Page 14 - Important Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Hong Kong

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A YUE CELADON CARVED AND MOULDED The box may have been used as a cosmetic box. The soft and greyish-
‘PEONY’ CIRCULAR BOX AND COVER green glaze is comparable to that seen on the finest Yue wares of the
10th century known as mise or ‘secret colour’. Compare to a box with
NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY (960-1127) a countersunk base and carved with a very similar decoration, illustrated
in Zhongguo taoci quanji: Yueyao, vol. 4, Shanghai, 1981, pl. 183; another
The shallow domed cover is moulded in relief with a scrolling peony spray, with a foot ring and slightly varying decoration illustrated ibid., pl. 200;
the veining of the petals incised. The box is supported on a splayed foot. and a third example also with a foot ring but carved with three peony
Both the box and the cover are applied overall with an olive-green glaze. blossoms in the Freer Gallery of Art, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics: The
World's Great Collections, vol. 9, Tokyo; New York; San Francisco, 1981,
5 æ in. (14.7 cm.) diam., box no. 9.

HK$500,000-800,000 US$65,000-100,000 此盒釉色素潔高雅，一般作胭脂盒用，為公元十世紀浙江越窯窯場經典之
作。唐、五代及宋代的墓葬均出土不少越窯瓷器，吳越王國貴族及宋太宗
北宋 越窯牡丹紋蓋盒 李皇后陵出土之秘色瓷器即為力證。

類似的牡丹紋越窯盒可參考兩件載於《中國陶瓷全集：越窯》，第四冊，
上海，1981年，圖版183及200號，前者紋飾與此盒極為相似，作臥足，
後者則同為圈足，但花葉邊沿較為銳利。另可比較華盛頓弗瑞爾美術館
藏一件帶圈足刻以三朵牡丹紋的例子，載於《Oriental Ceramics, The
World's Great Collections》，1981年，圖版9號。

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