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THE SOAME JENYNS COLLECTION OF JAPANESE AND CHINESE ARTA Very Rare and Large Early Yongzheng TeapotRosemary Scott, Senior International Academic ConsultantThis unusually large teapot bears a well-written six-character underglaze blue Yongzheng mark on the base, but it is clear that it dates to the early years of the Yongzheng period. A similarly-sized teapot decorated in a similar style and also with bold cursive large-scale calligraphy is in the collection of the Palace Museum Beijing (illustrated in Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, 38, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 92, no. 84). Like the current teapot, the Beijing teapot is decorated in famille verte overglaze enamels with the black and red enamels predominating. The Palace Museum teapot, which comes from the Qing Court collection, does not have a reign mark, but has been dated to the Kangxi reign. In addition to the black enamel calligraphic inscription, the Beijing teapot bears two seals in dark red enamel at the end of the inscription reading xi and yuan 西 園 Western Garden. The same palette, bold use of black enamel, cursive calligraphy and two dark red seals can also be seen on two brush pots in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated ibid., pp. 98-9, nos. 90 and 91). While the first of these brush pots is decorated almost entirely in black enamel in imitation of ink painting, with only very small areas of green and red, the second of the two brush pots is decorated using famille verte enamels in a similar way to that seen on the current teapot – with a somewhat greater use of the red and green enamels. The treatment of the lotus leaves on the brush pot is particularly reminiscent of the treatment of the peony leaves on the current teapot.The floral decoration on the teapot is composed of magnolia, peony and crab-apple. This was a popular combination in the 18th century and thereafter, as the flowers combine to provide an auspicious rebus. White magnolia in Chinese is yulan 玉蘭, crab-apple is haitang 海棠, and peony is known as fuguihua 富貴花. Together these suggest the phrase yutang fugui 玉堂富貴 – ‘May your noble house be blessed with riches and honour’. The peony is known as the flower of riches and honour, while yu from magnolia and the tang from crab-apple provide a rebus for yutang or ‘jade hall’, which was a respectful way of referring to a wealthy household. The theme of the decoration is reinforced by the calligraphic inscription, which cover most of one side of the teapot and reads: yu tang chun fu gui玉堂春富貴 , followed by what appears to be a name: Yue Qing月卿 - literally ‘moon’ or ‘month’ and ‘minister’ or ‘high official’, which is probably a pen-name. In place of the separate xi and yuan (Western Garden) seals on the Kangxi teapot and brush pots, the current teapot has a single dark red seal reading: yun ju雲居 ‘Cloud Abode’ or ‘Cloud Dwelling’.The reference to ‘Western Garden’ in the seals on the Kangxi items from the Palace Museum is not surprising, as there was a Western Garden in the imperial palace as early as the Han dynasty, and the tradition of such imperial gardens continued. Although the seals may instead be a reference to the famous ‘Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden’ 西 園 雅集 attended by a number of famous literati, which is believed to have taken place in AD 1087 in the garden belonging to Wang Shen (王詵 AD 1037-c. 1093). There are extant paintings of this elegant gathering attributed to Li Gonglin (李公麟 AD 1049-1106) and to the Southern Song artist Liu Songnian (劉松年). It is, however, more difficult to identify with any certainty the reference intended by the seal Yunju ‘Cloud Dwelling’ on the current teapot. It is possible that this is a Buddhihst reference. There was a Yunju temple with a stone pagoda at Fangshan in the Beijing area from the Tang dynasty. Indeed, its stone pagoda, built in AD 711, still stands. Records indicate that the 10th century Northern Song Chan Buddhist 44th Generation Patriarch Dharma Master Dao Qi (道齊 ‘Consonant with the Way’ AD 929-997) was associated with Yunju Monastery. The Master belonged to the Jin family, which came from Hongzhou 洪州, but during his lifetime he served as abbot of three different monasteries, the last of which was the Yunju Monastery. In one of his writings Master Dao Qi notes: ‘Cloud Dwelling [mountain] is lofty and steep; Lions makes it their abode.’ The ‘lions’ were a reference to high ranking members of the sangha (religious community) known for their great virtue. The Ming dynasty literatus Dong Qichang 董其昌 (1555-1636), who also had links with Chan Buddhism, is believed to have added an inscription to the exterior of one of the nine rock caves on Stone Sutra Mountain (Shijingshan 石經山) near Cloud Dwelling Monastery during an excursion to the area with other luminaries in AD 1631. The only recorded artist who appears to have taken a name related to Cloud Dwelling is the court artist Zheng Zhaofu 鄭昭甫, who was active during the early Ming dynasty Hongwu reign (1368-98), and who called himself Yunju shanren (雲居山人 Hermit of Cloud Dwelling). Further research may help to clarify the intended reference of the Yunju seal. As the teapot is decorated in a manner closely associated with ink painting and calligraphy, the reference is most likely to be an artistic or literary one.It is interesting to note the links to and subtle developments from Kangxi style on this early Yongzheng teapot. The painting style of the overglaze iron-red areas of the decoration have great delicacy and the use of a fine brush can be seen. The style is in contrast to the normal Kangxi use of iron-red. However, a move towards a greater delicacy in the painting of small blossoms using overglaze iron-red enamel can be seen on an elegant famille verte bowl in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, which does not bear a reign mark but has been dated by the museum to the Kangxi reign (illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan, Taoci juan 中國文物精華大全－－陶瓷卷, Taipei, 1993, p. 415, no. 843). The iron-red painting on this bowl more closely resembles that on the current teapot than does most other Kangxi enamel painting.An earlier, less delicate, version of the distinctive waisted form of peony blossom seen on the current teapot can be found on a number of Kangxi porcelains, inclduing a wucai phoenix-tail vase in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in in Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, 38, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, op. cit., p. 137, no. 125), and on a large handsome Kangxi dish in the Baur Collection, Geneva (illustrated by John Ayers in Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, volume 2, Geneva, 1999, p. 30-31, no. 155). The fact that this form is generally associated with the Kangxi reign, albeit in a less delicate form, provides another reason to date the current teapot to the early years of the Yongzheng reign. The delicate black speckles under a pale green enamel which surround and enhance the magnolia branches on the current teapot are reminiscent of the use of a similar decorative device, which appears regularly on fine Kangxi famille verte porcelains but can also be seen around the magnolia branches on a vase with six-character Yongzheng underglaze blue mark, decorated in fine famille verte enamels in the collection of Sir Percival David (illustrated by Rosemary Scott in Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration – Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, p. 136, no. 154 – see right-hand image).This rare teapot from the collection of one of the great British scholars of Chinese art, Soame Jenyns, is an elegant and fascinating tribute to the skills of porcelain decorators employing famille verte enamels at the imperial kilns in the early Yongzheng reign.
A VERY RARE AND LARGE FAMILLE VERTE 'YU TANG FU GUI' TEAPOT
YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)
Details
A VERY RARE AND LARGE FAMILLE VERTE 'YU TANG FU GUI' TEAPOT
YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)
The teapot is decorated to one side with a large flowering peony bloom in front of several branches of crab apple and magnolia. There is a bold inscription to the reverse reading yu tang chun fu gui ending with the signature Yue Qing followed by a seal mark yun ju. The cover is painted with bamboo and prunus sprays.
10 ½ in. (26.7 cm.) wide
YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)
The teapot is decorated to one side with a large flowering peony bloom in front of several branches of crab apple and magnolia. There is a bold inscription to the reverse reading yu tang chun fu gui ending with the signature Yue Qing followed by a seal mark yun ju. The cover is painted with bamboo and prunus sprays.
10 ½ in. (26.7 cm.) wide
Provenance
Collection of the late Soame Jenyns (1904-1976), then by descent within the family.
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Samantha Yuen