A rare pair of incised aubergine-glazed saucer dishes, Marks and period of Yongzheng | 清雍正 茄皮紫釉劃纏枝石榴紋盤一對 《大清雍正年製》款

Acquired from Edward T. Chow (1910-80) in the late 1960s.

----------------------------------------------

1960年代末購自仇焱之（1910-80年）

Although the aubergine glaze colour had been developed already in the Xuande period, it remained very rare until the Qing dynasty, when it became popular mainly for bowls and dishes. The current pair of dishes, incised with pomegranates, is rarer than those with the 'Eight Buddhist Emblems', such as the pair from the Meiyintang Collection, sold in these rooms, 9th October 2012, lot 7. 

Other examples are illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection Geneva: Chinese Ceramics, Geneva, 1968-74, vol. III, pls A 476 and 477; another pair from the Sir Percival David Collection in the British Museum (accession nos PDF,B.583 and 584); and a single dish included in the exhibition Qingdai danse you ciqi tezhan [Special exhibition of monochrome glazed porcelain of the Qing dynasty], Palace Museum, Taipei, 1981, cat. no. 45. Compare also a dish formerly in the collections of the Hall family and Sir Joseph Hotung, sold twice in these rooms, 2nd May 2000, lot 531, and 9th October 2022, lot 107; and another pair from the collections of Lorant Goldschlager and Marchant, sold three times in 1973, 2011 and most recently in these rooms, 10th July 2020, lot 3121.

----------------------------------------------

茄皮紫釉早見於宣德一朝，但甚鮮見，直到清代方始流行，主要飾於盌盤等器。對盤細刻纏枝石榴，較飾八吉祥盤更為罕見，後者見玫茵堂舊藏對例，2012年10月9日在香港蘇富比拍出，編號7。

其他纏枝石榴紋例可參閱約翰．艾爾斯，《The Baur Collection Geneva: Chinese Ceramics》，日內瓦，1968-74年，卷III，圖版 A 476、477。倫敦大英博物館大維德爵士藏另有一對，藏品編號 PDF,B.583、584。《清代單色釉瓷器特展》中也有一盤，故宮博物院，台北，1981年，編號45。霍爾家族和何鴻卿爵士遞藏也有一例，兩度在香港蘇富比易手，2000年5月2日，編號531和2022年10月9日，編號107。尚可參考 Lorant Goldschlager 舊藏對例，三度在香港蘇富比拍出，最後一次見於馬錢特專場，2020年7月10日，編號3121。