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Lot Essay
Langyao, or Lang ware, is named after Lang Tingji, who directed the official kilns at Jingdezhen from 1705 to 1712. He is credited with revitalizing monochrome glazes, particularly the challenging copper-red glaze. Achieving the desired rich tone in copper-red glazes is difficult, as precise kiln conditions are essential. While copper-red glazes were first used effectively during the Ming dynasty, especially in the Xuande period, those produced in the Qing dynasty were even more refined, expressing vibrant, even tones. The fine glaze and graceful form of the present vase highlight the exceptional craftsmanship of the potters under Lang Tingji’s guidance.
A Xuande copper-red 'Monk's Cap' ewer, featured in the 1998 Special Exhibition of Selected Hsuan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty at the National Palace Museum in Taipei (catalog no. 29), bears an inscription of a poem by the Qianlong Emperor, dated 1775. This piece may have inspired the poem inscribed on the current vase and the other small langyao vase (20.8 cm high) in the Palace Museum, Beijing, both featuring the same poem, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 14, where the Emperor praises the vibrant vermilion glaze typical of Xuande period sacrificial wares.
Dated 1775, the poem inscribed on the base of the vase is recorded in the Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quan ji, Yuzhi Shi Si Ji, Juan 21, part 22. (Complete Collections of Poetry and Prose by Emperor Qianlong) and can be translated as follows:
Its glaze incandesces like the fiery red sky after the rain.
Once out of the kiln, it has to return to the flickering flames.
The world's vermillion simply does not compare,
All the rubies of the West cannot rival its colour.
Place flowers in it and they blush in shame,
It is impossible to capture
the richness of its glaze in a painting.
The Records state that sacrificial red wares were
first made in the Xuande period,
Though such wares were first fired
during the Song dynasty.
There are two primary categories of porcelain inscribed with the Qianlong Emperor's imperial poems. The first comprises pieces from early renowned kilns, which were later engraved with his verses. The second category includes porcelain produced by the imperial kilns during his own reign, inscribed under his direct supervision. Both types represent a harmonious fusion of poetry and porcelain, with the emperor himself often providing the inspiration for these inscriptions. Whether engraved or written, these poems offer valuable insights, not only into the artistic sensibilities of the time but also into the political life of the court. As such, they serve as important textual records, illuminating the Qianlong Emperor's refined tastes and his deep engagement with culture and the arts.
Qianlong had a deep passion for poetry and frequently composed both verse and fu (prose poems). His vast literary contributions are preserved in the Complete Collection of Poems and Prose by Emperor Qianlong, an expansive body of work spanning 484 volumes. These writings include numerous poems dedicated to various art forms, such as porcelain, jade, lacquerware, and enamel. Qianlong often instructed his ministers to transcribe these poems onto porcelain, after which artisans at the Ruyiguan would carve them onto the objects themselves. This practice not only reflected his profound admiration for these treasures but also served as a demonstration of his personal involvement in the artistic process, merging his literary and aesthetic sensibilities with the craftsmanship of the imperial workshops.
Related Kangxi langyao vases with tall cylindrical necks, include a bottle vase of compressed globular form with a gilt-metal rim, illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection. Chinese Ceramics, vol. 3, Geneva, 1972, pl. A278. Additionally, two examples are in the National Palace Museum, Taipei: one of mallet form with a similar metal-bound rim and an apocryphal Xuande mark, exhibited in the Museum’s Special Exhibition of Hsuan-te Wares, Taipei, 1980, cat. no. 85, and the other published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum. K’ang-hsi Ware and Yung-cheng Ware, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 48.
A Xuande copper-red 'Monk's Cap' ewer, featured in the 1998 Special Exhibition of Selected Hsuan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty at the National Palace Museum in Taipei (catalog no. 29), bears an inscription of a poem by the Qianlong Emperor, dated 1775. This piece may have inspired the poem inscribed on the current vase and the other small langyao vase (20.8 cm high) in the Palace Museum, Beijing, both featuring the same poem, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 14, where the Emperor praises the vibrant vermilion glaze typical of Xuande period sacrificial wares.
Dated 1775, the poem inscribed on the base of the vase is recorded in the Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quan ji, Yuzhi Shi Si Ji, Juan 21, part 22. (Complete Collections of Poetry and Prose by Emperor Qianlong) and can be translated as follows:
Its glaze incandesces like the fiery red sky after the rain.
Once out of the kiln, it has to return to the flickering flames.
The world's vermillion simply does not compare,
All the rubies of the West cannot rival its colour.
Place flowers in it and they blush in shame,
It is impossible to capture
the richness of its glaze in a painting.
The Records state that sacrificial red wares were
first made in the Xuande period,
Though such wares were first fired
during the Song dynasty.
There are two primary categories of porcelain inscribed with the Qianlong Emperor's imperial poems. The first comprises pieces from early renowned kilns, which were later engraved with his verses. The second category includes porcelain produced by the imperial kilns during his own reign, inscribed under his direct supervision. Both types represent a harmonious fusion of poetry and porcelain, with the emperor himself often providing the inspiration for these inscriptions. Whether engraved or written, these poems offer valuable insights, not only into the artistic sensibilities of the time but also into the political life of the court. As such, they serve as important textual records, illuminating the Qianlong Emperor's refined tastes and his deep engagement with culture and the arts.
Qianlong had a deep passion for poetry and frequently composed both verse and fu (prose poems). His vast literary contributions are preserved in the Complete Collection of Poems and Prose by Emperor Qianlong, an expansive body of work spanning 484 volumes. These writings include numerous poems dedicated to various art forms, such as porcelain, jade, lacquerware, and enamel. Qianlong often instructed his ministers to transcribe these poems onto porcelain, after which artisans at the Ruyiguan would carve them onto the objects themselves. This practice not only reflected his profound admiration for these treasures but also served as a demonstration of his personal involvement in the artistic process, merging his literary and aesthetic sensibilities with the craftsmanship of the imperial workshops.
Related Kangxi langyao vases with tall cylindrical necks, include a bottle vase of compressed globular form with a gilt-metal rim, illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection. Chinese Ceramics, vol. 3, Geneva, 1972, pl. A278. Additionally, two examples are in the National Palace Museum, Taipei: one of mallet form with a similar metal-bound rim and an apocryphal Xuande mark, exhibited in the Museum’s Special Exhibition of Hsuan-te Wares, Taipei, 1980, cat. no. 85, and the other published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum. K’ang-hsi Ware and Yung-cheng Ware, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 48.