Lot Essay
The couplet reads:
Shuzhi rongyanzu, changzhan sishichun.
Among the few branches (of bamboo),
a wealth of colour abides in the Eternal Spring.
The idea to combine the highest art forms, or "The Three Perfections" of poetry, calligraphy and painting on porcelain was an innovation of the Yongzheng period. The Emperor Yongzheng took a very personal interest in the production of these porcelains. His stringent standards were met by forcibly pressing renowned artists and calligraphers of the day into service at the Imperial workshops. These court artists and calligraphers would have drafted up their designs in the form of paintings for the Emperor's approval before meeting the challenge of executing them on three dimensional porcelain surfaces. The result was the finest Qing porcelains ever produced. Among Chinese connoisseurs of fine porcelain, the quality of these wares achieved mythical status early on, giving rise to the exclusive appelation "Guyuexuan" (Terrace of the Ancient Moon).
This cup is unique in its composition and painting style. There is a Yongzheng marked bowl and a pair of Qianlong marked cups with the same poetic verse, but the designs are quite different. In terms of composition and painting style, this cup is the most successful and the most pleasing among the three examples. The Yongzheng marked bowl was included in the Special Exhibition of Ch'ing Dynasty Enamelled Porcelains of the Imperial Ateliers, National Palace Museum, 1992, Catalogue, no. 29. In addition to bamboo and roses, the busier top heavy composition features rockwork and narcissus. The Qianlong marked cup with a sparser arrangement of bamboo, roses and two rocks was included in the same exhibition, Catalogue, no. 69. The slightly different pair to it was included in the Special Exhibition of Enamel Painted Wares of the Ch'ing Dynasty, National Palace Museum, 1979, Catalogue, no. 99. This does not rival the present example in the quality of composition or painting. Another Yongzheng bowl in the same exhibition, ibid no. 54, has a slightly different poem, but the design is of bamboo, roses and rockwork. The arrangement of the bamboo leaves around the rim is reminiscent of the present cup.
Bamboo was one of the most effective and popular motifs on this group of Imperial wares. The verticality of the branches set off the horizontal flow of the compositions which were usually layed out in the format of handscrolls. In the 1992 exhibition, a teapot (Catalogue, no. 31), a bowl with birds of paradise (Catalogue, no. 33), another bowl with bamboo, carnations and magpies (Catalogue, no. 35) and a small cup with sparrows (Catalogue, no. 71) demonstrate the various ways in which bamboo was used as a counterpoint in highly sophisticated designs. The Imperial archives records actual commissions of bamboo designs. For example, an edict dated the seventeenth day of the fourth month, 1731:
"Grand Minister Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department Hai Wang brought a pair of white porcelain bowls. Obey this command: decorate the greater portion of the surface of the two bowls with green bamboo, have Tai Lin choose some lines of verse for the remaining portions of the surface. The colouring of the seals and inscription ought to match that of the green bamboo...on the fourteenth day of the eighth month the bowls were decorated with lines of verse and green bamboo." (see ibid, p. 16)
The uncompromising quality of the Yongzheng period can be directly attributed to the Emperor himself. Examples of his fearsome edicts are illuminating, for instance one issued on the seventeenth day of the second month in 1728:
"Of the enamel wares that have been lately produced, the designs are vulgar. In addition, the materials used to make them were inferior. While firing, the utmost care must be taken. Have Ho Chin-K'un paint the decorations. By Imperial Command."
Another dated the twenty-ninth day of the fourth month, 1732:
"The enamel paintings in sepia are all exceedingly fine. Employ the two painters Tai Heng and T'ang Chen-Chi as enamel painters and remove the paintings brought as samples of their works. Also remove the sample paintings by T'ang Tai. The work of the others is all fine, and they may remain, By Imperial Command. Have the painters Tai and T'ang transferred to enamel painting." (See ibid, pp. 12-13)
All the information in the Imperial archives relating to the minutiae of production, the financial artistic and administrative details ultimately describe the exacting demands of an Emperor for whom perfection was the ultimate standard.
Shuzhi rongyanzu, changzhan sishichun.
Among the few branches (of bamboo),
a wealth of colour abides in the Eternal Spring.
The idea to combine the highest art forms, or "The Three Perfections" of poetry, calligraphy and painting on porcelain was an innovation of the Yongzheng period. The Emperor Yongzheng took a very personal interest in the production of these porcelains. His stringent standards were met by forcibly pressing renowned artists and calligraphers of the day into service at the Imperial workshops. These court artists and calligraphers would have drafted up their designs in the form of paintings for the Emperor's approval before meeting the challenge of executing them on three dimensional porcelain surfaces. The result was the finest Qing porcelains ever produced. Among Chinese connoisseurs of fine porcelain, the quality of these wares achieved mythical status early on, giving rise to the exclusive appelation "Guyuexuan" (Terrace of the Ancient Moon).
This cup is unique in its composition and painting style. There is a Yongzheng marked bowl and a pair of Qianlong marked cups with the same poetic verse, but the designs are quite different. In terms of composition and painting style, this cup is the most successful and the most pleasing among the three examples. The Yongzheng marked bowl was included in the Special Exhibition of Ch'ing Dynasty Enamelled Porcelains of the Imperial Ateliers, National Palace Museum, 1992, Catalogue, no. 29. In addition to bamboo and roses, the busier top heavy composition features rockwork and narcissus. The Qianlong marked cup with a sparser arrangement of bamboo, roses and two rocks was included in the same exhibition, Catalogue, no. 69. The slightly different pair to it was included in the Special Exhibition of Enamel Painted Wares of the Ch'ing Dynasty, National Palace Museum, 1979, Catalogue, no. 99. This does not rival the present example in the quality of composition or painting. Another Yongzheng bowl in the same exhibition, ibid no. 54, has a slightly different poem, but the design is of bamboo, roses and rockwork. The arrangement of the bamboo leaves around the rim is reminiscent of the present cup.
Bamboo was one of the most effective and popular motifs on this group of Imperial wares. The verticality of the branches set off the horizontal flow of the compositions which were usually layed out in the format of handscrolls. In the 1992 exhibition, a teapot (Catalogue, no. 31), a bowl with birds of paradise (Catalogue, no. 33), another bowl with bamboo, carnations and magpies (Catalogue, no. 35) and a small cup with sparrows (Catalogue, no. 71) demonstrate the various ways in which bamboo was used as a counterpoint in highly sophisticated designs. The Imperial archives records actual commissions of bamboo designs. For example, an edict dated the seventeenth day of the fourth month, 1731:
"Grand Minister Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department Hai Wang brought a pair of white porcelain bowls. Obey this command: decorate the greater portion of the surface of the two bowls with green bamboo, have Tai Lin choose some lines of verse for the remaining portions of the surface. The colouring of the seals and inscription ought to match that of the green bamboo...on the fourteenth day of the eighth month the bowls were decorated with lines of verse and green bamboo." (see ibid, p. 16)
The uncompromising quality of the Yongzheng period can be directly attributed to the Emperor himself. Examples of his fearsome edicts are illuminating, for instance one issued on the seventeenth day of the second month in 1728:
"Of the enamel wares that have been lately produced, the designs are vulgar. In addition, the materials used to make them were inferior. While firing, the utmost care must be taken. Have Ho Chin-K'un paint the decorations. By Imperial Command."
Another dated the twenty-ninth day of the fourth month, 1732:
"The enamel paintings in sepia are all exceedingly fine. Employ the two painters Tai Heng and T'ang Chen-Chi as enamel painters and remove the paintings brought as samples of their works. Also remove the sample paintings by T'ang Tai. The work of the others is all fine, and they may remain, By Imperial Command. Have the painters Tai and T'ang transferred to enamel painting." (See ibid, pp. 12-13)
All the information in the Imperial archives relating to the minutiae of production, the financial artistic and administrative details ultimately describe the exacting demands of an Emperor for whom perfection was the ultimate standard.