A FINE AND EXCEEDINGLY RARE UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND COPPER-RED MEIPING

2 更多

5 更多

A MAGNIFICENT AND VERY RARE SAN DUO MEIPING ROSEMARY SCOTT INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC DIRECTOR, ASIAN ART This rare and elegant meiping is exceptionally well-potted to produce a strong and balanced outline, while its skilfully painted decoration adeptly combines underglaze cobalt-blue painting with painting in underglaze copper-red. Successful firing of underglaze copper-red requires extremely precise control of the firing process in order to achieve the best colour, and this vase is a credit to the kiln master responsible for its firing, since the red is exactly the desired rich crushed-raspberry colour. The Chinese court of the 18th century evinced particular admiration for the ceramics of two earlier periods - the Song dynasty and the early Ming dynasty. The imperial kilns were therefore at pains to produce porcelains which recaptured the style of these periods. The decoration on the current vase is closely based upon that seen on meiping of the early 15th century - both in the choice of motifs and the generous spacing of the design, which not only allows each of the motifs to be appreciated as an individual entity, but also draws attention to the pure whiteness of the body material and the clarity of the glaze. An early 15th century meiping with two well-spaced registers of sprays - in this case both registers have fruiting sprays - can be seen amongst the blue and white vessels from the Ardebil Shrine (illustrated by J.A. Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, 2nd Edition, London, 1981, pl. 51, no. 29.413). Two more Yongle meiping with two off-set registers of fruiting sprays are preserved 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, vol. 34, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 30-1, nos. 20-30) (fig. 1). These vessels all display the early 15th century fascination with precisely painted fruit and flowers on the branch. In the Yongle reign sprays of fruit on the branch became a very popular decorative theme on both open and vertical forms among the fine quality wares. A distinctive feature of the sprays painted on imperial porcelains of this period was a naturalistic break at the end of the twig - as if each spray had been torn off the branch. This naturalistic approach was a new one on early 15th century blue and white wares, and it is probable that this and the frequent depiction of both flowers and fruit on the same branch, as well as occasionally details of plant roots, were influenced by the woodblock illustrations in materia medica - pharmaceutical literature dealing with plants for their medicinal properties. Although the ends of the twigs are covered by fungus on the current 18th century vase, the same attention to naturalistic detail can be seen in the depiction of the shape and texture of the twigs, and the disposition of the fruit. A Qianlong meiping of virtually identical shape, size and decoration to the current vase, but with the design executed solely in underglaze blue, rather than blue and red, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (Illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 36, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 131, no. 117). A similar underglaze blue decorated meiping was sold at Christie's Hong Kong on 1st December 2010, lot 2970, from the Shorenstein Collection. Another Qianlong meiping, in the Beijing Palace Collection, has very similar decoration to the current vase, but is described in the catalogue as being decorated in underglaze blue and rouge-red overglaze enamel. It is, however, possible that the rouge enamel has been applied over underglaze copper-red, as was sometimes done in the Qianlong reign. This latter meiping is illustrated ibid., p. 253, no. 231 (fig. 2). A Qianlong marked meiping decorated in underglaze blue and copper-red was sold by Sotheby's Hong Kong in November 1998. This vase, however, has slightly more crowded decoration and both registers have fruiting sprays without lingzhi fungi. A Yongzheng meiping decorated in underglaze blue and copper red with sprays of san duo is illustrated by Wang Qingzheng in Underglaze Blue and Red - Elegant Decoration on Porcelain of Yuan, Ming and QingHong Kong, 1993, no. 177. It is interesting to note that on this Yongzheng vase there is only a single register of the fruiting sprays, and the lingzhi fungi below them are painted in underglaze blue, rather than the copper-red used on the current Qianlong example. It is also notable that on the Yongzheng vase lychees appear in place of the persimmons depicted on the Qianlong vessels. A Yongzheng meiping with similar underglaze blue and copper-red decoration, depicting peach, pomegranate and lychee, was also sold by Christie's London, 13 November 2001, lot 142. The fruit which provide the major decoration on the current vase are known in Chinese as san duo, or the 'Three Abundances'. The peaches symbolise an abundance of long life; the pomegranates symbolise an abundance of sons and grandsons; while the persimmons symbolise an abundance of wealth, or more precisely gold. A further auspicious wish has been added to both the fruit sprays and the sprays of flowering branches above them. Below each spray is a pair of lingzhi fungi, reinforcing the wish for long life. The 'Three Abundances' was a very popular theme in the 18th century and appears on a number of porcelain vessels decorated in various techniques. A Qianlong lantern-shaped vase decorated in overglaze enamels and gilding in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing has the 'Three Abundances' painted in rectangular panels reserved against a deep blue ground with gold scrolls (illustrated in Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 39, Hong Kong, 1999, p.151, no. 133). However the Beijing Palace Museum also has a Yongzheng flask, which, like the current vase, has the 'Three Abundances' in underglaze blue and copper-red, on which each spray is supported by a lingzhi fungus (illustrated Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), op. cit., p. 218, no. 199. It is believed that the current magnificent and very rare vase was received as a gift from Prince Pulun (1874-1926)(fig. 3), on the tenth day of the twelfth month in the forty-second year of the Japanese Meiji period (corresponding to AD 1907). Prince Pulun was the grandson of Yiwei, the eldest son of the Daoguang emperor, and was an important political figure in the first two decades of the 20th century, at a time of great change for his country. The Prince served as Minister for Agriculture, Industry and Commerce in the 'Imperial Family Cabinet' set up following the death of Empress Dowager Cixi. With Shixu, he represented the Qing at Yuan Shikai's inauguration as Provisional President in March 1912, while on 11 October 1913 at the inauguration of Yuan Shikai as the first formal President of the Republic of China it was Prince Pulun who read the address from the Emperor. He also headed the committee for drawing up a constitution, to be examined and discussed by the National Assembly, although later the Assembly itself was authorised to draft the constitution. Writing in 1911, P. Samuel Reinsch expressed considerable admiration for the prince saying that his dealings with the assembly were: '... indicative not only of quick intelligence but of high and unusual qualities of character. While this statesmanlike conduct may not have earned the Prince official favor, it certainly has gained for his judicial temperament wide admiration in China and elsewhere.' (P. Samuel Reinsch, Intellectual and Political Currents in the Far East, Boston & New York, 1911, p. 253). Significantly, Prince Pulun was the first member of the Chinese Imperial family to undertake extensive travel abroad. He was President of the Imperial Commission to the 1904 World Exposition in St. Louis, in the United States of America, where the Chinese displays included a pavilion that, apparently accurately, recreated part of Prince Pulun's own palace in Beijing. The Prince showed considerable interest in the countries he visited and stated that during his visit to America the thing that most impressed him was 'the universality of the education given both boys and girls' from a young age (reported in a letter of 7 September, 1904 from John Goodnow of the USA Consular Service in Shanghai to Senator A.J. Beveridge in Indianapolis, Indiana). The Prince's travels brought him into contact with diplomats and high-ranking officials from many different nations, and it would be quite possible for him to have presented the current vase as a gift to one of these important persons. The vase was included in three Japanese publications in the 1980s, as noted under 'Literature' in this catalogue. It is interesting to note that in the 1982 publication the vase is illustrated next to a similar vase decorated solely in underglaze blue. Both of these vases were illustrated again in 1989; in this publication, the blue and white meiping is published with its companion pair, and now offered in the present sale as lot 2942. Whatever their palette, these are rare and extremely handsome vases, but the current vessel with its combination of underglaze blue and underglaze copper-red is particularly rare and has been painted and fired with exceptional skill. THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

青花釉裏紅折枝花果紋梅瓶　　六字篆書款

清乾隆

細節

清乾隆　　青花釉裏紅折枝花果紋梅瓶　　六字篆書款

瓶小口，短頸，豐肩，斂腹，圈足。通體青花釉裏紅紋飾。頸飾寶相花，肩飾蓮瓣紋，近足處飾蕉葉紋。腹部飾折枝花、果紋各三組，以青花繪枝葉、釉裏紅點花果。底書「大清乾隆年製」篆書款。

北京故宮博物院藏一件紋飾和此器相同的梅瓶，見2000年商務印書館出版之故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集《青花釉裏紅．下》，圖版231號，但目錄中稱之為青花胭脂紅。

此器帶有原裝日本木盒，上貼標籤：「明治四十年十二月十日　清國貝勒溥倫殿下贈進官窰加紫梅瓶一件」。明治四十年即1907年，光緒三十三年。

來源

By repute, given as a gift on the tenth day of the twelfth month in the forty-second year of the Meiji period, corresponding to 1907, by Prince Pulun (1874-1927), the great-great grandson of Emperor Daoguang

出版

Min Shin no Bijutsu, Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Japan, 1980, p. 42, fig. 187
Min Shin no Bijutsu, Osaka Shiritsu Bijutsukan hen, Japan, 1982, pl. 168
Shincho Kogei no Bi, Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Japan, 1989, p. 43, no. 123

榮譽呈獻

Aster Ng

查閱狀況報告或聯絡我們查詢更多拍品資料

ang@christies.com +852 2978 9955

登入

瀏覽狀況報告

拍品專文

清乾隆青花釉裏紅「三多」紋梅瓶蘇玫瑰 — 國際亞洲藝術部學術總監此梅瓶造型典雅端麗，線條雄渾流暢，青花釉裏紅紋飾繪工精湛，是難能可貴的珍品。燒製含銅元素的釉下紅彩，難度極高，必須嚴格控制才能成功。此梅瓶釉下紅彩色澤深邃瑰麗，窰工居功至偉。十八世紀，清廷明顯對宋明兩代的瓷器特別鍾情，御廠遂費盡心思仿製宋明風格的瓷器。此梅瓶的紋飾主題和疏朗佈局，基本以十五世紀初的梅瓶為藍本，疏朗的佈局不但加強了每組圖案的獨立性，還突顯潔白的胎色和清澈的釉面。伊朗阿德比爾神殿藏所藏青花器中，有一件十五世紀初梅瓶，瓶身飾兩列疏朗的折枝瑞果紋（J.A. Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, 2nd Edition, London, 1981, pl. 51, no. 29.413）。北京故宮博物院也有兩件類似的永樂梅瓶，兩列折枝瑞果上下錯落排列（《故宮博物館藏文物珍品全集34．青花釉裏紅（上）》，香港，2000年，頁30-31，圖20-30）（圖一）。這類十五世紀初的梅瓶，瓶身的折枝花果圖案高度寫實。永樂朝的精美瓷器，不論是盌盤或瓶罐類，常以折枝花果為紋飾主題。當時御製瓷器上所繪的折枝紋樣，特色是折枝處描繪寫實，彷彿真的從樹枝上摘下來似的。這種寫實的紋飾風格，在十五世紀初的青花器屬首見。翔實的繪圖風格和花果並蒂圖案的流行，以及偶爾植物根部的細膩描寫，大概是受當時的草藥書籍如《本草綱目》等的木板刻印插圖所影響。這次拍賣的清十八世紀梅瓶，雖然折枝花果紋的下端被靈芝遮蓋著，其他部位的形態和質感，以及果實的配置，仍然細膩翔實。北京故宮博物院藏有一件乾隆梅瓶，其造型、大小、紋樣與本拍品完全相同，只是並非青花釉裏紅，而全是青花（《故宮博物館藏文物珍品全集36•青花釉裏紅（下）》，頁131，圖117）。2010年12月１日香港佳士得拍賣的舒思深藏品中，有一件相似的青花梅瓶（拍品2970號）。北京故宮另有一件乾隆梅瓶，紋飾與本拍品很相近，但目錄中說是青花胭脂彩（《故宮博物館藏文物珍品全集36．青花釉裏紅(下)》，頁253，圖231）（圖二）。然而，可能其胭脂彩是描繪於釉裏紅紋飾之上，因為乾隆朝偶爾有此造法。1998年11月，香港蘇富比拍賣出一件乾隆青花釉裏紅梅瓶，瓶身紋樣佈局較密集，兩列折枝瑞果的下端都沒有靈芝紋。汪慶正的《青花釉裏紅》（上海，1987年，圖177）收錄了一件雍正「三多」紋青花釉裏紅梅瓶，瓶身的折枝瑞果紋只有一列，折枝下端的靈芝紋以青花描繪，跟這次拍賣的乾隆梅瓶以釉裏紅描繪靈芝有所不同，乾隆梅瓶上的柿子則換成荔枝。2001年11月13日，倫敦佳士得拍賣出一件相近的雍正青花釉裏紅梅瓶，繪有桃子、石榴和荔枝紋（拍品142號）。此拍品的主題紋樣稱為「三多」，其中桃子寓意多壽，石榴寓意多子多孫，柿子則寓意多財多金。上列的折枝花和下列的折枝瑞果，折枝處均以靈芝遮蓋，增添多壽的吉祥寓意。「三多」瑞果是十八世紀非常流行的裝飾圖案，見於各種裝飾風格的瓷器。北京故宮博物院藏有一件乾隆寶石藍地金彩琺瑯燈籠尊，方形開光飾「三多」紋（《故宮博物館藏文物珍品全集39．琺瑯彩•粉彩》香港，1999年，頁151，圖 133）。故宮還有一件雍正青花釉裏紅「三多」瓶，每株花果折枝處同樣以靈芝遮蓋（《故宮博物館藏文物珍品全集36．青花釉裏紅（下）》，頁218，圖199）。這次拍賣的乾隆青花釉裏紅梅瓶不但精美，而且極為珍罕，相信是清朝貝子溥倫（1874-1926）（圖三）於日本明治四十年（1907）12月10日贈予日本人之物。溥倫是道光帝長子弈緯之嗣孫，是二十世紀一、二十年代中國經歷巨變時的重要政治人物。慈禧太后去世後，慶親王成立內閣，成員以皇族為主，其中貝子溥倫出任農工商大臣。1912年3月，溥倫代表清室出席袁世凱就職中華民國臨時大總統典禮。1913年10月11日，袁世凱就職中華民國第一任大總統，典禮上溥倫宣讀清室頌詞。溥倫曾受命率領擬定憲法大綱，呈交議院審查商議，但後來草擬憲法任務交回議院負責。美國駐華公使芮恩施（P. Samuel Reinsch）1911年的著述對溥倫相當欽佩，認為溥倫與議院交手過程中，「不但表現聰敏，還顯露其性格高尚獨特之處。雖然這位貝子的政治家風範沒有為他賺得什麼實質好處，但其司法情操肯定為他在國內外贏得廣泛好評。」（P. Samuel Reinsch, Intellectual and Political Currents in the Far East, Boston & New York, 1911, p. 253）。溥倫還是中國首位廣泛出訪遠洋的皇家成員，他於1904年率領帝國代表團出席美國聖路易斯城舉行的世界博覽會。會場中展出的中國園林亭台，是仔細仿照其位於北京的倫貝子府的所建造。每次到外國訪遊，他都興趣盎然。駐上海美國公使John Goodnow於1904年9月7日寫給印度安納波利斯參議員A.J. Beveridge的函件，提到溥倫訪問美國時，看到美國教育一視同仁，男女孩接受教育機會均等，令他印象彌深。由於溥倫到處出訪，有機會接觸到各國的外交人員和高官，本拍品很可能是他贈予某外國政要的禮物。1980年代，日本有三份刊物載錄了這件乾隆青花釉裏紅梅瓶（見附錄之文獻資料）。其中1982年發表的照片，旁邊有一造型相近但紋飾全以青花描繪的梅瓶。這兩件梅瓶於1989年又再同時於日本發表，還加上與該青花梅瓶配對的另一梅瓶。這對青花梅瓶也是這次拍賣的珍品之一（拍品2942號），此三件梅瓶均源自同一藏家。無論是青花抑或青花釉裏紅，這些梅瓶都極為精美，這件乾隆青花釉裏紅梅瓶的燒工和繪工尤其出類拔萃，更加珍罕。溥倫（1874-1926年），愛新覺羅氏，滿洲鑲紅旗，道光帝嗣曾孫，隱志郡王奕緯之孫，郡王銜多羅恭勤貝勒載治第四子。滿清宗室，襲封「貝子」爵位，時稱「倫貝子」。溥倫的祖上是乾隆皇帝第十一子成親王永瑆，曾與皇位失之交臂。

清乾隆

榮譽呈獻

拍品專文

更多來自 重要中國瓷器及工藝精品 I 及 II

更多來自重要中國瓷器及工藝精品 I 及 II