- 3611
A MAGNIFICENT AND EXTREMELY RARE LARGE YANGCAI BLUE-GROUND 'LOTUS' VASE WITH RUYI HANDLES IRON-RED SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |
Estimate
40,000,000 - 60,000,000 HKD
bidding is closed
Description
- 36.7 cm, 14 1/2 in.
very finely potted with a compressed globular body supported on a splayed foot, the domed shoulder rising to a tall waisted neck flaring at the rim, flanked by a pair of gilt ruyi sceptre loop handles each suspending a turquoise wan symbol tied in an iron-red ribbon with long ends, the body brightly enamelled against a rich blue ground, depicting four large pink lotus blooms, borne on stylised foliate strapwork issuing smaller blooms, buds, and lilies around the sides, the neck similarly decorated and further embellished with a musical chime (qing) above the lotuses, all between bands of pendent ruyi heads and overlapping lappets, the shoulder encircled by further floral sprays and the foot with pendant ruyi lappets enclosing and alternating with florets, bordered by gilt-decorated iron-red bands at the rim with circles and a classic scroll at the foot, the interior and base glazed in turquoise, save for a white square on the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark in iron red
Provenance
Collection of Lord Loch of Drylaw (1827-1900).
Collection of Alfred Morrison (1821-1897), Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire (no. 525).
The Rt. Hon The Lord of Margadale of Islay, T.D.
Christie's London, 9th November 2004, lot 57.
Collection of Alfred Morrison (1821-1897), Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire (no. 525).
The Rt. Hon The Lord of Margadale of Islay, T.D.
Christie's London, 9th November 2004, lot 57.
Condition
The vase is in very good condition. There is a tiny patch of enamel measuring 1.3 by 0.8 cm near the right hand side of one of the main lotus flowers on the body that may have been retouched.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Yangcai Blue-Ground Lotus Vase
A Harmonious Synthesis of East and West
Hajni EliasAmongst the porcelains produced by the imperial kilns for the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795), those decorated in the rich spectrum of the yangcai or ‘foreign colours’ stand out for their superior workmanship and luxurious eye-catching decoration. The present blue-ground, two-handled pear-shaped vase belongs to this special group of wares with the use of the distinctive yangcai technique and palette in combination with an exquisite artistry of painting. Amongst vessels decorated in this fashion, this vase stands out, and thus remains an extremely rare example, for the use of the deep blue enamel for the ground and for the application of a pair of handles in the form of ruyi sceptres with the wan symbols suspended on a red ribbon. Only four yangcai vases with ruyi-shaped handles are known from the Qing court collection: an identical vase, possibly the pair to the present example, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th April 1997, lot 755; and three are in the Place Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 118, a green-ground vase with lotus scroll painting (fig. 1); pl. 126, a double-gourd form purple-ground vase with lotus scroll painting; and pl. 127, another purple-ground vase with similar lotus scroll decoration (fig. 2). Deep blue-ground yangcai vases remain extremely rare in any museum and private collections, although they are mentioned in the Qing Imperial Porcelain records which will be discussed later.
The application of the yangcai, initially introduced to the Imperial Workshops at the Qing court by European Jesuit craftsmen, and subsequently embraced by Tang Ying (1682-1756), China’s unsurpassed kiln supervisor at Jingdezhen, confirms the extraordinary advancements made possible in ceramics production when Eastern aesthetics and Western technology were synthesised.
The term yangcai was first mentioned in 1735 by Tang Ying in his work, the Tao wu shu lue beiji [Records of Narrated Summaries of Porcelain Matters], and later included in the ceramics manual by Lan Pu titled, Jingdezhen taolu [Records of the Potteries of Jingdezhen], published in 1815. Tang writes as follows, ‘Yangcai household porcelains [are made with the application of] a new technique borrowed from Western painting methods during this dynasty. [Amongst the paintings of] figures, landscapes, flowers and plumage, there are none that are not fine and enthralling.'1 On the application of the yangcai palette, in 1744, he wrote as follows,
‘Both round wares and vases of white porcelain are painted in enamel colours in a style imitated from Western foreigners, which is consequently called Yang ts’ai or ‘Foreign Coloring’. Clever artists of proved skill are selected to paint the decoration. The different materials of the colour having been previously finely ground and properly combined, the artist first paints with them upon a slab of white porcelain, which is fired to test the properties of the colours and the length of firing they require. He is gradually promoted from coarse work to fine, and acquires skill by constant practice; a good eye, attentive mind, and exact hand being required to attain excellence.’2
Along with new colour tones, western style designs and decorative elements that were fashionable in Europe at the time were also introduced to Chinese artists. For example, the small pearl-like roundels dispersed amongst the lotus scroll decoration seen on the present vase are taken from Western floral decoration found on baroque-style furnishings. On the vase they are skilfully shaded to give them a distinct three-dimensional quality that makes them appear jewel-like. Thus, effective employment of the yangcai allowed Chinese potters to create a much wider range of colours than previously possible and added a new decorative technique to their established repertoire.
The Qianlong Emperor delighted in challenging his artists and artisans in the Imperial Workshops to create innovative designs, often testing their ability to produce pieces that explored the boundary between illusion and reality. The yangcai allowed, for the first time in the history of Chinese ceramics production, the creation of multi coloured brocade-like fields and borders in a variety of floral designs on a sgraffiato or mock-sgraffiato ground. The illusion achieved makes the surface of the vase appear as soft and sumptuous as the finest embroidered silk brocade. Yangcai also helped incorporate Western-style shading on compositions, a technique especially admired by the Qianlong Emperor in the paintings of Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), the Italian Jesuit missionary who served as an artist at the court and who painted in a style that skilfully fused Western and Chinese traditions.
What made yangcai pieces even more prized was their limited number, as they were often produced as unique items or as pairs and never in larger quantities or series. Furthermore, we know from the Qing imperial records that blue-ground yangcai vases were exceptionally rare within this group of wares and were made from the mid-18th century for only a few years. The Qing gong ciqi dang’an quanji [Complete Records on Porcelain from the Qing Court] records that on the 10th day of the first lunar month, in the 13th year of Qianlong’s reign (1748), the Aide and the Chief Commissioner of the Seventh Grade, Samuha, reported that the Eunuch Hu Shijie delivered a pair of blue-ground yangcai vases painted with gilt floral design. These vases were made to be placed in one of the Buddha Halls (fotang) in the grounds of the Forbidden City. On the 19th day of the 10th month of the same year another pair of blue-ground yangcai vases with gilt floral decoration and matching wooden stands were handed to the Eunuch Hu Shijie, for submission to the emperor. Accounts for the 18th day of the 15th year of Qianlong’s reign (1750) record that the Treasurer Da Zi reported that Eunuch Hu Shijie delivered a pair of blue-ground yangcai vases with matching stands for presentation to the emperor (fig. 3).3 From these records it is evident that blue-ground yangcai vases were produced on imperial order during a short period of only a few years, primarily between 1748-1750, and only three pairs of vases appear to be recorded, all submitted by the Eunuch Hu Shijie. While we know little about Hu Shijie, his name appears frequently in the imperial records, suggesting that he was a trusted member of the emperor’s inner circle and played a key role in handing out imperial decrees and supervising and delivering artefacts to the emperor.
While the technique and palate for the present vase may be of Western origin, in its shape and decoration the vase is a Chinese masterpiece. Although we can only speculate on the reasons for its production, nevertheless, the use of the colour blue combined with the painting of the lotus scrollwork as the primary decoration, along with the employment of ruyi-shaped handles and the wan symbol attached by red ribbons all convey an auspicious message. The ‘hidden’ meaning in the decoration celebrates the emperor’s appreciation of qualities of purity and integrity known in Chinese as qinglian, which is a homophone for qinglian meaning ‘blue lotus’. The term appears in the Dongguan Han ji [Han Records of the Eastern Lodge], compiled by a team of historiographers under the guidance of Ban Gu (AD 32-92) in the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220). In the ‘Biography of Zhou Ze (Zhou Ze zhuan)’ we read, ‘[Zhou Ye] paid his [deep] respect to the Minister of Ceremonies, [he was] resolute and daring, and on several [occasions] he spoke bluntly. The court was delighted with his honesty and integrity.’4 The colour blue is also associated with scholars and learning. The ‘Chapter on Learning (Quan xue)’ in the Xunzi, attributed to the Confucian philosopher Xun Kuang (c.310-c.235 BC, alt. c.314-c.217 BC), records the gentleman saying, ‘[The pigment] blue is obtained from the indigo plant, but it is bluer than the plant itself’. This phrase advises that through the act of learning it is possible to elevate oneself and become even better than the master.5 Qianlong would have appreciated an object whose colour and imagery prompted ideas of learning and qualities of purity and integrity as advocated by the teachings of Buddhism (alluded to here by the beautiful lotus flower). The ruyi sceptre and the wan symbol on the handles represent the granting of good wishes. The wan symbol was introduced into China with the spread of Buddhism. The pronunciation of wan is a homophone for the Chinese word of ‘ten thousand’ or ‘infinity’. Combined with the red ribbon (shoudai), the design is a reference to the wish of ‘having ten thousand longevities without boundary’ (wanshou wujiang).
The majority of extant yangcai porcelains may be found in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei. They are the focus of Liao Baoxiu’s study titled Huali cai ci: Qianlong yangcai /Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch’ien-lung Reign, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008. Liao demonstrates the wide variety of wares decorated in the yangcai and confirms how orders for these pieces seem to date from the early 1740s.
The present vase has a distinguished provenance, formerly belonging to Alfred Morrison (1821-1897), one of the wealthiest of Victorian collectors of works of art, paintings, autographs and manuscripts. Second son of James Morrison (1790-1857), who was a businessman and Member of Parliament, Alfred inherited Fonthill House in Wiltshire from his father where he lived most of his life with his wife Mabel and family. According to Caroline Dakers’s study, to him ‘size and quantity mattered just as much as quality. He was an addict, surrounding himself with paintings, engravings, medals and autographs of royalty, aristocrats and distinguished politicians, suggesting his collecting was linked to a desire for status.’6 Dakers further notes that once ‘hooked’ on the work of a particular artist, designer or craftsman his inclination was to buy everything he could lay his hands on. Between 1861-1866 he spent £40,000 on porcelain alone which was undoubtedly a vast sum at the time.7 The collection later became known as the Fonthill Heirlooms after it was inherited by Lord Margadale of Islay. The contents of Fonthill House have been gradually sold at auction, first in 1965, and then in 1971 and 2004.8
1 See Liao Baoxiu, Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch’ien-lung Reign, Taipei, 2008, p. 14.
2 Ibid., p. 14; and for the translation see S.W. Bushell, Oriental Ceramic Art, London, 1981 (1896), p. 234.
3 Qing gong ciqi dang’an quanji [Complete records on porcelain from the Qing court], Beijing, 2008.
4 Dongguan Han ji jiaozhu [Han Records of the Eastern Lodge, annotated], edited by Wu Shuping, Beijing, 2008, 18.804.
5 Xunzi jianzhu [Xunzi, Simply annotated], edited by Zhang Shitong, Shanghai, 1974, 1.1.
6 Caroline Dakers, ‘Size Matters: The Extraordinary Collection of Alfred Morrison, Victorian Maecenas,’ in Picturing the Nineteenth Century, University of Kentucky, Kentucky, 2013.
7 Caroline Dakers, Fonthill Recovered: A Cultural History, London, 2018, pp. 146-147.
8 For more information see Audrey Wang, Chinese Antiques: An Introduction to the Chinese Art Market, London, 2012.
A Harmonious Synthesis of East and West
Hajni EliasAmongst the porcelains produced by the imperial kilns for the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795), those decorated in the rich spectrum of the yangcai or ‘foreign colours’ stand out for their superior workmanship and luxurious eye-catching decoration. The present blue-ground, two-handled pear-shaped vase belongs to this special group of wares with the use of the distinctive yangcai technique and palette in combination with an exquisite artistry of painting. Amongst vessels decorated in this fashion, this vase stands out, and thus remains an extremely rare example, for the use of the deep blue enamel for the ground and for the application of a pair of handles in the form of ruyi sceptres with the wan symbols suspended on a red ribbon. Only four yangcai vases with ruyi-shaped handles are known from the Qing court collection: an identical vase, possibly the pair to the present example, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th April 1997, lot 755; and three are in the Place Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 118, a green-ground vase with lotus scroll painting (fig. 1); pl. 126, a double-gourd form purple-ground vase with lotus scroll painting; and pl. 127, another purple-ground vase with similar lotus scroll decoration (fig. 2). Deep blue-ground yangcai vases remain extremely rare in any museum and private collections, although they are mentioned in the Qing Imperial Porcelain records which will be discussed later.
The application of the yangcai, initially introduced to the Imperial Workshops at the Qing court by European Jesuit craftsmen, and subsequently embraced by Tang Ying (1682-1756), China’s unsurpassed kiln supervisor at Jingdezhen, confirms the extraordinary advancements made possible in ceramics production when Eastern aesthetics and Western technology were synthesised.
The term yangcai was first mentioned in 1735 by Tang Ying in his work, the Tao wu shu lue beiji [Records of Narrated Summaries of Porcelain Matters], and later included in the ceramics manual by Lan Pu titled, Jingdezhen taolu [Records of the Potteries of Jingdezhen], published in 1815. Tang writes as follows, ‘Yangcai household porcelains [are made with the application of] a new technique borrowed from Western painting methods during this dynasty. [Amongst the paintings of] figures, landscapes, flowers and plumage, there are none that are not fine and enthralling.'1 On the application of the yangcai palette, in 1744, he wrote as follows,
‘Both round wares and vases of white porcelain are painted in enamel colours in a style imitated from Western foreigners, which is consequently called Yang ts’ai or ‘Foreign Coloring’. Clever artists of proved skill are selected to paint the decoration. The different materials of the colour having been previously finely ground and properly combined, the artist first paints with them upon a slab of white porcelain, which is fired to test the properties of the colours and the length of firing they require. He is gradually promoted from coarse work to fine, and acquires skill by constant practice; a good eye, attentive mind, and exact hand being required to attain excellence.’2
Along with new colour tones, western style designs and decorative elements that were fashionable in Europe at the time were also introduced to Chinese artists. For example, the small pearl-like roundels dispersed amongst the lotus scroll decoration seen on the present vase are taken from Western floral decoration found on baroque-style furnishings. On the vase they are skilfully shaded to give them a distinct three-dimensional quality that makes them appear jewel-like. Thus, effective employment of the yangcai allowed Chinese potters to create a much wider range of colours than previously possible and added a new decorative technique to their established repertoire.
The Qianlong Emperor delighted in challenging his artists and artisans in the Imperial Workshops to create innovative designs, often testing their ability to produce pieces that explored the boundary between illusion and reality. The yangcai allowed, for the first time in the history of Chinese ceramics production, the creation of multi coloured brocade-like fields and borders in a variety of floral designs on a sgraffiato or mock-sgraffiato ground. The illusion achieved makes the surface of the vase appear as soft and sumptuous as the finest embroidered silk brocade. Yangcai also helped incorporate Western-style shading on compositions, a technique especially admired by the Qianlong Emperor in the paintings of Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), the Italian Jesuit missionary who served as an artist at the court and who painted in a style that skilfully fused Western and Chinese traditions.
What made yangcai pieces even more prized was their limited number, as they were often produced as unique items or as pairs and never in larger quantities or series. Furthermore, we know from the Qing imperial records that blue-ground yangcai vases were exceptionally rare within this group of wares and were made from the mid-18th century for only a few years. The Qing gong ciqi dang’an quanji [Complete Records on Porcelain from the Qing Court] records that on the 10th day of the first lunar month, in the 13th year of Qianlong’s reign (1748), the Aide and the Chief Commissioner of the Seventh Grade, Samuha, reported that the Eunuch Hu Shijie delivered a pair of blue-ground yangcai vases painted with gilt floral design. These vases were made to be placed in one of the Buddha Halls (fotang) in the grounds of the Forbidden City. On the 19th day of the 10th month of the same year another pair of blue-ground yangcai vases with gilt floral decoration and matching wooden stands were handed to the Eunuch Hu Shijie, for submission to the emperor. Accounts for the 18th day of the 15th year of Qianlong’s reign (1750) record that the Treasurer Da Zi reported that Eunuch Hu Shijie delivered a pair of blue-ground yangcai vases with matching stands for presentation to the emperor (fig. 3).3 From these records it is evident that blue-ground yangcai vases were produced on imperial order during a short period of only a few years, primarily between 1748-1750, and only three pairs of vases appear to be recorded, all submitted by the Eunuch Hu Shijie. While we know little about Hu Shijie, his name appears frequently in the imperial records, suggesting that he was a trusted member of the emperor’s inner circle and played a key role in handing out imperial decrees and supervising and delivering artefacts to the emperor.
While the technique and palate for the present vase may be of Western origin, in its shape and decoration the vase is a Chinese masterpiece. Although we can only speculate on the reasons for its production, nevertheless, the use of the colour blue combined with the painting of the lotus scrollwork as the primary decoration, along with the employment of ruyi-shaped handles and the wan symbol attached by red ribbons all convey an auspicious message. The ‘hidden’ meaning in the decoration celebrates the emperor’s appreciation of qualities of purity and integrity known in Chinese as qinglian, which is a homophone for qinglian meaning ‘blue lotus’. The term appears in the Dongguan Han ji [Han Records of the Eastern Lodge], compiled by a team of historiographers under the guidance of Ban Gu (AD 32-92) in the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220). In the ‘Biography of Zhou Ze (Zhou Ze zhuan)’ we read, ‘[Zhou Ye] paid his [deep] respect to the Minister of Ceremonies, [he was] resolute and daring, and on several [occasions] he spoke bluntly. The court was delighted with his honesty and integrity.’4 The colour blue is also associated with scholars and learning. The ‘Chapter on Learning (Quan xue)’ in the Xunzi, attributed to the Confucian philosopher Xun Kuang (c.310-c.235 BC, alt. c.314-c.217 BC), records the gentleman saying, ‘[The pigment] blue is obtained from the indigo plant, but it is bluer than the plant itself’. This phrase advises that through the act of learning it is possible to elevate oneself and become even better than the master.5 Qianlong would have appreciated an object whose colour and imagery prompted ideas of learning and qualities of purity and integrity as advocated by the teachings of Buddhism (alluded to here by the beautiful lotus flower). The ruyi sceptre and the wan symbol on the handles represent the granting of good wishes. The wan symbol was introduced into China with the spread of Buddhism. The pronunciation of wan is a homophone for the Chinese word of ‘ten thousand’ or ‘infinity’. Combined with the red ribbon (shoudai), the design is a reference to the wish of ‘having ten thousand longevities without boundary’ (wanshou wujiang).
The majority of extant yangcai porcelains may be found in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei. They are the focus of Liao Baoxiu’s study titled Huali cai ci: Qianlong yangcai /Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch’ien-lung Reign, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008. Liao demonstrates the wide variety of wares decorated in the yangcai and confirms how orders for these pieces seem to date from the early 1740s.
The present vase has a distinguished provenance, formerly belonging to Alfred Morrison (1821-1897), one of the wealthiest of Victorian collectors of works of art, paintings, autographs and manuscripts. Second son of James Morrison (1790-1857), who was a businessman and Member of Parliament, Alfred inherited Fonthill House in Wiltshire from his father where he lived most of his life with his wife Mabel and family. According to Caroline Dakers’s study, to him ‘size and quantity mattered just as much as quality. He was an addict, surrounding himself with paintings, engravings, medals and autographs of royalty, aristocrats and distinguished politicians, suggesting his collecting was linked to a desire for status.’6 Dakers further notes that once ‘hooked’ on the work of a particular artist, designer or craftsman his inclination was to buy everything he could lay his hands on. Between 1861-1866 he spent £40,000 on porcelain alone which was undoubtedly a vast sum at the time.7 The collection later became known as the Fonthill Heirlooms after it was inherited by Lord Margadale of Islay. The contents of Fonthill House have been gradually sold at auction, first in 1965, and then in 1971 and 2004.8
1 See Liao Baoxiu, Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch’ien-lung Reign, Taipei, 2008, p. 14.
2 Ibid., p. 14; and for the translation see S.W. Bushell, Oriental Ceramic Art, London, 1981 (1896), p. 234.
3 Qing gong ciqi dang’an quanji [Complete records on porcelain from the Qing court], Beijing, 2008.
4 Dongguan Han ji jiaozhu [Han Records of the Eastern Lodge, annotated], edited by Wu Shuping, Beijing, 2008, 18.804.
5 Xunzi jianzhu [Xunzi, Simply annotated], edited by Zhang Shitong, Shanghai, 1974, 1.1.
6 Caroline Dakers, ‘Size Matters: The Extraordinary Collection of Alfred Morrison, Victorian Maecenas,’ in Picturing the Nineteenth Century, University of Kentucky, Kentucky, 2013.
7 Caroline Dakers, Fonthill Recovered: A Cultural History, London, 2018, pp. 146-147.
8 For more information see Audrey Wang, Chinese Antiques: An Introduction to the Chinese Art Market, London, 2012.