Page 25 - Important Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Hong Kong

Ethereal Blossoms on A 更點胭脂染透酥：清雍正
Ruby Ground – A Rare 琺瑯彩胭脂紅地梅竹紋酒圓
Yongzheng Falangcai Cup
蘇玫瑰 - 國際亞洲藝術部學術總監
Rosemary Scott, International Academic Director Asian Art

This exceptionally rare falangcai cup is both exquisitely potted and fig. 1 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
exquisitely decorated. Its shape suggests that it was created in the early 圖一 北京故宮博物院藏品
part of the Yongzheng reign, since small, deep, footless, tub-shaped,
cups of this form – with straight mouth rims – are more characteristic
of the Kangxi reign. A Kangxi cup of similar shape and size, with a
Kangxi reign mark in rouge enamel and decorated with ruyi-shaped
panels reserved against a ruby ground is in the collection of the Palace
Museum, Beijing (see Porcelains with Cloisonné enamel Decoration and
Famille Rose Decoration, The Complete Collection of Treasure of the
Palace Museum, 39, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 11, no. 9) (fig. 1). Two
cups of this size and shape, both almost identically decorated with
flowers against an egg-yolk yellow ground – one with a blue enamel
Kangxi mark and the other with a blue enamel Yongzheng mark –
are in the collections of C. P. Lin and Sir Percival David, respectively
(see R. Scott, Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration – Four Dynasties
of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, p. 119, nos. 129 and 130). The
closeness of form and decoration of these two yellow-ground cups
also suggests that the Yongzheng example was made in the early years
of the reign – shortly after the Yongzheng Emperor succeeded his
father, the Kangxi Emperor. While the majority of the small tub-
shaped cups of the Yongzheng reign appear to be slightly shallower,
the deeper form was revived in the Qianlong reign.

Two Yongzheng falangcai cups of the deeper type, slightly larger fig. 2 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
than the current cup, but also decorated with plum blossom against 圖二 北京故宮博物院藏品

a ruby ground, are in the Palace Museum, Beijing. They are both 這件琺瑯彩小盃造型秀麗、紋飾精美，洵為難得一見的珍
品。從形制來看，它應是雍正初年的作品，因為該款深腹無
badly damaged and so are in the study collection (illustrated in 足、缸形直口的樣式，正是康熙瓷盃的常見特徵。北京故宮
the Palace Museum Research Centre, Gugong Bowuyuan cang – Gu 珍藏一例器形、大小均與本拍品近似的康熙盃，底書胭脂彩
taoci ziliao xuancui (Highlights of Ceramic Research Material in the 康熙款，飾紅地白色如意形開光，圖見《故宮博物院藏文物
Collection of the Gugong Museum), vol. 2, Beijing, 2005, nos. 134- 珍品大系：琺瑯彩．粉彩》，第 39 冊，香港，1999 年，11
頁，圖版 9 號（圖一）。此外，尚有兩件相同大小和形狀的
135)(no. 134, fig. 2); also discussed and illustrated by Wang Jianhua, 小盃，其蛋黃地花卉紋如出一轍，一例書藍料康熙款，另一
‘Gugong Bowuyuan gu taoci ziliao yanjiu’, Gugong Bowuyuan basi 例書藍料雍正款，分別為練松柏先生與大維德爵士珍藏，圖
huadan, gu taoci guoji xueshu yantaohui: lunwenji (80th Anniversary of 見蘇玫瑰所撰《形秀色麗四代珍》，倫敦，1992 年，119 頁，
the Palace Museum, Proceedings of the International Conference 編號 129 及 130。這兩件黃地小盃的形制和紋飾均十分接近，
看來雍正盃應是雍正繼承康熙之位後不久的作品。雖然缸形
on Academic Ceramic Research) Beijing, 2007, pp. 184-85). A pair 的雍正小盃大多盃腹略淺，但深腹的樣式在乾隆年間又再度
of the shallower falangcai Yongzheng cups, with almost identical 風行。
decoration to the current cup, are in the collection of Mr. Alan
Chuang (illustrated in The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, 在器腹較深的雍正琺瑯彩盃之中，北京故宮藏兩件近似例，
Hong Kong, 2009, pp. 278-281, no. 116). An additional motif on 二者雖器型略小，但均飾以胭脂紅地梅花紋。惟二盃嚴重破
損，故已納入研究類藏品，圖見故宮博物院古陶瓷研究中心
the current cup is the inclusion of a small spray of bamboo at the 出版的《故宮博物院藏：古陶瓷資料選萃》，第二冊，北京，
2005 年，圖版 134-35 號（134，圖二）；相關的探討和圖
lower edge on one side. While the plum blossom symbolises beauty,

the coming of spring, and represents the five blessings of longevity,

health, wealth, happiness, and a peaceful death, the bamboo symbolises

integrity, especially that of the scholar who will not deviate from

his principles. Another charming detail of the current cup, which is

not shared by the Chuang cups, is the inclusion of two well-painted

bees, which hover above the blossoms on one side of the vessel
(fig. 3). The word for bees or wasps in Chinese is 蜂 feng, which is a
homophone for feng 封 meaning to confer (as in to confer a rank or
blessing), and also feng 豐 meaning harvest – a good harvest being a
constant desire. The slightly deeper sides of the current bowl allow

space for this additional detail, while the shallower ones do not.

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