Page 59 - Nov. 27 2019 Christie's Hong Kong Desk Objects

THE EILEEN AND I.M. PEI COLLECTION

OF CHEN MINGYUAN ZISHA SCHOLAR’S

OBJECTS

Low Cheong Sin
Zisha collector; China Academy of Art, Doctoral Candidate in Fine Arts

Chen Mingyuan is a very distinguished zisha (purple clay) artist in the 㲌⡊㑐Վ ㆮ⢘㘝ۢ↴᪉⬹
early Qing period, hailed by many as ‘the pre-eminent zisha master of
the Qing dynasty’. In recent years, research and study on this elusive Ὂⳉ㡣㲌㑐♞⊏ᐷᆴࣰ
master and his work have advanced tremendously. On the basis of
our previous understanding, we have gleaned new information from ᐷ䣀؎׾ᑕ
historical documents and literature that have come to light. Mr Zong
Weifang and Mr Xu Shufeng of the Yixing Archives Bureau have ♞⊏ᏻⳉ೰Ǐ
uncovered his birth and death dates, events of his life, and his family ˮ४⟞⻒ೀ㡗⟞⻒ೀښૈ⊝②⁥
history from the Dunbentang Chenshi Zongpu (Genealogy of the Chen
Clan, Dunbentang Edition) edited by Chen Caiping and Chen Longyuan
in the third year of Xuantong (1911). In addition, I have discovered over
twenty poems composed by the Kangxi period poet Jin Zhang relating 㪀㺩㙭הἃ᳖ߝᛞឆ⡻⒬ഌ།卿᫓׹ㄴᙔ՞ಳ໾ഠἃ
to Chen Mingyuan in Jielao Biannian Shichao (A Chronicle Compilation of
Ǹ᳖ջ⡻⒬✄Ӭ՞ǹ卿۔㮹⯍իǯ㘆ჺ׹卿㨸ᙻ㺩㙭
Poems by Jielao), recording his social and creative activities. Furthermore,
the eminent zisha scholar, Mr Huang Chien-liang, based on the 㪃⻱⎏ໝワⒺ♾इᇑԻ㧩㑷⎏㙊ཿ卿ᇖ㙞ࣸ⎏ໝワఫ
hypothesis of Mr Song Boyin that Chen’s works are inscribed by Cao ╲ӳ卿ᙔ℣ࣿ㉼ᙔᙹ㬷ࣽᝳԻᙲ⎏⎉→ǯ໺⯞ᨯᡪ཭
Lianrang, further identified many authentic works by Chen Mingyuan
by comparing the inscriptions on them to Cao’s calligraphy. Lastly, by ໵ڇᙹݎ⊂Ǯ㉓ᝐ࿨⩞Ⴧ⎏ࡃ࠺Ӵ卿ங໿⢴Ӳჺ㪀㞎
distinguishing the seals used by Chen Mingyuan, we now have more ⼙ԖـǮ㪀㪏ᴹ⦕ـ⎏Ƕ卻ᘹទల卼㪀᭄໵㍆Ƿԋ⎉
tools than before to separate the authentic works from later copies. The
ᓒԻ㪀㺩㙭⊂ࢳჺǮ⊂ჹᥙᯔࣿ།ᚉट✙✙⎏㉓അ㏱
‘Republic period copies made in Shanghai’ that have plagued academia
for decades can now be more easily tackled. ㈸卿✖⩢Ԯᇖᄮᾭ㉼՞㞖ᆌ⎏Ƕྩ⩞⤔ჺ㉼㟎ǷࢦӲ
࣍ԋᔺ㫀ԻՀࢦᄃ㲛㉃㘚㪀㺩㙭Ւ㙚᰻࡚ࣿࠛה⡕༰
In the group of scholar’s objects bearing Chen Mingyuan signatures
from the I.M. Pei Collection, the majority were first published in ⎏㏱ᙠǯऔം卿⡻⒬ໝ⩢㿩ڟՙݎ⊂ங໬֬⫿ݎ⊂ᓽ
1977 by Teresa Tse Bartholomew in I-Hsing Ware. Some were also ߅ᝨᄺ㍯ᝧᯧ㠺ᙔᬘཌ㦷໸ᯧ⎏ఫ╲ӳ卿㙊Ӭ᫊⩠㌴
featured in Themes and Variations – The Zisha Pottery of Chen Mingyuan,
jointly published in 1997 by the Shanghai Museum and The Chinese Իᝤഅ߅⯇ᝨ᭄✖㒝⎏㺩㙭⏻㒝卿ݻ࠼ӳཌ㪀㺩㙭⊇
University of Hong Kong. Notwithstanding the immense difficulty in
ࣇ⎏ᢷ↚卿ዏ㇝ࣸࢥߎࣥה⯝ᇌ֎Ⴁ⣌ᝳԻᝤഅ⎏،
trying to identify authentic Chen Mingyuan works from later copies, I
will single out the following four objects for further discussion. ᗌ卿㑷սᓀ㩶അჺ׹⡻⒬ໝ⊤ཌᙻǸᭆߝӳᱡ֎ऒǹ
⎏୷ᗩǯ
The lotus-petal washer is the type mentioned in the poems of Zha
Shenxing, a Kangxi-Yongzheng period scholar. He composed two
th
poems entitled ‘Poems for Monk Jieshan’s 70 Birthday, on Chen ᫉᪖㏋⪵㠺Ⅷ⻦⎏Ӭᏼ㪀㺩㙭⡻⒬ᙔᏑ଍卿ݯԋഌ㛑
Mingyuan’s lotus-petal waterpot and prunus-branch brushrest’. A ߎ㇦ᙻ ჺ㌎⇧ⵖݎ⊂Ꮢⶬ⎏Ƕ* )TJOH 8BSFǷ卿
similar item also appeared in a Hong Kong auction in 1978 titled I-Hsing
Wares – Property from a Private Collection (fig. 1). That auction of major Ԯᝳᄃ։ᘘ㢙ங ჺӳᱡࢷ⁒㱦ࣿ㲞ᳰԋᙔഌໝभ
zisha wares was reputed to be the collection of Tan Jing and included 㗤⎏Ƕ⡻᯵᳖㮫 㪀㺩㙭㪃⻱Ⓔ♾ǷӬᝧǯఫᙻ㪀㺩
many genuine Chen Mingyuan works. The washer is in the shape of a
㙭᪪۔଍㷚⏖⏟᳋⎏ㅻ㫓ካᯔ卿✖⩢૏㉹ἃսӴ୨։
single lotus petal, joined to the pod and the stem; the stem folds back
on itself forming the handle, and rests on a section of lotus root. A ה৅㙊リӬ⊹㋏㌴ǯ
small whelk is applied on the other side as a support and balance. It is
ingeniously conceived and beautifully executed. The form of the washer ᳖ᄮ㫇ᛞឆ⎏ᙔ՞᠝጗リᝳ㉼הǶս㪀㺩㙭⯠ㅳ⸥⹴

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