Page 26 - March 17, 2020 Impotant Chinese Art, Sotheby's, New York

bowl and other Yongle porcelains is most likely due to the fact 卉每朵七瓣（同類盌例亦見繪八瓣者，如
that exact copying was never the intention.
台北國立故宮博物院收藏一例），且描繪
This bowl shows a distinct Middle Eastern touch even in its 花朵正面盛開，既無花苞，亦無果實，葉
floral designs, which seem formalized rather than fitting in 紋則以纏枝為主，偶見三瓣葉。此類花
with the rules of depiction Chinese artists usually observed.
In the composite flower scrolls so characteristic of the Yongle 飾，包括盌心的數叢點花紋飾，屬於中東
period, the species generally are clearly identifiable since 對於花卉抽象制式化描繪的常見裝飾風
every bloom, or pair of blooms, is distinctive and shown with 格。然而本盌外壁所繪四束不同的折枝花
matching buds, fruits and leaves. The small blossoms of the 卉，則似乎更接近寫實，但仍頗為抽象。
flower scroll inside the present bowl are here depicted as 其繪畫筆觸雖極為細膩，但因其鈷料典型
distinctly seven-petalled, but on companion bowls, like one
in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, they can have eight 的結晶斑效果，則尤顯濃烈。
petals. They are not shown in various stages, but only fully
opened and in frontal view, without buds or fruits, and their 永樂年間，宮廷不僅管控御窰燒製，亦控
foliage represents a combination of undulating grass-like 制其分配。元代瓷器商路遠傳近東、中東
stems and occasional trefoil leaves. Just like the small dotted 及東非，但永樂瓷非經普通貿易通道可
flower-heads around the center, this seem like an idealistic 得。永樂瓷器由宮廷嚴密管控，次品毀而
representation of flowers, as it is common in the Middle East.
Only the four flowering sprigs on the outside, which are all 埋之，以防仿製，如此作法之下瓷器自然
different, are clearly intended to represent seasonal flowers, 更為珍稀，外界需求更殷。永樂瓷器中尺
but even they have been stylized. The delicacy of the frilly 寸較大者多外銷海外，而精緻小巧如本品
brushwork may have been dictated by the tendency of the 者則大多上奉宮廷，兩岸故宮皆有收藏，
Fig. 1. Bronze silver-inlay dish with engraved decoration, blue to ‘heap and pile’.
Khorasan, Iran. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 流傳海外之器則少之又少。
圖一 呼羅珊 銅錯銀盤 © 維多利亞與阿爾伯特博物館 倫敦

example, on the inside of a bowl in the Victoria and Albert Mu- 如本盌內口沿處所繪的近類紋飾亦可見於
seum, London, and on dishes and trays in various collections, 呼羅珊金屬器，如見兩件小銅盾例，載
illustrated in Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani, Islamic 於前述出處，圖版57及 57a，作者形容（
Metalwork from the Iranian World. 8th – 18th Centuries,
London, 1982, pls 26B, 26a (fig. 1) , 27b, 27c, or 36. It is not 頁129）為「蓮苞，側瓣連接組成尖頂拱
only the basic form of the design, but particularly one detail 形，下為三珠成金字塔形」。再觀本品紋
in the representation that appears regularly on the Khorasan 飾，亦可見花瓣連成拱形及金字塔形的成
metal vessels and is repeated inside our bowl: the careful 組圓珠，唯無花苞而已。
enlacement of loops to pass alternately under and over each
other, when crossing.
永樂年間，大明朝廷與呼羅珊的互通往來
A border not unlike that seen here on the inside rim can also 至少有六次。 明代陳誠奉永樂帝命，於
be found on Khorasan metalwork, e.g. on two brass bucklers
illustrated ibid., pls 57 and 57a, described by the author (p. 1414、1417及1420年沿陸路出使中亞及伊
129), as “lotus-buds, their lateral petals joining together to 朗西部，效鄭和下西洋通使外邦。陳誠三
form pointed arches over pyramids of three pierced beads”. 次出使途中，曾到訪過各大重要呼羅珊城
While the petal arches and beads are also seen here, the 市，包括赫拉特等金屬器製作重地。而其
buds themselves have been lost. 三次出使緣由，皆為回應中亞及伊朗外使
Direct Chinese exchanges with Khorasan happened at least 訪華之故。多個訪華使團中亦包括赫拉
six times during the Yongle reign.
特，其並曾向明廷獻贈供禮。
The Chinese official Chen Cheng (1365-1457), who acted as
imperial envoy for the Yongle Emperor to undertake diplomatic 目前尚不清楚當時明廷主要負責紋樣設計
voyages overland – like Zheng He (1371-1433) did by sea –
travelled to Central Asia and Western Iran in 1414, 1417 and 1420, 部門具體如何運作，但相信其中藝匠定必
each time visiting important Khorasan cities such as Herat, one 從各處尋覓靈感，亦應包括外邦供物，以
of the centers of metalwork production. All three voyages were 求創新大量新穎青花紋飾。時穆斯林文化
undertaken in direct response to prior embassies received from 禁止描繪世上生物，雖然執行不嚴，但亦
envoys of various Central Asian and Iranian regions, also includ- 促使中東藝匠極為擅長設計制式化的抽象
ing Herat, which had submitted tribute gifts to the court.
紋飾。本盌及其他永樂瓷器紋飾雖具異
We do not know how the design office worked, but a whole 風，然不見其直接原型，相信是因為藝匠
new repertory of motifs had to be developed for blue-and-
white and it is likely that designers charged with inventing 創作時並無完全仿製之意。
large numbers of patterns sought inspiration wherever they
could find it, including from foreign goods. A prohibition to 本盌帶有明顯中東風格，其抽象花卉紋飾
depict living beings in Muslim societies, however loosely 有別於傳統中國繪畫之道。花卉組合紋飾
enforced, made Middle Eastern artists extremely inventive in 乃永樂時期特征，每種花卉多可辨認，並
coming up with formal, non-representational motifs. That no 與相配花苞、果實及枝葉同繪，綻放花朵
exact prototypes can be identified for the exotic motifs on our
或成一對，或僅畫一朵。本盌內壁所繪花

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