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PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION, ACQUIRED IN ASIA 1920-1943A RARE LARGE MING-STYLE BLUE AND WHITE MOONFLASK, BIANHURosemary Scott Senior International Academic Consultant, Asian Art This magnificent flask is exceptionally large, and takes both its form and its decoration from vessels made in the early 15th century. The Yongzheng Emperor was, like his father, a keen antiquarian and a significant number of the art items made for his court were made in antique style. The blue and white porcelains of the early 15th century were particularly admired, and so their style was often adopted for imperial Yongzheng wares. Indeed, the famous director of the imperial kilns, Tang Ying (唐英1682-1756), who first came to Jingdezhen as resident assistant in 1728 and stayed until well into the Qianlong reign, was especially celebrated for his success in imitating earlier wares. The 1795 Jingdezhen tao lu 景德鎮陶錄by 藍浦Lan Pu noted that: ‘his close copies of famous wares of the past were without exception worthy partners [of the originals]’. For most connoisseurs of Chinese ceramics, the so-called moon-flasks are classic Chinese porcelain forms. However, the form has a surprisingly long history in international art, although it is possible that the Chinese early Ming dynasty form was inspired either by metalwork or glass of the Islamic era, as argued by B. Gray in ‘The Influence of Near Eastern Metalwork on Chinese Ceramics’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 18, 1940-41, p. 57 and pl. 7F). However, one of the earliest flattened circular flasks with handles joining the mouth of the vessel to the shoulder on either side of the neck is the unglazed pottery flask decorated with an octopus painted in dark brown, which was found among the late Minoan artefacts at Palaikastro on the island of Crete. The Minoan flask dates to about 1500 BC, and thus was contemporary with the Shang dynasty in China (illustrated by Spyridon Marinatos and Max Hirmer, Crete and Mycenae, New York, 1960, pl. 87). One version of the Chinese ceramic moon-flask shape, which has no upper bulb, but simply a circular body with rounded edges looks as though should have its origins in two bowls being stuck together rim to rim, although in fact the early Chinese form is luted horizontally, not vertically. The Minoan flask, however, appears to have been made in precisely the former method. Examples of slightly later vessels are the flattened circular flasks from Nineveh - in this case with their handles on the shoulders - dating to the Parthian period (150 BC-AD 250), which is roughly contemporary with the Han dynasty in China (a number are preserved in the collection of the British Museum). A number of glazed pottery flasks of flattened circular form with handles on either side of the neck are found among Sassanian ceramics (AD 224-642). A small Sassanian flask with turquoise glaze, from Šuš, in the Iran Bastan Museum, is close to the Parthian example, and reasonably close to one of the early fifteen century Chinese porcelain moon-flask shapes - the strap handles joining the lower part neck, if not the mouth (The World’s Great Collections - Oriental Ceramics, Vol. 4, Iran Bastan Museum Tehran, Tokyo, 1981, colour plate 12). A green glazed earthenware pilgrim flask, also from Šuš, dates to the Sassanian period (AD 224-642), and is also in the collection of the Iran Bastan Museum, Teheran (illustrated ibid., black and white plate 101). This flask has flat encircling sides forming a relatively sharp junction with the front and back circular panels, which are noticeably domed, similar to later metalwork examples, and also similar to the lower section of 15th and 18th century flasks, such as the current vessel. Interestingly a similarly shaped flask - circular with sharp angles to flat sides - was made in China during the Liao dynasty (916-1125), and a green-glazed example - without handles, but with six loops spaced around the flat sides for suspending the vessel from a saddle - was excavated from a tomb in Inner Mongolia in 1965 (See Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan - Taoci juan 中國文物精華大全陶瓷卷, Taipei, 1994, p. 164, no. 560). Unlike most early circular flasks this vessel stands on a rectangular foot similar to that on the later porcelain flasks, including the current Yongzheng moon-flask. A number of similarities can be seen between the Liao 10th-11th century vessel and both the flattened moon-flasks with upper bulb made in China in the Yongle and Xuande reigns, which inspired the current vessel - such as the example from the Riesco Collection sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 27 November 2013, lot 3111 - and the large, flat-backed Chinese porcelain flasks without a bulb upper section, which were made in the early 15th century, with loop handles on the sides of the vessel, one of which was sold by Christie’s London on 6 November 2007, lot 156. A distinct foot can also be seen on a green glass flask in the Tareq Rajab Museum in Kuwait (illustrated on https://www.trmkt.com/glassdetails.htm). This is a Syrian flask from the late 7th or early 8th century - contemporary with the Tang dynasty in China, and was made of mould blown and cut glass. A vessel of identical form was found in an excavation at Tarsus in south-eastern Anatolia in the 1930s, in a context with Umayyad and early Abbasid pottery. The handles attach only to the lower part of the neck of this vessel. Although these glass forms could have made their way to China, as Near Eastern glass was much appreciated in the Tang dynasty, metalwork seems a more likely inspiration for the specific form of the precursors of the current flask. There is a somewhat larger Syrian brass canteen, dating to the mid-13th century, in the collection of the Freer Gallery, Washington (illustrated on https://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/islamic/artofobject1b.htm), which is of very similar form to the lower section of the two-section flasks, and has close similarities with the single section, flat-backed flask sold by Christie’s in November 2007, mentioned above. Interestingly the brass canteen is decorated with Christian imagery as well as calligraphy, geometric designs and animal scrolls. This Syrian mid-13th century brass canteen in the Freer Gallery appears to be the only published example of such a metal vessel, but it shares a number of features with the form of the Chinese porcelain two-section flasks, having both a bulb-shaped mouth and similarly S-form handles. When the flattened flasks with upper and lower section in double-gourd form appear in porcelain at the Chinese Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen in the early 15th century, they appear with varied proportions, and in both plain white and blue and white. A plain white example of the larger type from the Yongle reign (1403-24), which was excavated from the early Yongle stratum at the Imperial kilns, is illustrated in Imperial Porcelain of the Yongle and Xuande Periods Excavated from the Site of the Ming Imperial Factory at Jingdezhen, Hong Kong, 1989, pp. 92-3, no. 5. A blue and white Yongle flask of the smaller size is in the collection of the British Museum (illustrated by J. Harrison Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. 110, no. 3:21). Large and smaller flasks decorated and undecorated were made in the Yongle and Xuande periods, and the Yongle vessels usually stand on an oval foot, while the Xuande examples usually have a rectangular foot. The Yongle vessels do not have reign marks, while some of the Xuande flasks have the reign mark written in underglaze blue in a horizontal line below the mouth. It has been suggested by some authors that these flasks, particularly the blue and white examples with decoration clearly inspired by Islamic arabesques, were made solely for export to the Islamic West. However, one crucial piece of evidence suggests that this is not the case. A shard from one of these flasks, bearing the same decoration as the vessel sold by Christie’s Hong Kong in 2013 was excavated from the Yongle/Xuande stratum at the site of the early Ming dynasty Imperial Palace in Nanjing (See A Legacy of the Ming, Hong Kong, 1996, p. 48, no. 52). Clearly these elegant flasks were also appreciated by the Chinese court in the first half of the 15th century. This imperial appreciation is also demonstrated in the 18th century by the vessels, such as the current Yongzheng flask, which were so closely inspired by the early 15th century examples. A much smaller Yongzheng flask of similar shape with decoration, which precisely imitates Xuande 15th century flasks, is in the collection of the Shanghai Museum (see 陸明華Lu Minghua ed., Qingdai qinghua ciqi jian shang 清代青花瓷器鑒賞, Shanghai, 1996, pl. 16). A further smaller Yongzheng moon-flask, with bulb mouth and twin handles, and decorated in 15th century style, is illustrated by 錢振宗 Qian Zhenzong in Qingdai ciqi shangjian 青代瓷器賞鑑, Hong Kong, 1994, p. 84, no. 97. The mixed floral scroll seen on the current flask is also was also inspired by early 15th century imperial porcelains, but was more frequently applied to meiping vases, large bulbous flasks or open wares. However, the 18th century decorator clearly saw the potential for its application to enhance the current flask. Significantly, a Yongzheng blue and white moon-flask with short straight neck and twin handles, without a raised foot, in the collection of the Palace Museum Beijing, is decorated with a similar mixed floral scroll to that on the current flask (see 故宮博物院藏 青代御窰瓷器 Gugong Bowuyuan cang – Qingdai yuyao ciqi, volume I-2, Beijing, 2005, pp. 104-5, no. 41). The Beijing flask also bears a reign mark of similar style to that on the current flask.
清雍正 青花纏枝花卉紋如意耳葫蘆扁壺 六字篆書款來源: 重要歐洲私人珍藏, 現藏家之祖父於1920-1943年間購自亞洲此扁壺碩大雄渾，形制規整，紋飾雅致，為十五世紀初之青花名器。雍正皇帝篤學好古，御製工藝承襲父親康��皇帝之仿古風格。十五世紀初年，青花瓷器蔚然成風，雍正官窯佳器亦不乏青花品種。清代著名督陶官唐英（1862-1756年）自公元1728年進駐景德鎮，執掌官窯事務迄至乾隆時期，成績斐然，尤以仿古功夫見稱。公元1795年，清人藍浦著《景德鎮陶錄》卷五有述唐英製瓷「又仿肖古名窯諸器，無不媲美；仿各種名泑，無不朽合。」 扁壺又稱抱月瓶，造型獨特，為中國瓷器一大經典制式，深得鑑藏家青睞。此形制來歷有緒，與異國文化甚具淵源。據說中國明初瓷器之藝術風格，乃受伊斯蘭金銀器及玻璃器所啟發，見B. Gray，「The Influence of Near Eastern Metalwork on Chinese Ceramics」， 《Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society》，卷18，1940-41年，頁57，圖版7F。然而，圓腹扁身，肩頸掛耳之扁壺器型早見於古希臘。克里特島東端小村落柏麗卡斯特廬曾出土一彩陶罐，褐釉繪章魚紋飾，屬米諾斯晚期作品，估計製於公元前1500年，正值中國商代，見Spyridon Marinatos及Max Hirmer，《Crete and Mycenae》，紐約，1960年，圖版87。 其中一種早期中國扁壺為圓身，短頸無鼓脹部分，猶如兩盌前後對黏合成。當時中國扁壺實則上下接胎，米諾斯扁壺才採前後合胎。從古亞述帝國首都尼尼微出土例子中可見另一扁壺造型，扁身圓腹，兩肩出繫，屬帕提亞王朝（公元前150至公元後250年）晚期製作，相等於中國漢代，大英博物館有藏。波斯薩珊王朝（公元224-642年）彩陶中亦見扁壺器型，圓腹平身，兩耳置頸。 德克蘭伊朗國立博物館藏一例，外型小巧，施松綠釉，伊朗蘇薩市出土，與帕提亞扁壺類近，亦與中國十五世紀初一類扁壺形制相彷，肩頸置皮索式雙耳，見《The World’s Great Collections - Oriental Ceramics》，卷4，伊朗國立博物館，東京，1981年，彩色圖版12。館藏另一薩珊王朝（公元224-642年）綠釉陶扁壺，同出土自蘇蕯市，著錄同上，黑白圖版101。二壺兩側弧面皆與前後拱圓面以折邊相連，與後期之金銀器造型異曲同工，跟中國十五至十八世紀扁壺之下身有相似之處，從本品中可見一斑。 無獨有偶，中國遼代曾出現與上述造型相似的扁壺。1965年內蒙古墓葬出土一綠釉壺，兩側共置六繫，以懸掛於馬鞍，見《中國文物精華大全陶瓷卷》，臺北，1994年，頁164，編號560。該壺帶長方足，本器亦然，異於普遍例子。遼代十至十一世紀扁壺與明代永宣時期扁壺大有相似之處，且與本器息息相關。佳士得過往拍出兩例可供參考：英國里埃斯科珍藏專場之宣德青花葫蘆式扁瓶，香港，2013年11月27日，拍品編號3111；永樂青花背壺，倫敦，2007年11月6日，拍品編號156。 科威特塔里克拉賈博物館藏一敘利亞綠玻璃扁壺，製於七世紀末至八世紀初，可對照為中國唐代，以吹模及切割方法製造，見 https://www.trmkt.com/glassdetails.htm。1930年代土耳其安拿朵利亞東南面塔爾蘇斯出土一同類扁壺，同址亦見奧米亞王朝及阿巴斯王朝早期陶器。該壺雙耳置頸而不及肩。儘管當時西域之玻璃藝術在唐代大放異彩，當地之金銀器可能更接近本器原型。華盛頓佛利爾美術館藏一敍利亞銅壺，體形略大，製於十三世紀中葉，與葫蘆式扁壺下腹造型近似，亦與上述背壺有同類元素，見https://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/islamic/artofobject1b.htm 及倫敦佳士得2007年11月拍賣，細節同上。該銅壺以基督教人物、書法與幾何及鳥獸圖案為紋飾，為同類銅器經著錄的傳世孤例，其造型與中國葫蘆式扁壺大可相互對照，包括蒜頭口及綬帶耳等特徵。 十五世紀初出自景德鎮官窯之葫蘆式扁壺風格紛陳，上下腹比例不一，純以青花裝飾。景德鎮御窯遺址曾出土永樂初年製白釉例子，器型略大，見何金泉及司徒元傑，《景德鎮珠山出土永樂宣德官窯瓷器展覽》，香港，1989年，頁92-3，編號5。大英博物館則藏一較小巧之青花例子，見J. Harrison Hall，《Ming Ceramics in the British Museum》，倫敦，2001年，頁110，編號3:21。永宣兩朝扁壺風格紛呈，有碩大有纖巧，有紋飾有光素。永樂多見橢圓足，無款；宣德則多見長方足，壺口下方書青花橫款。 有學者認為，此類受伊斯蘭阿拉伯風格影響之青花扁壺，僅為供應當地市場所製，事實並非如此。南京皇城遺址曾出土一永樂/宣德青花瓷片，紋飾與上述香港佳士得2013年拍出之葫蘆式扁壺如出一轍，顯然為十五世紀上半葉之宮廷製品，見《朱明遺萃：南京明故宮出土陶瓷》，香港，1996年，頁48，編號52。迄至十八世紀，扁壺依然屬於官窯重器，諸如本品，可見十五世紀初青花扁壺對後世造瓷之深遠影響。 上海博物館藏一雍正扁壺，尺寸較小，形制及紋飾皆以宣德扁壺為藍本，見陸明華，《清代青花瓷器鑒賞》，上海，1996年，圖版16。另有一更為小巧玲瓏的雍正扁壺，蒜頭口，兩側置耳，同具永宣風格，見錢振宗，《青代瓷器賞鑑》，香港，1994年，頁84，編號97。本品之纏枝花卉紋飾亦取材自十五世紀官窯瓷器，較常用於梅瓶、天球瓶及其他盛器，本品作者能工巧匠，施之於扁壺亦渾然天成。北京故宮博物院藏一重要雍正青花扁壺，短頸直口，兩側置耳，平足，紋飾及落款皆與本品相仿，見《故宮博物院藏清代御窰瓷器》，卷I-2，北京，2005年，頁104-5，編號41。 扁壺本為盛器，惟碩大、厚重、雄渾諸如本品者，據說僅作觀賞之用。外型小巧，設計簡約之同類扁壺無疑具實用功能，尺寸和重量皆及本品者則難以使用。如此大型製器疑為粉飾皇帝寢宮，置於木座、家具，或專為擺放宮廷御製珍玩所製之多寶格上。本扁壺典雅雋秀，別具氣派，大有可能純為裝飾某重要宮殿而造，立於名貴几案，或琳瑯滿目之多寶格上。北京故宮漱芳齋依然保存多寶格，其昔日擺放過的御藝術品面貌，可參考萬依、王樹卿及陸燕貞著，蘇玫瑰及Erica Shipley譯，《清代宮廷生活》，維京，哈蒙斯沃斯，1989年，頁164，圖224。 此青花扁壺清麗悅目，超塵拔俗，藝術元素包羅萬象，背後文化博大精深，相信曾令其首任主人雍正皇帝愛不釋手。
YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1725-1735)
細節
清雍正 青花纏枝花卉紋如意耳葫蘆扁壺 六字篆書款
來源: 重要歐洲私人珍藏, 現藏家之祖父於1920-1943年間購自亞洲
此扁壺碩大雄渾，形制規整，紋飾雅致，為十五世紀初之青花名器。雍正皇帝篤學好古，御製工藝承襲父親康��皇帝之仿古風格。十五世紀初年，青花瓷器蔚然成風，雍正官窯佳器亦不乏青花品種。清代著名督陶官唐英（1862-1756年）自公元1728年進駐景德鎮，執掌官窯事務迄至乾隆時期，成績斐然，尤以仿古功夫見稱。公元1795年，清人藍浦著《景德鎮陶錄》卷五有述唐英製瓷「又仿肖古名窯諸器，無不媲美；仿各種名泑，無不朽合。」
扁壺又稱抱月瓶，造型獨特，為中國瓷器一大經典制式，深得鑑藏家青睞。此形制來歷有緒，與異國文化甚具淵源。據說中國明初瓷器之藝術風格，乃受伊斯蘭金銀器及玻璃器所啟發，見B. Gray，「The Influence of Near Eastern Metalwork on Chinese Ceramics」， 《Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society》，卷18，1940-41年，頁57，圖版7F。然而，圓腹扁身，肩頸掛耳之扁壺器型早見於古希臘。克里特島東端小村落柏麗卡斯特廬曾出土一彩陶罐，褐釉繪章魚紋飾，屬米諾斯晚期作品，估計製於公元前1500年，正值中國商代，見Spyridon Marinatos及Max Hirmer，《Crete and Mycenae》，紐約，1960年，圖版87。
其中一種早期中國扁壺為圓身，短頸無鼓脹部分，猶如兩盌前後對黏合成。當時中國扁壺實則上下接胎，米諾斯扁壺才採前後合胎。從古亞述帝國首都尼尼微出土例子中可見另一扁壺造型，扁身圓腹，兩肩出繫，屬帕提亞王朝（公元前150至公元後250年）晚期製作，相等於中國漢代，大英博物館有藏。波斯薩珊王朝（公元224-642年）彩陶中亦見扁壺器型，圓腹平身，兩耳置頸。 德克蘭伊朗國立博物館藏一例，外型小巧，施松綠釉，伊朗蘇薩市出土，與帕提亞扁壺類近，亦與中國十五世紀初一類扁壺形制相彷，肩頸置皮索式雙耳，見《The World’s Great Collections - Oriental Ceramics》，卷4，伊朗國立博物館，東京，1981年，彩色圖版12。館藏另一薩珊王朝（公元224-642年）綠釉陶扁壺，同出土自蘇蕯市，著錄同上，黑白圖版101。二壺兩側弧面皆與前後拱圓面以折邊相連，與後期之金銀器造型異曲同工，跟中國十五至十八世紀扁壺之下身有相似之處，從本品中可見一斑。
無獨有偶，中國遼代曾出現與上述造型相似的扁壺。1965年內蒙古墓葬出土一綠釉壺，兩側共置六繫，以懸掛於馬鞍，見《中國文物精華大全陶瓷卷》，臺北，1994年，頁164，編號560。該壺帶長方足，本器亦然，異於普遍例子。遼代十至十一世紀扁壺與明代永宣時期扁壺大有相似之處，且與本器息息相關。佳士得過往拍出兩例可供參考：英國里埃斯科珍藏專場之宣德青花葫蘆式扁瓶，香港，2013年11月27日，拍品編號3111；永樂青花背壺，倫敦，2007年11月6日，拍品編號156。
科威特塔里克拉賈博物館藏一敘利亞綠玻璃扁壺，製於七世紀末至八世紀初，可對照為中國唐代，以吹模及切割方法製造，見 https://www.trmkt.com/glassdetails.htm。1930年代土耳其安拿朵利亞東南面塔爾蘇斯出土一同類扁壺，同址亦見奧米亞王朝及阿巴斯王朝早期陶器。該壺雙耳置頸而不及肩。儘管當時西域之玻璃藝術在唐代大放異彩，當地之金銀器可能更接近本器原型。華盛頓佛利爾美術館藏一敍利亞銅壺，體形略大，製於十三世紀中葉，與葫蘆式扁壺下腹造型近似，亦與上述背壺有同類元素，見https://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/islamic/artofobject1b.htm 及倫敦佳士得2007年11月拍賣，細節同上。該銅壺以基督教人物、書法與幾何及鳥獸圖案為紋飾，為同類銅器經著錄的傳世孤例，其造型與中國葫蘆式扁壺大可相互對照，包括蒜頭口及綬帶耳等特徵。
十五世紀初出自景德鎮官窯之葫蘆式扁壺風格紛陳，上下腹比例不一，純以青花裝飾。景德鎮御窯遺址曾出土永樂初年製白釉例子，器型略大，見何金泉及司徒元傑，《景德鎮珠山出土永樂宣德官窯瓷器展覽》，香港，1989年，頁92-3，編號5。大英博物館則藏一較小巧之青花例子，見J. Harrison Hall，《Ming Ceramics in the British Museum》，倫敦，2001年，頁110，編號3:21。永宣兩朝扁壺風格紛呈，有碩大有纖巧，有紋飾有光素。永樂多見橢圓足，無款；宣德則多見長方足，壺口下方書青花橫款。
有學者認為，此類受伊斯蘭阿拉伯風格影響之青花扁壺，僅為供應當地市場所製，事實並非如此。南京皇城遺址曾出土一永樂/宣德青花瓷片，紋飾與上述香港佳士得2013年拍出之葫蘆式扁壺如出一轍，顯然為十五世紀上半葉之宮廷製品，見《朱明遺萃：南京明故宮出土陶瓷》，香港，1996年，頁48，編號52。迄至十八世紀，扁壺依然屬於官窯重器，諸如本品，可見十五世紀初青花扁壺對後世造瓷之深遠影響。
上海博物館藏一雍正扁壺，尺寸較小，形制及紋飾皆以宣德扁壺為藍本，見陸明華，《清代青花瓷器鑒賞》，上海，1996年，圖版16。另有一更為小巧玲瓏的雍正扁壺，蒜頭口，兩側置耳，同具永宣風格，見錢振宗，《青代瓷器賞鑑》，香港，1994年，頁84，編號97。本品之纏枝花卉紋飾亦取材自十五世紀官窯瓷器，較常用於梅瓶、天球瓶及其他盛器，本品作者能工巧匠，施之於扁壺亦渾然天成。北京故宮博物院藏一重要雍正青花扁壺，短頸直口，兩側置耳，平足，紋飾及落款皆與本品相仿，見《故宮博物院藏清代御窰瓷器》，卷I-2，北京，2005年，頁104-5，編號41。
扁壺本為盛器，惟碩大、厚重、雄渾諸如本品者，據說僅作觀賞之用。外型小巧，設計簡約之同類扁壺無疑具實用功能，尺寸和重量皆及本品者則難以使用。如此大型製器疑為粉飾皇帝寢宮，置於木座、家具，或專為擺放宮廷御製珍玩所製之多寶格上。本扁壺典雅雋秀，別具氣派，大有可能純為裝飾某重要宮殿而造，立於名貴几案，或琳瑯滿目之多寶格上。北京故宮漱芳齋依然保存多寶格，其昔日擺放過的御藝術品面貌，可參考萬依、王樹卿及陸燕貞著，蘇玫瑰及Erica Shipley譯，《清代宮廷生活》，維京，哈蒙斯沃斯，1989年，頁164，圖224。
此青花扁壺清麗悅目，超塵拔俗，藝術元素包羅萬象，背後文化博大精深，相信曾令其首任主人雍正皇帝愛不釋手。
20 7/8 in. (53 cm.) high
來源: 重要歐洲私人珍藏, 現藏家之祖父於1920-1943年間購自亞洲
此扁壺碩大雄渾，形制規整，紋飾雅致，為十五世紀初之青花名器。雍正皇帝篤學好古，御製工藝承襲父親康��皇帝之仿古風格。十五世紀初年，青花瓷器蔚然成風，雍正官窯佳器亦不乏青花品種。清代著名督陶官唐英（1862-1756年）自公元1728年進駐景德鎮，執掌官窯事務迄至乾隆時期，成績斐然，尤以仿古功夫見稱。公元1795年，清人藍浦著《景德鎮陶錄》卷五有述唐英製瓷「又仿肖古名窯諸器，無不媲美；仿各種名泑，無不朽合。」
扁壺又稱抱月瓶，造型獨特，為中國瓷器一大經典制式，深得鑑藏家青睞。此形制來歷有緒，與異國文化甚具淵源。據說中國明初瓷器之藝術風格，乃受伊斯蘭金銀器及玻璃器所啟發，見B. Gray，「The Influence of Near Eastern Metalwork on Chinese Ceramics」， 《Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society》，卷18，1940-41年，頁57，圖版7F。然而，圓腹扁身，肩頸掛耳之扁壺器型早見於古希臘。克里特島東端小村落柏麗卡斯特廬曾出土一彩陶罐，褐釉繪章魚紋飾，屬米諾斯晚期作品，估計製於公元前1500年，正值中國商代，見Spyridon Marinatos及Max Hirmer，《Crete and Mycenae》，紐約，1960年，圖版87。
其中一種早期中國扁壺為圓身，短頸無鼓脹部分，猶如兩盌前後對黏合成。當時中國扁壺實則上下接胎，米諾斯扁壺才採前後合胎。從古亞述帝國首都尼尼微出土例子中可見另一扁壺造型，扁身圓腹，兩肩出繫，屬帕提亞王朝（公元前150至公元後250年）晚期製作，相等於中國漢代，大英博物館有藏。波斯薩珊王朝（公元224-642年）彩陶中亦見扁壺器型，圓腹平身，兩耳置頸。 德克蘭伊朗國立博物館藏一例，外型小巧，施松綠釉，伊朗蘇薩市出土，與帕提亞扁壺類近，亦與中國十五世紀初一類扁壺形制相彷，肩頸置皮索式雙耳，見《The World’s Great Collections - Oriental Ceramics》，卷4，伊朗國立博物館，東京，1981年，彩色圖版12。館藏另一薩珊王朝（公元224-642年）綠釉陶扁壺，同出土自蘇蕯市，著錄同上，黑白圖版101。二壺兩側弧面皆與前後拱圓面以折邊相連，與後期之金銀器造型異曲同工，跟中國十五至十八世紀扁壺之下身有相似之處，從本品中可見一斑。
無獨有偶，中國遼代曾出現與上述造型相似的扁壺。1965年內蒙古墓葬出土一綠釉壺，兩側共置六繫，以懸掛於馬鞍，見《中國文物精華大全陶瓷卷》，臺北，1994年，頁164，編號560。該壺帶長方足，本器亦然，異於普遍例子。遼代十至十一世紀扁壺與明代永宣時期扁壺大有相似之處，且與本器息息相關。佳士得過往拍出兩例可供參考：英國里埃斯科珍藏專場之宣德青花葫蘆式扁瓶，香港，2013年11月27日，拍品編號3111；永樂青花背壺，倫敦，2007年11月6日，拍品編號156。
科威特塔里克拉賈博物館藏一敘利亞綠玻璃扁壺，製於七世紀末至八世紀初，可對照為中國唐代，以吹模及切割方法製造，見 https://www.trmkt.com/glassdetails.htm。1930年代土耳其安拿朵利亞東南面塔爾蘇斯出土一同類扁壺，同址亦見奧米亞王朝及阿巴斯王朝早期陶器。該壺雙耳置頸而不及肩。儘管當時西域之玻璃藝術在唐代大放異彩，當地之金銀器可能更接近本器原型。華盛頓佛利爾美術館藏一敍利亞銅壺，體形略大，製於十三世紀中葉，與葫蘆式扁壺下腹造型近似，亦與上述背壺有同類元素，見https://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/islamic/artofobject1b.htm 及倫敦佳士得2007年11月拍賣，細節同上。該銅壺以基督教人物、書法與幾何及鳥獸圖案為紋飾，為同類銅器經著錄的傳世孤例，其造型與中國葫蘆式扁壺大可相互對照，包括蒜頭口及綬帶耳等特徵。
十五世紀初出自景德鎮官窯之葫蘆式扁壺風格紛陳，上下腹比例不一，純以青花裝飾。景德鎮御窯遺址曾出土永樂初年製白釉例子，器型略大，見何金泉及司徒元傑，《景德鎮珠山出土永樂宣德官窯瓷器展覽》，香港，1989年，頁92-3，編號5。大英博物館則藏一較小巧之青花例子，見J. Harrison Hall，《Ming Ceramics in the British Museum》，倫敦，2001年，頁110，編號3:21。永宣兩朝扁壺風格紛呈，有碩大有纖巧，有紋飾有光素。永樂多見橢圓足，無款；宣德則多見長方足，壺口下方書青花橫款。
有學者認為，此類受伊斯蘭阿拉伯風格影響之青花扁壺，僅為供應當地市場所製，事實並非如此。南京皇城遺址曾出土一永樂/宣德青花瓷片，紋飾與上述香港佳士得2013年拍出之葫蘆式扁壺如出一轍，顯然為十五世紀上半葉之宮廷製品，見《朱明遺萃：南京明故宮出土陶瓷》，香港，1996年，頁48，編號52。迄至十八世紀，扁壺依然屬於官窯重器，諸如本品，可見十五世紀初青花扁壺對後世造瓷之深遠影響。
上海博物館藏一雍正扁壺，尺寸較小，形制及紋飾皆以宣德扁壺為藍本，見陸明華，《清代青花瓷器鑒賞》，上海，1996年，圖版16。另有一更為小巧玲瓏的雍正扁壺，蒜頭口，兩側置耳，同具永宣風格，見錢振宗，《青代瓷器賞鑑》，香港，1994年，頁84，編號97。本品之纏枝花卉紋飾亦取材自十五世紀官窯瓷器，較常用於梅瓶、天球瓶及其他盛器，本品作者能工巧匠，施之於扁壺亦渾然天成。北京故宮博物院藏一重要雍正青花扁壺，短頸直口，兩側置耳，平足，紋飾及落款皆與本品相仿，見《故宮博物院藏清代御窰瓷器》，卷I-2，北京，2005年，頁104-5，編號41。
扁壺本為盛器，惟碩大、厚重、雄渾諸如本品者，據說僅作觀賞之用。外型小巧，設計簡約之同類扁壺無疑具實用功能，尺寸和重量皆及本品者則難以使用。如此大型製器疑為粉飾皇帝寢宮，置於木座、家具，或專為擺放宮廷御製珍玩所製之多寶格上。本扁壺典雅雋秀，別具氣派，大有可能純為裝飾某重要宮殿而造，立於名貴几案，或琳瑯滿目之多寶格上。北京故宮漱芳齋依然保存多寶格，其昔日擺放過的御藝術品面貌，可參考萬依、王樹卿及陸燕貞著，蘇玫瑰及Erica Shipley譯，《清代宮廷生活》，維京，哈蒙斯沃斯，1989年，頁164，圖224。
此青花扁壺清麗悅目，超塵拔俗，藝術元素包羅萬象，背後文化博大精深，相信曾令其首任主人雍正皇帝愛不釋手。
20 7/8 in. (53 cm.) high
來源
Acquired in Asia by the grandfather of the current owner between 1920-1943.
榮譽呈獻
Samantha Yuen