Page 127 - Important Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Hong Kong

PAoSwueprerabndRaVriteaXliutayn–de Dragon Stem Bowl

飛龍在天：宣德青花龍紋高足盌

Rosemary Scott, International Academic Director Asian Art

蘇玫瑰 - 國際亞洲藝術部學術總監

To many connoisseurs of Chinese porcelain, the blue and white wares fig. 1 Collection of the Palace fig. 2 Collection of the Musée
of the early 15th century include the finest painting in underglaze blue
of any era. Indeed, when writers of the later Ming and Qing dynasties Museum, Beijing Guimet, Paris
heaped praise upon the wares of ‘Xuan and Cheng’, they inevitably 圖一 北京故宮博物院藏品 圖二 巴黎吉美博物館藏品
praised the enamelled porcelains of the Chenghua reign and the blue and
white wares of the Xuande period – insisting that each represented the 對許多中國瓷器鑑藏家而言，十五世紀初瓷器的釉下青花紋飾
pinnacle of achievement in the two decorative techniques. The current 堪稱歷代之最。誠然，晚明和清代文人盛讚「宣成」之器時，
stem bowl belongs to a small group of vessels which exemplify the 無不首推成化鬥彩和宣德青花瓷，並視此為兩類裝飾工藝的巔
highest achievements of the Xuande ceramic decorators. These pieces 峰之作。類似本拍品者數量甚少，但件件俱是宣德畫瓷師的巔
bear imperial five-clawed dragons painted in particularly rich blue tones, 峰之作。它們以皇家御用的五爪龍紋為飾，青花色調翠藍濃艷，
depicted amongst turbulent waves painted in the most delicate icy blue. 蛟龍在汹湧波濤之中騰躍，浪花用若有若無的淡雅青料繪成。
It may reasonably be claimed that the dragons on these vessels appear the 若說這批作品的龍紋之威猛靈動為御瓷之最，其實也不為過。
most powerful and lively of all the dragons painted on imperial Chinese 大維德中國藝術館的館徽便是一件同款紋飾的宣德小盤，由此
porcelain. It is no coincidence that a small Xuande dish bearing this 看來絕非偶然。大維德基金會的瓷盤可參見蘇玫瑰著，《形秀
design was chosen as the iconic piece to provide the emblem of the 色麗四代珍》，倫敦，1992 年，44 頁，編號 32，該書護封和附
Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art. (The David Foundation dish 書名頁均印有這一館徽。就本拍品而言，最引人入勝的是其內
is illustrated by R. Scott, Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration – Four 壁環繞六字青花宣德楷書款的暗花行龍紋。此類暗花紋飾低調
Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, p. 44, no. 32; the emblem 含蓄，故而此前兩度拍賣的圖錄中均未提及。在大維德盤內立
appearing on the dust cover and half-title page of the publication.) 面，也有用薄瓷漿繪成的近似暗花龍紋。
Interestingly the current stem bowl has anhua decoration of striding
dragons on the interior sides of the bowl, surrounding the underglaze 繪有精美龍紋與淡藍海水的近似高足盌當中，其盌足下沿或像
blue six-character Xuande mark. This anhua decoration is so subtle that it 本拍品般白描一道細窄的海水紋，或無海水紋飾。台北國立故
was missed by cataloguers when the stem bowl was sold on two previous 宮 珍 藏 一 例 紋 飾、 大 小 相 若 的 高 足 盌， 其 足 沿 亦 飾 海 水 紋，
occasions. Similar anhua dragon decoration can also be seen painted in 圖見《明代宣德官窯菁華特展圖錄》，台北，1998 年，270-
thin slip around the cavetto of the Percival David dish. 271 頁，編號 108。另一件近似例為北京故宮珍藏，其足沿也
有 海 水 紋， 圖 見《 故 宮 博 物 院 藏 文 物 珍 品 全 集： 青 花 釉 裏 紅
The stem bowls with these exceptionally well-painted dragons amongst （上）》第 34 冊，香港，2000 年，172 頁，圖版 163（圖一）。
pale waves appear either with a narrow band of outlined waves around 另一例足沿飾海水紋的作品為巴黎吉美博物館格朗迪耶珍藏
the lower edge of the foot – as in the case of the current stem bowl, or （Grandidier Collection），圖見《The World’s Great Collections,
without such a wave band. A stem bowl of this design and size, with the Oriental Ceramics》第七冊之《巴黎吉美博物館》，東京，1981
lower wave band, is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in 年，彩色圖版 18 號（圖二）。至於紋飾相同但足沿無海水紋的
Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the 高足盌，北京首都博物館藏一例，圖見劉良佑著作《明官窯》，
Ming Dynasty,Taipei, 1998, pp. 270-271, no. 108). Another stem bowl from 台北，1991 年，99 頁，下圖；另一件足沿無海水紋的近似例載
this group, also with the lower wave band, is in the collection of the Palace 於約瑟夫（A. Joseph）撰著的《Ming Porcelains, their Origins and
Museum, Beijing (illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Development》，倫敦，1971 年，120 頁，編號 1，此盌於 1981
Red (I), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, 34, 年和 1986 年經蘇富比拍出；第三例於 1968 年 4 月 1 日經倫敦
Hong Kong, 2000, p. 172, no. 163) (fig. 1). A further example with the 佳士得拍出（拍品 121 號）；第四例於 1997 年 4 月 27 日經香
lower wave band, from the Grandidier Collection, is in the Musée Guimet 港佳士得拍出（拍品 71 號）（圖三）。最後一例高足盌曾納入
in Paris (illustrated in The World’s Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics, vol. 玫茵堂珍藏，其後於 2012 年 4 月經蘇富比拍出（拍品 29 號）。
7, Musée Guimet, Paris, Tokyo, 1981, colour plate 18) (fig. 2). A stem
bowl with this design, but lacking the lower wave band, is in the Capital
Museum, Beijing (illustrated by Liu Liang-yu, Ming Official Wares, Taipei,
1991, p. 99, lower image), another, also lacking the lower wave band, is
illustrated by A. Joseph in Ming Porcelains, their Origins and Development,
London, 1971, p. 120, no. 1, later sold by Sotheby’s in 1981 and 1986. A
third was sold by Christie’s London on 1st April, 1968, lot 121, and a
fourth was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 27th April, 1997, lot 71 (fig. 3).
The latter stem bowl entered the Meiyintang Collection and was sold by
Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2012, lot 29.

125