Page 35 - 2019 October Two Ming Masterpieces Hong Kong Imperial Art Sotheby's

A RARE FLOWERING OF DAY LILIES

Regina Krahl

The outstanding quality and inventiveness of Jingdezhen’s leaving the inside blank, some with different designs inside
blue-and-white porcelains created in the Yongle (1403- and outside, and a few, like the present bowl, with matching
1424) and Xuande (1426-1435) reigns is – and always was designs on both sides.
– undisputed. The imperial potters of the Chenghua period The present design is one of the rarest ‘palace bowl’
(1465-1487) were faced with a tall order to create porcelains patterns and one of the most elegant. Only two other
that could stand the comparison. That they managed to ‘palace bowls’ with the same motif appear to exist, both
come up with pieces that are today held in perhaps even today kept and on view in the British Museum, London. On
greater esteem is due to their inventing a completely new these three bowls, the flowers are distinctively rendered,
style that followed a different aesthetic and improving the with two of the four blooms on each side very realistically
physical quality of the porcelain even further.
depicted with protruding stamens consisting of filaments
The porcelain stone and glaze used for Chenghua topped by pollen-bearing anthers, and the foliage including
imperial porcelains are arguably the finest ever achieved long, curling, blade-like leaves. Related flowers appear
at Jingdezhen. The sensual pleasure of the touch of a also on another ‘palace bowl’ design (see fig. 3), which is
Chenghua porcelain vessel is unmatched by porcelains more common. There, the stamens are not protruding,
of any other period. The term ‘palace bowl’ designates but rendered as white knobs in the centre of the bloom,
unquestionably the most distinctive Chenghua blue-and- the petals have distinctive white ridges down the centre,
white porcelains, bowls made for less than a decade around and the stems are lacking the long, slender leaves. Both
the 1480s, obviously imperial and probably used at court for patterns are very similarly composed, with four blooms
food. They are remarkable for their understatement, their springing from an undulating stem that forms a rounded
unsurpassed material quality and workmanship, unrivalled square or lozenge around a flower-head in the centre and
tactility, perfectly attuned proportions, and seemingly around the foot on the outside.
simple yet highly sophisticated designs that are executed The differences between the two patterns are of course
in an irresistibly captivating, sharply focused and yet free deliberate and probably intended to distinguish different
and easy painting manner. They come in a dozen or so types of flowers. Lilies and day lilies both have very similar
different patterns, the majority painted only on the outside,