Page 185 - J.J. Lally Chinese Art CHRISTIE'S March 23 2023 NYC

The waves from which the dragons
on the current jar leap are probably

intended to evoke the legend of the

dragon rising from the waves at the
spring equinox in order to bring rain
to water the crops.

Fig. 2 Jar (guan) with design of dragons amidst waves, late 15th century, Ming dynasty,
probably Hongzhi period; porcelain with overglaze enamels; 7 ¼ x 8 ⅝ inches; Saint
Louis Art Museum, Bequest of Samuel C. Davis 1108:1940.
琺華龍紋➬
ˠ紀末
或為明弘治
聖㊌易斯藝術博ḵ館
4BNVFM $ %BWJT 捐㈌
館藏
編號
Fig. 1 Dish with green dragons painted in raised slip on a yellow ground, mid-Chenghua period,
Jingdezhen Institute of Ceramic Archaeology.
黃ঃਙ綠龍紋盤
成٪中期
景德鎮市陶瓷考۵研②所

th
Book IV, Hung-chih Ware, Hong Kong, 1965, pls. 5, 5A-5-E, to Many of these excavated jars belong to the group on which the perhaps worth noting that the combination of cobalt blue and relates to the waves on the famous late 15 century Ataka fahua guan
th
support a late 15 century date. However, since that catalogue character tian (heaven) is written in underglaze blue on their base copper turquoise can be seen on porcelains excavated from both jar in the collection of the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka
was written extensive new information on the porcelains of the (see Jingdezhen chutu Yuan Ming guan ciqi (Yuan and Ming Imperial the Xuande and Chenghua strata at the imperial Jingdezhen kilns. (see R. Fujioka and G. Hasebe (eds.), Ceramic Art of the World, vol.
Chenghua reign has been gleaned from archaeological excavations Porcelain Unearthed from Jingdezhen), Beijing, 1999, pp. 304-7, These bowls and dishes have underglaze blue aquatic designs 14, Ming Dynasty, Tokyo, 1976, p. 134, no. 135), and may represent
carried out at the site of the imperial kilns, including the discovery nos. 322-7, although, as might be expected, the doucai jars are of covered with a turquoise glaze (see Jingdezhen chutu Yuan Ming a slightly earlier incarnation of the motif. A further development
th
of the fahua dish mentioned above. It is also interesting to compare somewhat smaller size compared to the current fahua jar. guan ciqi, op. cit., pp. 268-9, nos. 272-3 for Xuande examples, of the design can be seen on a 16 century fahua temple vase
the form of the dragons on the current jar with those painted in and The Emperor’s broken china – Reconstructing Chenghua porcelain, decorated with dragons above waves on a turquoise ground in the
underglaze blue on a dish excavated from the early Chenghua The palette used on the current jar of deep cobalt blue, vivid op. cit., p. 104, no. 145 for a Chenghua example). The colour Burrell Collection (see Rosemary Scott, ‘The Unexpected Chinese
stratum at Jingdezhen. This dish is illustrated in A Legacy of copper turquoise and brilliant white was to become the most combination was thus well-established by the Chenghua reign. As Ceramic Collection of Sir William Burrell (1861-1958)’, Transactions
Chenghua – Imperial Porcelain of the Chenghua Reign Excavated from popular colour combination on fahua porcelains of the late 15 th the Jingdezhen fahua porcelains were biscuit-fired, and not given of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 85, 2021, p. 160, fig. 16).
th
Zhushan, Jingdezhen, Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1993, and early 16 century – often with the addition of small areas of a clear porcelain glaze before the decorative colours added, the
th
pp. 100-101, no. A6. (Fig. 3) yellow and/or aubergine purple. On the majority of 15 century whole of the vessel needed to be covered with the coloured alkaline As mentioned above, dragons are rare on fahua vessels, but a guan
fahua vessels, cobalt blue was used as the ground colour – as on glazes, including the ground. The finished effect had the visual jar with four dragons is illustrated in ‘2000 Years of Chinese
It is also worth noting that the shape of the current jar with its the current jar. On a lesser number of vessels, turquoise was used intensity of an embroidery on dark blue satin. Ceramics’, The Newark Museum Quarterly, Summer/Fall 1977,
wide, rounded shoulders, tapering sides and slightly compressed as the ground colour, while the aforementioned reign-marked fig. 32; a fahua guan jar with dragons, dated to 1500, was sold by
profile was one that rose in popularity in the Chenghua reign. The dishes excavated from the imperial kilns have a yellow ground. The waves from which the dragons on the current jar leap are Sotheby’s Hong Kong in November 1990, lot 155 and again in
excavations at the imperial kilns revealed a wealth of jars of this The use of a thin copper green glaze on the interior of the current probably intended to evoke the legend of the dragon rising from 2005, lot 295. A fahua guan jar with turquoise ground, decorated
form amongst the doucai wares from the late Chenghua stratum. jar is common to many closed-form fahua porcelain vessels. It is the waves at the spring equinox in order to bring rain to water the with four dragons was sold by Christie’s New York in September
crops. The form of these waves, with their white-tipped spume 2022, lot 968. However, the distinctive shape of the current jar,

如ի，聖路易藝ワ館藏一例4BNVFM $SBGU %BWJT 至 年
饋贈 औ一點值得注意的是，本品㎒肩Ǯ腹Ӵ微斂Ǯ外型扁圓的樣式，在成化 層出土的≢器ǯ該批出土盌盤ك飾ս釉Ӵ青花魚藻紋，其ӳ罩施松⒢ 明」頁 編號 東京：
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年 月 日至 年 月 日華美協進社舉辦的《.JOH 1PSDFMBJOT ě " 批出土罐中，不少器底書釉Ӵ青花「天」字，詳見《景德鎮出土元明官 編號 ，成化實例則ज參照《&NQFSPSĞ CSPLFO DIJOB ě 材的औ一款變奏，此器為布萊‰Ⅷ藏 #VSSFMM $PMMFDUJPO
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，全文發表於《東方陶≢學會會刊》 年刊號 頁
國立故宮博物院藏弘治青花盌的九龍紋，ս此ה為十Ն世紀末的斷 塗飾諸彩後方施ս透明釉，所ս必須通體 包括地子
掛施鹼性色釉ǯ 圖 ǯ
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Ǯ " & 香港：
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供Ի大量有關成化≢的新資㈸，像ӳ文提到的出土琺花盤便是一例ǯ 拍品為例，十Ն世紀的琺花器泰半ս鈷藍為地ǯֿ其中也有松⒢綠 此例琺花罐的龍紋自驚ṗ駭浪中騰飛而起，१→的很ज能是蛟龍於春 刊》 5IF /FXBSL .VTFVN 2VBSUFSMZ
曾發表一例四龍紋琺花罐，圖見
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，此罐於
山出土成化官窯≢器》頁 編號" 香港：徐氏藝ワ館，
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ǯ 年 月，紐約צ士得Ք拍出一例松⒢

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