Page 114 - Important Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Hong Kong

3307 元 青花纏枝牡丹紋大罐

A VERY RARE BLUE AND WHITE ‘PEONY’ JAR 此罐紋飾從上往下分五層，頸上繪海水波濤紋，肩部繪纏枝蓮紋，腹部
飾六朵纏枝牡丹，或仰或側，葉片豐腴，花邊襯白色聯珠，更添立體感，
YUAN DYNASTY (1279-1368) 下腹飾卷草紋，脛部為仰蓮瓣紋，每層紋飾皆以兩道弦紋作間隔。器底
無釉。
The heavily potted jar is boldly painted in underglaze blue
accentuated by ‘heaping and piling’ with a broad band of peony 此罐器型渾圓飽滿，為元青花大罐的典型風格。青花呈色濃淡有致，繪
scroll bearing six large blooms, between a band of classic scroll and 畫自然流暢，六朵牡丹花姿態各異，如同卷軸畫一般徐徐展開，為元
upright petal lappets below, and a band of lotus meander on the 代青花瓷巔峰時期之作。此類大罐的存世量十分稀少，而且每件在繪畫
shoulder above, with the short neck encircled by a band of waves. 的細節上都獨具特色。紋飾相仿的近似例可參考日本私人珍藏一件，先
14 in. (35.5 cm.) wide 後出版於《宋元の美術》，東京，1980 年，圖版 198 號，及朱裕平著
《元代青花瓷》，上海，82-3 頁，編號 3-34；倫敦蘇富比拍賣一件，
HK$5,000,000-8,000,000 US$650,000-1,000,000 1988 年 6 月 7 日，拍品 211A 號；紐約蘇富比拍賣一件，2006 年 3 月 30
日，拍品 61 號。此三例的花朵皆不露花心，與此罐相同。同紋飾見花
With its powerful form, bold design, the characteristic ‘heaping and 心的例子包括山西省博物館藏品一件，載於《中國文物精華大辭典：陶
piling’ effect, the present jar represents the epitome of blue and white 瓷卷》，香港，1993 年，編號 551；上海博物館藏品一件，見《幽藍神
production of the Yuan dynasty. This classic jar has a particularly 采：元代青花瓷器特集》，上海，2012 年，圖版 7 號；紐約蘇富比曾經
effective and bold peony scroll as its major band. The decorative 上拍一例，2007 年 9 月 18 號，拍品 246 號；以及倫敦蘇富比拍賣一例，
bands on the jar are especially well chosen and arranged for maximum 2010 年 5 月 12 日，拍品 32 號。
impact and to complement the form of the vessel. The narrow and
delicate waves around the neck gives way to a wider lotus scroll on the 另參考一類紋飾相仿但頸部繞以纏枝梔子花紋的青花罐，一件載於《中
shoulders, followed by the largest and most dramatic band - a peony 國文物精華大辭典：陶瓷卷》，香港，1993 年，編號 550；一為東京
scroll enhancing the swelling body of the vessel above a band of classic 國立博物館藏品，見《The World’s Great Collections: Oriental Ceramics,
scroll and a final row of upright petals which emphasise the sharp Tokyo National Museum》，東京，1982 年，圖 111；一為靜觀堂舊藏，
narrowing of the jar towards its foot. The painting of the peony scroll is 先於 1997 年 3 月 20 日於香港佳士得拍賣，拍品 69 號，再於 2010 年 5
particularly successful on this jar. The successive turning of flowers on 月 31 日於香港佳士得拍賣，拍品 1985 號。後二例於牡丹紋及仰式蓮瓣
a scrolling stem echoes the unfolding of a Chinese scroll painting, and 紋之間少了一層卷草紋。尚有一類於頸部飾以纏枝花繪紋者，如美國
the tonal gradation of the cobalt had been successfully rendered by Charles A. Dana 舊藏一件，2000 年 9 月 20 日於紐約蘇富比拍賣，拍品
painters to impart a sense of movement and three-dimensionality. 101 號。

The generous use of cobalt on this jar also suggests that this would
have been an extremely costly item to produce since cobalt oxide
pigment in the Yuan period was a rare imported commodity from the
Middle East. Similar jars are thus greatly limited in number and the
execution of details varies from piece to piece as every example was
individually finished. Examples with this same decorative scheme
include one in a private Japanese collection, illustrated in Sō Gen
no bijutsu, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 198, and again by Zhu Yuping Yuandai
qinghuaci, Shanghai, pp. 82-3, no. 3-34; a second sold at Sotheby’s
London, 7 June 1988, lot 211A; and a third sold at Sotheby’s New York,
30 March 2006, lot 61. Just like the current jar, the flowers on these
examples are depicted with their hearts covered by softly overlapping
petals, although the number and arrangement of the petals vary
slightly. Jars with the same design but with petals open to reveal the
stamen include one in the Shanxi Provincial Museum, illustrated in
Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan: Taoci juan, Hong Kong, 1993, no.
551; a second in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Art of Yuan Blue-
and-white Porcelain, Shanghai, 2012, no. 7; another offered at Sotheby’s
New York, 18 September 2007, lot 246; and a fourth sold at Sotheby’s
London, 12 May 2010, lot 32.

A slight variant of this decorative scheme is seen with a blackberry-
lily scroll painted around the neck as opposed to waves, such as an
example found in 1979 at Yenjialing, Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, see
op. cit., Hong Kong, 1995, p. 332, no. 550; another in the Tokyo National
Museum, illustrated in The World’s Great Collections: Oriental Ceramics,
Tokyo National Museum, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1982, fig. 111; and a further
example formerly in the Jingguantang Collection, sold at Christie’s New
York, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31 May 2010, lot 1985. The
last two examples also lack the band of classic scroll above the petal
lappets around the base.

Compare also to a further variant with a composite floral scroll
decorated around the shoulder as opposed to lotus scroll, see for
example the jar formerly in the collection of Charles A. Dana, sold at 20
September 2000, lot 101.

base
㡳部

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