Page 25 - March 17, 2020 Impotant Chinese Art, Sotheby's, New York

The excellence of Yongle porcelain was unquestionably 秘卻不求甚解。至永樂後瓷匠改變作法，
boosted through this direct imperial involvement. The court 精研製瓷技術以求更佳成果。景德鎮窰址
patronized the production through large orders, employed 曾發現一瓷盤，上面花卉紋飾以不同鈷料
specialists to do the designs, and selected supervisors to
oversee the whole organization. The manufacture of imperial 繪成，各料配以編號，青花成色各具特
wares was now approached with a new professionalism. After 色；雖然該盤出土自宣德地層，然而以此
the often disappointing appearance of blue-and-white por- 時期及以後鈷料燒製之穩定程度即可推測
celain in the Hongwu period, the potters did active research 得知，此類實驗自永樂年起便已開始。今
rather than relying on trial and error to achieve a satisfac- 以出土資料所見，許多永樂年間被視為品
tory outcome. The waste heaps of the Jingdezhen kilns have
brought to light a sample dish painted with flower sprays in 質不及標準而廢棄掩埋者，當中竟也不乏
different cobalt solutions, identified by different numbers, 有鈷藍發色鮮亮明豔之品。
that indeed yielded very different results; although that dish
was discovered in the Xuande stratum, such pointed experi- 除材質精進外，朝廷也同時監管瓷樣設
ments were undoubtedly undertaken since the Yongle period, 計，故此時期瓷品器形及紋飾種類繁多，
as the cobalt recipe used from that period onwards was of 異常豐富。細觀本品，器如蓮子，故名「
reliable quality. Even the many pieces rejected by Yongle
quality control, discarded, broken and buried, which have now 蓮子盌」。此器形源起中原，盌帶尖底，
been recovered from the kiln sites, are overwhelmingly of a 似雞心之狀，故亦稱「雞心盌」。此類盌
beautiful bright blue. 式僅見於明初，且應未作外銷。器形相近
Besides this improvement of the materials, the imperial 而尺寸較小之例亦稱「蓮子盌」，然紋飾
organization of the designs resulted in much greater variety 相異，其器身常繪以細長蓮瓣，而本品紋
and refinement of shapes and decorative motifs. The shape of 飾則以蓮瓣頂端覆繪三葉紋，別具一格。
our bowl, called a ‘lotus bowl’ because it is shaped like a lotus
bud, would seem to be purely Chinese in origin. It is elegantly 此類三葉紋飾似受金屬器影響，其紋飾呈
tapering to a pointed bottom, that is clearly visible not only in
the center inside but also on the underside, where the ring- 現出早期呼羅珊銅器及其他金屬器風格；
shaped foot provides a support. This shape, which in China is 可比較倫敦維多利亞與阿爾伯特博物館收
known as jixin, ‘chicken heart’ shape, is only known from the 藏一銅錯銀盌例以及其它收藏之盤例，圖
early Ming and does not seem to have been exported. Smaller 載於Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani，
bowls of this form are ‘lotus bowls’ also in decoration, being 《Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World.
painted with slender lotus petals, which on the present piece
have been alienated by being capped with small trefoil motifs, 8th – 18th Centuries》，倫敦，1982年，
that give them a very different appeal. 圖版26B、26a（圖一）、 27b、27c或36
These trefoil, or fleur-de-lys motifs, here also used topping 。以上數例與本品相近之處不僅在於其基
lambrequin borders around the center and on either side of 本設計形式，而更在於一個常見於呼羅珊
the rim, seem to have been inspired by metalwork. Related 金屬器上的細節紋飾，此一紋飾亦可見於
borders are characteristic of somewhat earlier Khorasan 本盌盌心：即為一類相互交疊穿插的類貫
vessels of bronze, brass and other metals; they appear, for
套式紋樣。

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