel Craft Davis (1871-
the Song, period on stoneware items from the tile-making kilns 1940). (Fig. 2) The Saint Louis jar was included in the exhibition
in Shanxi, and was later adopted in more refined form for use on Ming Porcelains – A Retrospective, held by the China Institute in
porcelain at the Jingdezhen kilns. This decorative technique is America, October 29, 1970-January 31, 1971 and is illustrated on
th
especially associated with porcelains of the late 15 and early 16 th page 50 of the exhibition catalogue, exhibit 22. The author of the
centuries, particularly the reigns of the Hongzhi (1487-1505) and catalogue, Suzanne Valenstein, dated the jar to the late 15 century
th
Zhengde (1505-1521) emperors. However, archaeological research and notes similarities between the five dragons on the jar and nine
has now revealed that the technique was used in rare instances dragons on a Hongzhi blue and white bowl in the collection of the
at the Jingdezhen imperial kilns in the Xuande (1426-35) and National Palace Museum, Taipei, which is illustrated in Porcelain
Chenghua (1465-87) reigns. A dish decorated on the exterior with of the National Palace Museum, Blue-and-White Porcelain of the Ming,

此罐品相奇צ，洵為明≢中的Ⅷ罕之ה，它採⊇的是「琺花」工藝，並 治 公元 至 年
與正德 公元 至 年
Հ朝最為突出ǯ
飾ս皇家御苑的Ն爪龍紋ǯ「琺花」一ल盛リ於 年ջ收藏⊤， 意 ֿ當前的考ऒ調Ⓔ顯示，其實早於宣德 公元 至 年
與成化

指「帶輪廓的紋飾」ǯ這種工藝是⊇≢漿在陶≢器表堆出細線，ս凸 公元 至 年
年間，景德鎮御窯已在少量ㅳ品中結भԻ琺花工
線勾勒輪廓並區隔諸彩，進而填施⊇較低窯溫燒造的鹼性色釉ǯս本 藝ǯ 年，景德鎮ⅸ山官窯宣德堆♥層曾出土一։外飾黃地綠彩
罐為例，有Ջה品的若干紋飾細❥ 如龍鱗Ǯ翎毛Ǯ葉脈✙
須在施釉 雲龍紋的≢盤，圖見鴻◯美ワ館出版的《景德鎮出土明宣德官窯≢
前直接刻劃於胎體之ӳǯ鑑於琺花工藝與掐絲琺瑯金屬器之間頗有ঈ 器》頁 編號 臺北：
ǯ更重要的是，官窯成化中期堆♥層Ք
T
應，所ս也有՞稱之為「掐絲工藝」ǯ 曾出土一։大ऱ小⊿的黃地綠彩龍紋琺花盤，圖見《5IF &NQFSPSĞ
CSPLFO DIJOB ě 3FDPOTUSVDUJOH $IFOHIVB QPSDFMBJO》頁 編號
在陶≢紋飾中⊇凸線勾勒輪廓的手法，ַ乎始於元ջ 甚或宋ջ
山 倫敦：
ǯ㈊乎官窯成化中期堆♥層出土的黃地綠彩盤，其龍紋的
西磚瓦窯燒ㅳ的陶器，其後景德鎮官窯加ս改良並運⊇於ㅳ≢ǯ這種 大小比例ক造型均與本拍品相若，據此看來，本罐大有ज能燒造於成
工藝與十Ն世紀末及十六世紀初≢器的關係尤為密切，其中又ս弘 化年間ǯ

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