Page 81 - Sothebys HK Dragon Emperor April 2024

34 PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN COLLECTION
A RARE TIANBAI-GLAZED ANHUA-DECORATED 'LIANZI' BOWL,
MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

明永樂 甜白釉暗花蓮子盌

finely potted with deep rounded sides supported on a tall tapered foot, decorated in the anhua technique around
the cavetto with a wide band of floral scroll, below a wave border at the rim, the exterior incised with all upright lotus
leaves below a keyfret band

20.9 cm

PROVENANCE 來源：
Acquired from Edward T. Chow (1910-80) in the late 1960年代末購自仇焱之（1910-80年）
1960s.

HK$ 800,000-1,200,000
US$ 103,000-154,000

The present bowl belongs to a group of sweet white- 甜白釉創燒自永樂時期，深得天子喜愛，此盌即是。盌
glazed (tianbai) porcelain bowls favoured during 身薄胎細骨，刻蓮子紋，加飾暗花，纖巧輕靈，成就明
the Yongle period. Its subtle combination of incised 初經典。暗花乃明朝伊始之獨創技法，僅於洪武至宣德
and anhua decoration on a beautifully potted lianzi 三朝為景德鎮採用。
(lotus-bud) shape manifested one of the most classic
decorative repertoires in the early Ming dynasty. Anhua, 深壁圓弧流麗，口沿外側刻回紋，繞器一周，下方刻蓮
'hidden decoration', was practised almost exclusively at
the beginning of the Ming dynasty, from the Hongwu to 瓣，疏朗可辨；口沿內側以暗花作水波紋，下方作菊與
the Xuande period, and only at Jingdezhen. 山茶相間。可比歐默福普洛斯舊藏一例，售於倫敦蘇富
比1940年5月30日，編號312，另比香港蘇富比易手兩
Elegantly potted with deep rounded sides, the present 件，其一售於2013年10月8日，編號215，其二為卡爾
bowl is faintly incised on the exterior with a neat row 肯普舊藏，售於2023年4月8日，編號3689。
of well-defined lotus petals below a keyfret band,
while the interior is superbly decorated in anhua with 所刻及暗花紋飾源於同時代青花瓷，可比一盌，原
alternating chrysanthemum and camellia blooms below Eli Lilly 寶蓄，現藏印第安納波利斯藝術博物館，展於
a border of crested waves. A closely related bowl from
the Eumorfopoulos Collection was sold in our London 《Ming Porcelains: A Retrospective》，華美協進
rooms, 30th May 1940, lot 312; another two in these 社，紐約，1971年，編號5。此類蓮子盌雖不乏青花之
rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 215, and 8th April 2023, 作，然永樂帝尤對甜白單色瓷情有獨鍾，青花蓮子盌乃
lot 3689, the latter formerly from the collection of Carl 於宣德時期方見風靡。
Kempe (1884-1967).
The incised and moulded decoration is echoed in blue
and white porcelain of the same period, such as a bowl
in the Eli Lilly collection, now in the Indianapolis Museum
of Art, included in the exhibition, Ming Porcelains. A
Retrospective, China Institute in America, New York, 1971,
cat. no. 5. The Yongle Emperor is believed, however, to
have preferred monochrome white wares, and blue and
white counterparts of such bowls only became popular
later during the Xuande period.

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