AUSPICIOUS 'SEA CREATURES' - A RARE CHENGHUA BLUE AND WHITE DISH
ROSEMARY SCOTT, INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC DIRECTOR, ASIAN ART
This rare dish is decorated with an unusual design which appears on blue and white imperial porcelains of the Xuande (1426-35) and Chenghua (1465-1487) periods, and which enjoyed a revival in the late Ming period. The motifs which make up this design are collectively known as the hai shou, 'sea creatures'. There are a range of different creatures that appear as part of this group, including winged elephant, qilin, fox, turtle, goat, winged horse, winged dragon, lion, sea mollusc, deer, antelope, dog, flying fish, flying shrimp, and other completely unidentifiable creatures.
The late Chen Ching-kuang of the National Palace Museum, Taipei undertook research into the use of this motif on Chinese imperial porcelains, and a paper by her on the subject was published in 1993 (Chen Ching-kuang, 'Sea Creatures on Ming porcelains', in The Porcelains of Jingdezhen, Rosemary Scott (ed.), Colloquies on Art & Archaeology in Asia No. 16, Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1993, pp. 101-122). She noted that a number of the animals can be identified with creatures mention in the ancient text, Shan hai jing, which was compiled by Liu Xiang and his son Liu Qin in the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), and revised by Guo Pu in the Eastern Jin period (AD 317-420), but includes material from earlier times. (In 1983 a symposium was convened in Chengdu, Sichuan province to discuss new research into the Shang hai jing, and the proceedings were published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Further Studies on the Shan Hai Jing, Sichuan, 1986.) The ying winged dragon, the xuan nine-tailed turtle, the tianlu heavenly deer, and others are mentioned in the Shan hai jing and can be identified with animals on the porcelains. These and the other sea creatures are all regarded as auspicious. Significantly, Chen noted that the Shan hai jing saw a revival of interest during the Chenghua period and this may have encouraged the use of the sea creature motif, which was already becoming popular in the previous Xuande reign. In discussion of the porcelains in the collection of the National Palace Museum which bear this motif, Chen noted that in the Xuande reign the motif was found on stem cups that also bore Sanskrit inscriptions linked to Tibetan Buddhism. It may be of interest to note that the elephant, the winged goat and the lion also appear on the doorways of the Porcelain Pagoda at the Bao'en Temple, built by the Yongle emperor in honour of his mother near Nanjing, as well as in other Buddhist contexts.
An underglaze-blue decorated bowl with similar sea creature decoration to that on the current dish, having nine sea creatures on the exterior and a single creature within a roundel on the interior, was excavated from the early Chenghua stratum at the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen in 1987, illustrated (Tsui Museum of Art, A Legacy of Chenghua - Imperial Porcelain of the Chenghua Reign Excavated from Zhushan, Jingdezhen, Hong Kong, 1993, pp. 108-9, no. A10). A similar bowl in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei was exhibited in 2003 (see Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch'eng-hua Porcelain Ware, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2003, p. 43, no. 17), where it could be seen that the interior roundel contained a winged elephant very similar to that on the current dish. Vessels with underglaze-blue and overglaze enamel decoration in doucai style with sea creatures as part of their design were also found in the Chenghua excavations at the imperial kiln site, although to date none of these appear to have a full set of nine different creatures. These doucai vessels include jars and dishes (see A Legacy of Chenghua - Imperial Porcelain of the Chenghua Reign Excavated from Zhushan, Jingdezhen, op. cit., pp. 306-7, no. C109, and pp. 316-7, no. C114). A similar jar, with the character tian on the base, from the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, was exhibited in 2003 (see Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch'eng-hua Porcelain Ware, op. cit., p. 129, no. 115).
Winged elephants amongst waves appear in the central roundel of blue and white dishes decorated with the sea creatures as early as the Xuande reign, as demonstrated by the large dish excavated in 1982 from the Xuande strata at the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen (see Imperial Porcelain - Recent Discoveries of Jingdezhen Ware, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1995, p. 49, no. 62). A Chenghua blue and white dish from the Qing Court collection, which is slightly smaller than the current example, but which shares the same design, including a similar winged elephant in the internal roundel with undecorated interior walls, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Commercial Press, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 11, no. 9, see fig. 1). In this publication the nine sea creatures are named as: dragon, horse, lion, turtle, elephant, deer, goat, conch and qilin. The same museum collection has another, larger blue and white Chenghua dish and a bowl with the sea creatures design, on which the animal in the central interior roundel is a winged dragon, and the interior walls are decorated with another five creatures amongst waves (illustrated ibid., p. 12, no. 10, and p. 23, no. 21, respectively).
A dish with the same decoration as the current vessel is illustrated on an imperial Scroll of Antiques dated to the 6th year of Yongzheng (AD 1728) in the collection of the Percival David Foundation. This part of the scroll is illustrated in Christie's catalogue of The Jingguangtang Collection, Hong Kong, November 3, 1996, between lots 581 and 582. The current dish was included in the Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain 14th to 19th Centuries, held by the Oriental Ceramic Society, London from December 16th, 1953 to January 23rd, 1954. The dish, which was owned by the British scholar Soame Jenyns at the time, was exhibit 117. The catalogue for this exhibition appears in the back of some volumes of Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, 1951-53, vol. 27, final appendix.
A VERY RARE MING BLUE AND WHITE 'SEA CREATURES' DISH
細節
海靈瑞獸
蘇玫瑰 - 國際亞洲藝術部學術總監
這盤上獨特的異獸紋飾應始創於明宣德至成化朝，飾於御製的青花瓷器上，一直沿用到明朝末期。異獸紋由一組不同的海中靈怪及瑞獸組成，包括飛象、 麒麟、狐狸、烏龜、山羊、飛馬、飛龍、獅子、鹿、羚羊、狗、飛魚、飛蝦等。
已故臺北國立故宮博物院研究員陳擎光於1993年在蘇玫瑰著，英國大維德基金會《景德鎮磁器》發表了一篇研究中國御製瓷器的文章， 主題為明朝瓷器上的海洋異獸紋飾。文中她提到這些異獸在西漢劉向、劉歆父子校刊而成，晉朝郭璞《山海經》作注的古本《山海經》中有記載 (1983年中國《山海經》學術討論會在四川成都舉行，1986年四川省社會科學院出版社出版了論文集《山海經新探》)，如應龍、旋龜、天龜
天騄等，這些都是象徵吉祥瑞獸。在陳擎光的文章中，最重要的注明了在明宣德朝已被沿用的海水異獸紋飾至成化朝再次流行。談及臺北國立故宮博物院藏飾有海水異獸紋飾的瓷器中，發現宣德青花高足盃上同樣也飾有與藏傳佛教有關的梵文字樣。甚有趣味的是永樂帝在南京為其生母修建的大報恩寺塔的近口處也飾有象、飛羊及獅子等瑞獸。
香港徐氏藝術館於1993年出版《成窰遺珍》108-109頁，圖版A10著錄了一件在景德鎮成化窰出土的青花盌，其紋飾與此盤甚為接近，盌裏心雙圈內繪飛象，外壁繪九種海中靈怪。臺北國立故宮博物院也藏一件相同紋飾的盌，見2003年出版的《成化瓷器特展目錄》43頁。在景德鎮成化窰出土的鬥彩瓷器上也繪九種海中靈怪，見香港徐氏藝術館於1993年出版《成窰遺珍》306-307頁，和316-317頁。臺北國立故宮博物院2003年出版的《成化瓷器特展目錄》129頁著錄了一件鬥彩天字罐，同樣繪相同的海獸紋。
青花盤裏心繪飛象踏浪紋飾最早見於宣德朝，在1982年景德鎮宣德窰出土了一件較大例子。北京故宮博物院藏一件比此盤稍小的但紋飾相同的盤，見2000年香港出版之故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集《青花釉裏紅‧中》圖版9。在此書中，形容九種海獸為龍、馬、獅、龜、象、鹿、羊, 螺、麒麟。在北京故宮博物院藏品中另藏成化青花大盤和盌同樣飾海水異獸紋，惟器裏心繪飛象紋、外壁繪五靈獸，見同書圖版10、21。
雍正六年 (1728) 宮廷畫師繪製的《古玩圖》(英國大維德基金會藏)中描繪了一件無論紋飾和器型及都和此盤極為相似的青花盤，見香港佳士得1993年11月三日靜觀堂專拍目錄。此器在1953年12月16日至1954年1月23日之間於英國東方陶磁學會舉辦之《十四至十九世紀中國青花瓷器展》中展出。此器為英國學者Soame Jenyns 之舊藏，在他收藏期間也在曾在英國東方陶磁學會展出，展品117號，展覽祥情應刊登在1951-53年第27期《Transaction of the Oriental Ceramic Society》的最後幾頁。
明成化 青花海水異獸紋盤
蘇玫瑰 - 國際亞洲藝術部學術總監
這盤上獨特的異獸紋飾應始創於明宣德至成化朝，飾於御製的青花瓷器上，一直沿用到明朝末期。異獸紋由一組不同的海中靈怪及瑞獸組成，包括飛象、 麒麟、狐狸、烏龜、山羊、飛馬、飛龍、獅子、鹿、羚羊、狗、飛魚、飛蝦等。
已故臺北國立故宮博物院研究員陳擎光於1993年在蘇玫瑰著，英國大維德基金會《景德鎮磁器》發表了一篇研究中國御製瓷器的文章， 主題為明朝瓷器上的海洋異獸紋飾。文中她提到這些異獸在西漢劉向、劉歆父子校刊而成，晉朝郭璞《山海經》作注的古本《山海經》中有記載 (1983年中國《山海經》學術討論會在四川成都舉行，1986年四川省社會科學院出版社出版了論文集《山海經新探》)，如應龍、旋龜、天龜
天騄等，這些都是象徵吉祥瑞獸。在陳擎光的文章中，最重要的注明了在明宣德朝已被沿用的海水異獸紋飾至成化朝再次流行。談及臺北國立故宮博物院藏飾有海水異獸紋飾的瓷器中，發現宣德青花高足盃上同樣也飾有與藏傳佛教有關的梵文字樣。甚有趣味的是永樂帝在南京為其生母修建的大報恩寺塔的近口處也飾有象、飛羊及獅子等瑞獸。
香港徐氏藝術館於1993年出版《成窰遺珍》108-109頁，圖版A10著錄了一件在景德鎮成化窰出土的青花盌，其紋飾與此盤甚為接近，盌裏心雙圈內繪飛象，外壁繪九種海中靈怪。臺北國立故宮博物院也藏一件相同紋飾的盌，見2003年出版的《成化瓷器特展目錄》43頁。在景德鎮成化窰出土的鬥彩瓷器上也繪九種海中靈怪，見香港徐氏藝術館於1993年出版《成窰遺珍》306-307頁，和316-317頁。臺北國立故宮博物院2003年出版的《成化瓷器特展目錄》129頁著錄了一件鬥彩天字罐，同樣繪相同的海獸紋。
青花盤裏心繪飛象踏浪紋飾最早見於宣德朝，在1982年景德鎮宣德窰出土了一件較大例子。北京故宮博物院藏一件比此盤稍小的但紋飾相同的盤，見2000年香港出版之故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集《青花釉裏紅‧中》圖版9。在此書中，形容九種海獸為龍、馬、獅、龜、象、鹿、羊, 螺、麒麟。在北京故宮博物院藏品中另藏成化青花大盤和盌同樣飾海水異獸紋，惟器裏心繪飛象紋、外壁繪五靈獸，見同書圖版10、21。
雍正六年 (1728) 宮廷畫師繪製的《古玩圖》(英國大維德基金會藏)中描繪了一件無論紋飾和器型及都和此盤極為相似的青花盤，見香港佳士得1993年11月三日靜觀堂專拍目錄。此器在1953年12月16日至1954年1月23日之間於英國東方陶磁學會舉辦之《十四至十九世紀中國青花瓷器展》中展出。此器為英國學者Soame Jenyns 之舊藏，在他收藏期間也在曾在英國東方陶磁學會展出，展品117號，展覽祥情應刊登在1951-53年第27期《Transaction of the Oriental Ceramic Society》的最後幾頁。
明成化 青花海水異獸紋盤
來源
Major Lindsay F. Hay, sold at Sotheby's London, 25 June 1946, lot 57
Soame Jenyns
Mrs Walter Sedgwick, sold at Sotheby's London, 2 July 1968, lot 130
Messrs Bluett & Sons, 12 September 1968
Anthony du Boulay Collection, no. P157, sold at Bonham's London, 10 November 2003, lot 104
Soame Jenyns
Mrs Walter Sedgwick, sold at Sotheby's London, 2 July 1968, lot 130
Messrs Bluett & Sons, 12 September 1968
Anthony du Boulay Collection, no. P157, sold at Bonham's London, 10 November 2003, lot 104
出版
S. Jenyns, Ming Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1953, pl. 67
展覽
Oriental Ceramic Society, Chinese Blue and White Porcelain, London, 1953, Catalogue no. 117
Quantas Airlines, A Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramic Art, 1966, Catalogue no. 67
The London Asian Art Fair, Porcelain for Emperors, June 2003, Catalogue no. 10
Quantas Airlines, A Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramic Art, 1966, Catalogue no. 67
The London Asian Art Fair, Porcelain for Emperors, June 2003, Catalogue no. 10