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Lot Essay
An Imperial Xuande Masterpiece of the Decorator’s Art
Rosemary Scott, Independent Scholar
It is notable that when the Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1736-95) wanted to praise contemporary imperial porcelains, he frequently compared them to those of the Ming dynasty Xuande (1426-35) and Chenghua (1464-87) reigns. He, and other connoisseurs of both the Ming and Qing dynasties, regarded the blue and white porcelains of the Xuande reign as the zenith of technical and artistic achievement, while for polychrome porcelains this position was held by the wares of the Chenghua reign. The current stem bowl belongs to a small group of vessels which, even within this exalted Xuande blue and white category, stand out for the beautiful balance of their profiles and the extraordinary skill with which they have been painted.
It seems likely that stem bowls such as the current vessel were made for use on sacrificial altars, and as such would have been especially treasured. Given their fine quality and decorative theme, it seems clear that they were made for the personal use of the emperor. The five-clawed dragon was the symbol of the emperor, who was regarded as the Son of Heaven. The emperor was personally responsible for the sacrifices made to ensure a good harvest. The dragons on the stem cup are depicted rising from hibernation amongst the waves at the Spring equinox in order to bring rain to water the land and ensure bumper crops, providing plentiful food for the people.
The Xuande porcelains in the group to which the current vessel belongs – predominantly stem bowls and small shallow dishes – are decorated with imperial five-clawed dragons painted in particularly rich blue tones, depicted amongst turbulent waves painted in a delicate icy blue. The preparation of the cobalt blue pigment, and the ways in which it is applied, allow particularly effective contrast to be achieved between the dragons and their background. Not only does the pale blue, used for the waves, contain significantly less cobalt than the blue used for the dragons, but the pale cobalt gives the impression of being even more finely-ground and homogeneous, as well as being very evenly applied. The blue used to depict the dragons is vibrant, deliberately variable in depth, and adds to the feeling of power and movement with which the dragons are imbued. The quality of the painting is particularly fine on the current Xuande stem bowl, and the small number of vessels related to it. The dragons are painted in carefully manipulated dark blue tones with meticulous detailing of their scales, their heads, and their feet and claws. Their poses have a rampant power and sense of movement that is unmatched on any other porcelains. Equally impressive is the painting of the turbulent waves. These are depicted so that the breaking waves are often reserved to show the white porcelain, while the movement of the water is depicted in fine undulating lines of pale blue. The contrast between the rich, jewel-like tones of the dragon and the pale blue of the water adds to the drama of the composition. Interestingly the current stem bowl has anhua decoration of striding dragons on the interior sides of the bowl, surrounding the underglaze blue six-character Xuande mark. It may reasonably be claimed that the dragons on these vessels appear the most dynamic of all those depicted on imperial porcelain.
The stem bowls of the size and shape of the current vessel, with such well-painted dragons amongst pale waves, appear either with a narrow band of outlined waves around the lower edge of the foot, or without such a wave band – as in the case of the current stem bowl. A stem bowl with this design, without the lower wave band, is in the Capital Museum, Beijing (illustrated by Liu Liang-yu, Ming Official Wares, Taipei, 1991, p. 99, lower image) (fig. 1), another, also without the lower wave band, is illustrated by A. Joseph in Ming Porcelains, their Origins and Development, London, 1971, p. 120, no. 1, later sold by Sotheby’s in 1981 and 1986. A third was sold by Christie’s London on 1st April, 1968, lot 121, and a fourth was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 27th April, 1997, lot 71 (fig. 2). The latter stem bowl entered the Meiyintang Collection and was sold again by Sotheby’s in April 2012, lot 29. A stem bowl of this design and size, but with the lower wave band, is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, pp. 270-271, no. 108). Another stem bowl from this group, also with the lower wave band, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (I), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, 34, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 172, no. 163) (fig. 3). A further example with the lower wave band, from the Grandidier collection, is in the Musée Guimet in Paris (illustrated in The World’s Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics, vol. 7, Musée Guimet, Paris, Tokyo, 1981, colour plate 18). A further example with lower wave and was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 30 November, 2016, lot 3310 (fig. 4).
Variants of the design can be seen on Xuande stem bowls with either nine dragons arranged in two rows – one above the other - or five dragons – one painted on the high foot – depicted on the exterior of the stem bowl. Examples of these variants can be found in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Illustrated Catalogue of Ming Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, vol. I, Tokyo, 1977, pls. 78 and 79, respectively), and one of the five-dragon type is in the collection of the British Museum, illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Ceramics of the Ming in the British Museum, London, 2000, p. 129, no. 4:14). However, it appears to have been the stem bowls with two dragons on the exterior – one rearing up as he lunges forward and the other turning to arch his head over his back - as they appear on the current stem bowl - which found particular favour with the Xuande Emperor.
A similar style of painting to that on the current stem bowl and a small number of related stem bowls, can also be seen on some small dishes. One of these is in the collection of Sir Percival David (illustrated by R. Scott, Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration – Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, p. 44, no. 32). The dragons shown in the interior centre of such related dishes are also depicted rearing up with legs and claws outstretched, while those on the exterior of the dishes follow the posture of those on the exterior of the stem bowls, but achieve less height. Dishes with this design of similar size and decoration are in the collections of the British Museum (illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, op. cit., p. 135, no. 4:29) and the Metropolitan Museum, New York (illustrated by S. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, Revised and enlarged edition, New York, 1989, p. 154, no. 149). The Shanghai Museum has a dish of similar size and decoration, but with a straight, as opposed to an everted, mouth rim (illustrated by Wang Qingzheng, Underglaze Blue and Red – Elegant Decoration on Porcelain of Yuan, Ming and Qing, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 72), while a slightly smaller straight-rimmed dish of this design is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, op. cit., p. 428-429, no. 187). A smaller dish of this design with everted rim, formerly in the collection of E. T. Chow, is on loan to the British Museum from the Ma Foundation.
Rosemary Scott, Independent Scholar
It is notable that when the Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1736-95) wanted to praise contemporary imperial porcelains, he frequently compared them to those of the Ming dynasty Xuande (1426-35) and Chenghua (1464-87) reigns. He, and other connoisseurs of both the Ming and Qing dynasties, regarded the blue and white porcelains of the Xuande reign as the zenith of technical and artistic achievement, while for polychrome porcelains this position was held by the wares of the Chenghua reign. The current stem bowl belongs to a small group of vessels which, even within this exalted Xuande blue and white category, stand out for the beautiful balance of their profiles and the extraordinary skill with which they have been painted.
It seems likely that stem bowls such as the current vessel were made for use on sacrificial altars, and as such would have been especially treasured. Given their fine quality and decorative theme, it seems clear that they were made for the personal use of the emperor. The five-clawed dragon was the symbol of the emperor, who was regarded as the Son of Heaven. The emperor was personally responsible for the sacrifices made to ensure a good harvest. The dragons on the stem cup are depicted rising from hibernation amongst the waves at the Spring equinox in order to bring rain to water the land and ensure bumper crops, providing plentiful food for the people.
The Xuande porcelains in the group to which the current vessel belongs – predominantly stem bowls and small shallow dishes – are decorated with imperial five-clawed dragons painted in particularly rich blue tones, depicted amongst turbulent waves painted in a delicate icy blue. The preparation of the cobalt blue pigment, and the ways in which it is applied, allow particularly effective contrast to be achieved between the dragons and their background. Not only does the pale blue, used for the waves, contain significantly less cobalt than the blue used for the dragons, but the pale cobalt gives the impression of being even more finely-ground and homogeneous, as well as being very evenly applied. The blue used to depict the dragons is vibrant, deliberately variable in depth, and adds to the feeling of power and movement with which the dragons are imbued. The quality of the painting is particularly fine on the current Xuande stem bowl, and the small number of vessels related to it. The dragons are painted in carefully manipulated dark blue tones with meticulous detailing of their scales, their heads, and their feet and claws. Their poses have a rampant power and sense of movement that is unmatched on any other porcelains. Equally impressive is the painting of the turbulent waves. These are depicted so that the breaking waves are often reserved to show the white porcelain, while the movement of the water is depicted in fine undulating lines of pale blue. The contrast between the rich, jewel-like tones of the dragon and the pale blue of the water adds to the drama of the composition. Interestingly the current stem bowl has anhua decoration of striding dragons on the interior sides of the bowl, surrounding the underglaze blue six-character Xuande mark. It may reasonably be claimed that the dragons on these vessels appear the most dynamic of all those depicted on imperial porcelain.
The stem bowls of the size and shape of the current vessel, with such well-painted dragons amongst pale waves, appear either with a narrow band of outlined waves around the lower edge of the foot, or without such a wave band – as in the case of the current stem bowl. A stem bowl with this design, without the lower wave band, is in the Capital Museum, Beijing (illustrated by Liu Liang-yu, Ming Official Wares, Taipei, 1991, p. 99, lower image) (fig. 1), another, also without the lower wave band, is illustrated by A. Joseph in Ming Porcelains, their Origins and Development, London, 1971, p. 120, no. 1, later sold by Sotheby’s in 1981 and 1986. A third was sold by Christie’s London on 1st April, 1968, lot 121, and a fourth was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 27th April, 1997, lot 71 (fig. 2). The latter stem bowl entered the Meiyintang Collection and was sold again by Sotheby’s in April 2012, lot 29. A stem bowl of this design and size, but with the lower wave band, is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, pp. 270-271, no. 108). Another stem bowl from this group, also with the lower wave band, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (I), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, 34, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 172, no. 163) (fig. 3). A further example with the lower wave band, from the Grandidier collection, is in the Musée Guimet in Paris (illustrated in The World’s Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics, vol. 7, Musée Guimet, Paris, Tokyo, 1981, colour plate 18). A further example with lower wave and was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 30 November, 2016, lot 3310 (fig. 4).
Variants of the design can be seen on Xuande stem bowls with either nine dragons arranged in two rows – one above the other - or five dragons – one painted on the high foot – depicted on the exterior of the stem bowl. Examples of these variants can be found in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Illustrated Catalogue of Ming Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, vol. I, Tokyo, 1977, pls. 78 and 79, respectively), and one of the five-dragon type is in the collection of the British Museum, illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Ceramics of the Ming in the British Museum, London, 2000, p. 129, no. 4:14). However, it appears to have been the stem bowls with two dragons on the exterior – one rearing up as he lunges forward and the other turning to arch his head over his back - as they appear on the current stem bowl - which found particular favour with the Xuande Emperor.
A similar style of painting to that on the current stem bowl and a small number of related stem bowls, can also be seen on some small dishes. One of these is in the collection of Sir Percival David (illustrated by R. Scott, Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration – Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, p. 44, no. 32). The dragons shown in the interior centre of such related dishes are also depicted rearing up with legs and claws outstretched, while those on the exterior of the dishes follow the posture of those on the exterior of the stem bowls, but achieve less height. Dishes with this design of similar size and decoration are in the collections of the British Museum (illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, op. cit., p. 135, no. 4:29) and the Metropolitan Museum, New York (illustrated by S. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, Revised and enlarged edition, New York, 1989, p. 154, no. 149). The Shanghai Museum has a dish of similar size and decoration, but with a straight, as opposed to an everted, mouth rim (illustrated by Wang Qingzheng, Underglaze Blue and Red – Elegant Decoration on Porcelain of Yuan, Ming and Qing, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 72), while a slightly smaller straight-rimmed dish of this design is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, op. cit., p. 428-429, no. 187). A smaller dish of this design with everted rim, formerly in the collection of E. T. Chow, is on loan to the British Museum from the Ma Foundation.