Page 45 - Fine Chinese, Japanese and Buddhist Art September 28, 2018 Galerie Zacke

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A RARE FAMILLE ROSE LIME-GROUND ‘MUDAN TING’ BOWL AND Literature comparison: A Daoguang-period dish (one of a pair) of this very
COVER, DAOGUANG same design is illustrated by D. Nadler, China to Order, Paris, 2001, no. 129,
DAOGUANG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN IRON RED AND OF THE where it is cited that another dish of this design from the Alma Cleveland
‚Secret Rendezvous‘ scene from Mudan Ting (The peony Pavilion) PERIOD Porter Collection is in the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.
China, 1821-1850
忻⃱⸜㫦曺⛘䰱⼑ȿ䈉ᷡṕȿ䒟䠿味
The bowl is painted in crisp enamels on the exterior with two medallions “⣏㶭忻⃱⸜墥”ℕ⫿㫦
enclosing scenes from the Mudan ting ‘Peony Pavilion’ play, all surrounded ᷕ⚳炻1821-1850⸜
by butterflies, chrysanthemum, peonies and peaches on a lime-green 曺㩠刚䘬䠿炻䔓㚱姙⣂䈉ᷡˣ卲剙冯梃准䘬圞炻ℑ⚻ᷕ⏰䎦䈉ᷡṕ㘗䈑ˤ
ground. The cover is similarly decorated below the circular knob. The rime of 䠿味㚱䚠Ụ䘬剙䲳⍲䔓ἄˤ䠿䶋挷慹炻味䶋⍲枪䪗䘬⚻ḇ悥挷慹姕妰ˤ䠿
the lobed bowl is gilt as well as the circles framing the medallions. The inside ℏ⍲味ℏ䘮䁢䵈㜦刚慱ˤ
of the bowl, the cover, the knob and the foot rim bear a turquoise glaze. 䈉ᷡṕ炻⍰䧙怬櫪姀炻䁢㖶ẋ㸗栗䣾㕤1598⸜∝ἄˤ㍷⮓㜄渿⧀冯㞛⣊
㠭䘬䓇㬣ᷳㆨ炻㬟䴻⋫彃叔劎⼴炻䳪ㆸ䛟὞ˤ冯䞕䭯⮷婒ᶵ⎴䘬⛘㕡炻
The Peony Pavilion (Chinese: 䈉ᷡṕ; pinyin: Mudan ting), also named ⛐㖶ẋ䘬㇚㚚ᷕ炻㓡䶐Ⓒẋ䘬⁛⣯ẍ層役䎦⮎ᷣ佑炻㏺㡬崭冒䃞䘬䤆娙
The Return of Soul at the Peony Pavilion, is a romantic tragicomedy 冯櫤⿒炻德忶㍷⮓⮵冒䓙ㆨッ䘬ᶵㅰ徥㯪炻⍵㗈䔞㗪⮩⺢ᷣ佑ᶳ䘬ᾅ⬰
play written by dramatist Tang Xianzu in 1598, and the plot was drawn 冯⡖句ˤ
from the short story Du Liniang Revives for Love. It depicts a love 㒂㍐㕟炻㬌䠿㍷徘䘬䁢˪㊦䔓˫ẍ⍲˪⸥⩦˫ℑ⟜炻䁢㓭ḳᷕ慵天ᷳね
story between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei, overcomes all difficulties, 䭨ˤ㶭㛅ᷕ㛇炻˪䈉ᷡṕ˫㓭ḳ⭞╣㇞㙱ˤ
transcending time and space, life and death, and finally get together. ⼊䉨烉䒟䠿ⷞ味
Different from the short story, in Tang’ s play, it is a dynamic integration 慵慷烉䷥慵650.3⃳炻䠿慵402.3⃳炻味慵248⃳
of the legendary and the reality in Ming Dynasty. Scenes of love in ⯢⮠烉䠿䚜⼹16.9⍀䰛炻味䚜⼹16⍀䰛
dreams, Du Liniang’s revival, or any supernatural element seem absurd in ⑩䚠㤝⤥ˤ挷慹怲䴻ᾖ墄炻䠿冯味ℏ悐㚱ṃ姙㐑㒎ˤ
play, but it reflects the sprout of humanism, through protagonists’ strong 伶⚳䥩Ṣ㓞啷炻岤屟㕤Ἓ⢓⼿炻⎗㍸ὃ㕘屟⭞岤屟䤐㒂⼙㛔ˤ
desire and unremitting pursuit of free love and uncovers the degeneracy 㔯䌣⍫侫烉ᶨᾳ忻⃱㗪㛇䚠Ụ䘬䒟䚌炻㓞抬㕤D. Nadler叿˪China to
of the society under feudalism at that time. Order˫炻⶜湶炻2001⸜炻䶐嘇129ˤ⎴㗪㊯↢冯㬌䚌ㆸ⮵䘬⎎ᶨᾳ䒟䚌
Ἦ冒Alma Cleveland Porter㓞啷炻䎦⬀㕤伶⚳湣啑媠⠆ⶆ䘬䙖⌂徒❫⠆⃳
The scenes depicted on the present bowl are most likely ‘Discovering the 㕗⌂䈑棐ˤ
Portrait’ and ‘Secret Rendezvous’, both of which belong to the small group
of important scenes usually being adopted and performed onstage. It is EstimateġEUR 2.000,-
known that this play was very popular during the mid-Qing period. (2) Starting price EUR 1.000,-

Shape: Porcelain bowl with cover
Weight: 650,3 grams total, 402,3 grams the bowl, 248 grams the cover
Dimensions: 16,9 cm diameter (the bowl) 16 cm diameter (the lid)
Condition: The gilding on the rim of the know has been redone, covering
a very tiny chip. The inside of both bowl and lid shows old wear. Otherwise
absolutely perfect condition.
Provenance: American private collection, purchase at Christies. A photocopy
of the Christies invoice will be released to the new owner

‚Discovering the Portrait‘ scene from Mudan Ting (The peony Pavilion)

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