Page 238 - Important Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Hong Kong

3397 Continued

The present vase belongs to a group of wucai garlic-neck shaped vases 瓶為蒜頭口，長頸，溜肩，圓腹，圈足。通體繪五彩紋飾，蒜頭口上繪
dated to the Wanli period where neck and the body are decorated 纓絡紋，口下飾蕉葉紋，頸繪纏枝花托雜寶紋，間以銀錠紋，肩繪回紋
with slightly varying motifs. The current decoration of paired dragon 一周，腹部繪龍鳳穿花紋，兩對龍鳳曲頸引身，張口吐鬚作趕珠狀，十
and phoenix contesting a flaming pearl appears to be unique and is 分威武。每層紋飾均以青花作間隔。口沿上勾回紋一周，青花書《大明
probably the most dramatic from this group. 萬曆年製》楷書款。

Compare with two related vases, both decorated with pairs of 此器造型碩大穩健，由紋飾來看龍主陽為天，鳳主陰為地，畫工精細，
ascending and descending dragons contesting a flaming pearl: the first 紋飾華麗，應為明代宮中帝王御用之物。兩岸故宮博物院均藏有造型、
in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamelled Ware 尺寸均相仿，但只繪龍紋的蒜頭瓶，飾龍鳳者在傳世品中不為多見，甚
of the Ming Dynasty, Book III, CAFA, Hong Kong, 1966, p. 31, pl. 1; the 為珍罕。
other is illustrated in Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection,
Japan, 1989, no. 745. 另有一組器形較大的萬曆款蒜頭瓶，紋飾方面均為荷塘鴛鴦、魚藻紋等。

Another variation of the design on the main body is the placid
composition of a continuous lotus pond scene detailed with birds
and mandarin ducks such as the pair vases in the Idemitsu Museum,
illustrated op. cit., 1989, no. 747. Cf. two further ‘lotus pond’ examples,
the first sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 6 November 1997, lot 1050;
and the other sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2007, lot 525. It is
interesting to note that the lotus pond design vases are larger in size
(approximately 55 cm. high) compared to the dragon and ‘dragon and

phoenix’ vases.

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