A fine and exceptionally rare pair of pink-enamel cups, Marks and period of Yongzheng | 清雍正 胭脂紅彩盃一對 《大清雍正年製》款

S. Marchant & Son, London.

馬錢特，倫敦

In its charming proportions and vibrant hue, the present pair of cups exemplifies the Yongzheng Emperor's incessant pursuit of refined beauty in simple forms.

The pink enamel was probably first introduced in China from Europe through Jesuit missionaries during the Kangxi period (see Nigel Wood, Chinese Glazes, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 241-243). Numerous scientific experiments were conducted, resulting in an improved recipe of a matte ruby-pink enamel derived from colloidal gold combined with an admixture of opaque white lead arsenate. With the achievements of these technological advancements, an array of small refined vessels characterised by fine potting and perfectly fired enamels of bright hues were commissioned during the Yongzheng reign, and the present pair is undoubtedly an example of such.

Deceptively simple, the manufacture of such monochrome cups demanded the highest level of skill and meticulous precision, from not only the potting and firing but also the application of the enamel, which entailed blowing carefully through a silk gauze-covered bamboo tube on the biscuit to achieve the lightly speckled yet even effect seen on the current cup.

A slightly larger pair of Yongzheng cups of this attractive form and enamel colour is illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art. Chinese Ceramics IV: Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 25. A single cup from the collection of Avery Brundage, is now in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, accession no. B60P2365. Compare also a slightly smaller cup illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 132. For examples sold at auction, see a pair sold in our New York rooms, 26th March 1996, lot 189; another pair, from the estate of John B. Trevor, sold at Christie's New York, 19th September 2007, lot 340; and a third pair sold in our London rooms, 9th November 2011, lot 73, from the Cartwright Collection.

對盃器形雅緻，釉彩鮮麗，反映雍正皇帝簡潔尚雅之審美品味。

胭脂紅彩首見於康熙朝，或由歐洲傳教士傳來，見伍德，《Chinese Glazes》，香港，1999年，頁241-243。歷經多年無數試驗，以黃金為著色劑，調以砷鉛混合的不透明白彩，方成功調配出胭脂紅彩。如此突破，成就雍正官窰一系列小型精美的胭脂紅彩瓷，胎骨細膩，釉彩明豔，此對胭脂紅彩盃即為一例。

此類單色釉瓷，造型色彩雖簡樸，燒造製作上卻極具挑戰性，製胎、施釉及窰燒均須絕對精準。施釉時，匠人須以竹管蒙紗蘸彩，吹於器表，故近觀本品，釉面略顯細斑，宛似花瓣片片。

比較一對作例，尺寸略大，器形與釉彩與本品相似，刊載於《徐氏藝術館：陶瓷IV》，香港，1995年，圖版25。舊金山亞洲藝術博物館藏一盃，出自布倫戴奇舊藏，藏品編號 B60P2365。並比較一件小盃，出版於《故宮珍藏康雍乾瓷器圖錄》，香港，1989年，圖版132。參考一對胭脂紅彩盃，1996年3月26日售於紐約蘇富比，編號189；另一對，出自 John B. Trevor 收藏，售於紐約佳士得，2007年9月19日，編號340；第三對售於倫敦蘇富比，2011年11月9日，編號73，曾為 Cartwright 典藏。