Early Qing
See also : Chinese porcelain Qing porcelain Imperial seal Chinese dragon
Chronology : 1650-1659 18th century 1700-1709 1710-1719 1720-1729 1730-1739
Chronology : 1650-1659 18th century 1700-1709 1710-1719 1720-1729 1730-1739
The Hermit of Anhui
2021 SOLD for HK$ 128M including premium
In 1644 CE the fall of the Ming maddened the literati. The Qing are foreigners. What will happen with the Chinese cultural tradition based on the accumulation of styles and knowledge throughout the historical period ? Collusion with the new regime is unthinkable. Zhu Da and Shitao become Buddhist monks.
Jiang Tao participates in the Ming resistance in the south. In 1646, when the situation is desperate, he becomes a monk and seeks the Zen Buddhism in the mountains of Anhui, his native province. His monk name is Hongren meaning Vast Humanity. He will express the infinite tranquility of nature by taking as a master the artist Ni Zan of the later Yuan.
In 1836 CE a traveler found Hongren's abandoned tomb at the foot of a mountain in Anhui and restored it while replanting plum trees, the blossoms of which the hermit painter had so loved. A few months later, one of his friends, who was an antiquarian monk, bought in a shop an album signed and dedicated by Hongren. It is complete except for the last page of calligraphy and they are remounting it while adding colophons.
The 19 x 13 cm album is made up of ten leaves of paintings and nine leaves of calligraphy, plus the colophons. The paintings in inks and colors feature the mountains rising to the sky in the best Chinese pictorial tradition. The scenery includes a few houses but no mankind except for a fisherman in his boat in the third image. The line is thin, with a geometric simplification of the rocks. The calligraphy is a poem from the early Ming period by Shen Zhou. The terminus ante quem is the artist's death around 1664.
It is estimated HK $ 45M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 19, lot 3076. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Jiang Tao participates in the Ming resistance in the south. In 1646, when the situation is desperate, he becomes a monk and seeks the Zen Buddhism in the mountains of Anhui, his native province. His monk name is Hongren meaning Vast Humanity. He will express the infinite tranquility of nature by taking as a master the artist Ni Zan of the later Yuan.
In 1836 CE a traveler found Hongren's abandoned tomb at the foot of a mountain in Anhui and restored it while replanting plum trees, the blossoms of which the hermit painter had so loved. A few months later, one of his friends, who was an antiquarian monk, bought in a shop an album signed and dedicated by Hongren. It is complete except for the last page of calligraphy and they are remounting it while adding colophons.
The 19 x 13 cm album is made up of ten leaves of paintings and nine leaves of calligraphy, plus the colophons. The paintings in inks and colors feature the mountains rising to the sky in the best Chinese pictorial tradition. The scenery includes a few houses but no mankind except for a fisherman in his boat in the third image. The line is thin, with a geometric simplification of the rocks. The calligraphy is a poem from the early Ming period by Shen Zhou. The terminus ante quem is the artist's death around 1664.
It is estimated HK $ 45M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 19, lot 3076. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1705 Bamboos, Rocks and Mandarin Ducks by Bada Shanren
2010 SOLD for RMB 120M by Xiling Yinshe
Zhu Da was a distant descendant of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming. The seizure of power by the Qing is a disaster for his family. To protect himself, he becomes a monk and exhibits his frenzied madness, not necessarily simulated.
Time is passing. Zhu can finally leave the monastic habit and devote himself to painting and calligraphy. In 1684 CE, at the age of 59, he takes as his artist name Bada Shanren, which translates as 'the man of the eight great mountains'. It does o't mean anything, but these characters evoke with a stylized writing the words 'laugh' and 'cry'.
The art of this irreducible rebel is unprecedented in its themes and style. He draws nature in small insignificant details. His brush stroke systematically includes contrasts of ink and sometimes even blur. His remarkable freedom of execution will influence the modern Chinese art.
Bamboos, rocks and mandarin ducks, hanging scroll in ink on paper 122 x 65 cm by Bada Shanren, was sold for RMB 120M from a lower estimate of RMB 35M by Xiling Yinshe on December 13, 2010, lot 1807. It is dated of the spring of Yiyou matching 1705 CE, the year of the artist's death aged 79. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The composition is made of two fully separated registers in a bold diagonal. The sharp line is limited to three flowers on the protruding rock, and a tight pair of swimming ducks just over the shore. The rest of it is made in pre-expressionist wide black brushstrokes and dark gray wash. No limit was established between water and sky.
Time is passing. Zhu can finally leave the monastic habit and devote himself to painting and calligraphy. In 1684 CE, at the age of 59, he takes as his artist name Bada Shanren, which translates as 'the man of the eight great mountains'. It does o't mean anything, but these characters evoke with a stylized writing the words 'laugh' and 'cry'.
The art of this irreducible rebel is unprecedented in its themes and style. He draws nature in small insignificant details. His brush stroke systematically includes contrasts of ink and sometimes even blur. His remarkable freedom of execution will influence the modern Chinese art.
Bamboos, rocks and mandarin ducks, hanging scroll in ink on paper 122 x 65 cm by Bada Shanren, was sold for RMB 120M from a lower estimate of RMB 35M by Xiling Yinshe on December 13, 2010, lot 1807. It is dated of the spring of Yiyou matching 1705 CE, the year of the artist's death aged 79. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The composition is made of two fully separated registers in a bold diagonal. The sharp line is limited to three flowers on the protruding rock, and a tight pair of swimming ducks just over the shore. The rest of it is made in pre-expressionist wide black brushstrokes and dark gray wash. No limit was established between water and sky.
Kangxi - Blessing by the Son of Heaven
2016 SOLD for HK$ 93M including premium
The Kangxi emperor had a very high opinion of his political responsibilities. He was the only intercessor between the heaven and the people. His Qing dynasty was of Manchu origin and he had to maintain his authority against the ethnic Chinese. He succeeded marvelously since his reign combined with those of his son and his grandson assured peace and prosperity in an unprecedented effectiveness during more than hundred years.
Seals were used to improve the documents with the deep thinking of the emperor himself, so constituting a method to express and spread the imperial mottos. A politically important mark was the Jingtian Qinmin blessing : revere heaven and serve thy people. The emperor is not a despot. If he forgets his duty, he must be overthrown. Kangxi reigned during 61 years, from 1661 to 1722 CE.
Kangxi's Jingtian Qinmin seal was made for the use of the Qianqinggong, the Palace of Ultimate Purity within the Forbidden City. This is a monoxyle piece of sandalwood (tanxiangmu) 10 cm square surmounted by the a beast for a total height of 11 cm, a big size for any seal.
The bulky beast is imaginary, between pig and dog. It is quietly recumbent on the whole seal top and the nice caramel brown color of the wood makes it a sort of friendly pet, confirming that this emperor was more sympathetic than his successors.
This unique piece was sold for HK $ 93M including premium by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 6, 2016, lot 3101, and passed in the same auction room on April 22, 2021, lot 3602.
It is not sure if the Jingtian Qinmin was ever used by Kangxi for stamping a document. Its high importance was assessed posthumously. A replica of the inscription was made in jade in the very first year of the reign of Yongzheng with an entirely different finial. When Qianlong established the Kangxi Baosou displaying all the marks used by his grandfather, it appeared in the first position.
Seals were used to improve the documents with the deep thinking of the emperor himself, so constituting a method to express and spread the imperial mottos. A politically important mark was the Jingtian Qinmin blessing : revere heaven and serve thy people. The emperor is not a despot. If he forgets his duty, he must be overthrown. Kangxi reigned during 61 years, from 1661 to 1722 CE.
Kangxi's Jingtian Qinmin seal was made for the use of the Qianqinggong, the Palace of Ultimate Purity within the Forbidden City. This is a monoxyle piece of sandalwood (tanxiangmu) 10 cm square surmounted by the a beast for a total height of 11 cm, a big size for any seal.
The bulky beast is imaginary, between pig and dog. It is quietly recumbent on the whole seal top and the nice caramel brown color of the wood makes it a sort of friendly pet, confirming that this emperor was more sympathetic than his successors.
This unique piece was sold for HK $ 93M including premium by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 6, 2016, lot 3101, and passed in the same auction room on April 22, 2021, lot 3602.
It is not sure if the Jingtian Qinmin was ever used by Kangxi for stamping a document. Its high importance was assessed posthumously. A replica of the inscription was made in jade in the very first year of the reign of Yongzheng with an entirely different finial. When Qianlong established the Kangxi Baosou displaying all the marks used by his grandfather, it appeared in the first position.
1710 Landscape inspired by Tang Poems by Wang Hui
2011 SOLD for RMB 127M by China Guardian
The Four Wangs is a dynasty of artists active the early Qing period. They specialized in the copies from classical masters without trying original compositions. That trend comes in opposition with the individualist artists of the same period, Bada Shanren and Shitao. Wang Hui had been trained by Wang Shimin.
Landscape inspired by Tang poems is a handscroll 42 x 505 cm painted in 1710 by Wang Hui, imitating mountain sceneries by the early Song Dynasty artist Ju Ran. It was sold for RMB 127M by China Guardian on November 13, 2011, lot 1258.
Pastoral Life is featuring a soft landscape of fields and rivers, executed in ink and color on paper by the 82 year old Wang Hui in 1713. This 44 cm wide handscroll is made of a 108 cm frontispiece, a 45 cm portrait, a 430 cm painting and a 690 cm colophon. It was sold for RMB 75M by China Guardian on December 18, 2017, lot 447.
Landscape inspired by Tang poems is a handscroll 42 x 505 cm painted in 1710 by Wang Hui, imitating mountain sceneries by the early Song Dynasty artist Ju Ran. It was sold for RMB 127M by China Guardian on November 13, 2011, lot 1258.
Pastoral Life is featuring a soft landscape of fields and rivers, executed in ink and color on paper by the 82 year old Wang Hui in 1713. This 44 cm wide handscroll is made of a 108 cm frontispiece, a 45 cm portrait, a 430 cm painting and a 690 cm colophon. It was sold for RMB 75M by China Guardian on December 18, 2017, lot 447.
> 1711 The Workshop of the Jesuits
2018 SOLD for HK$ 240M including premium
The Kangxi Emperor and King Louis XIV had similar ambitions. They decided in 1684 to share their scientific and cultural knowledge through Jesuits who accepted the customs of imperial China. The French were interested in brocades and chopsticks and the Chinese in using enamels to cover copper and glass.
The activity is developed in a workshop of the Forbidden City under the direct control of the emperor. A new glassmaker arrived in 1695 brings with him the enamels invented by Glauber to create splendid colors with colloidal gold. The glass pieces colored with the enamel of the foreigners (in Chinese: falangcai) serve as diplomatic gifts.
The potters of Jingdezhen were working with the limited color range of the wucai for a purpose of productivity. It was tempting to apply the new colors to the porcelain for bringing more luxury to the pieces for the personal use (yuzhi) of the emperor. Chinese craftsmen joined the Jesuits of the imperial workshop around 1711 to develop a mixed technology.
Chinese porcelain was unknown in Europe and the Jesuits considered it impossible to affix the enamel over the glaze. They were supplied from Jingdezhen with incompletely glazed pieces to paint the outside wall and the base with the colors unavailable at Jingdezhen. A second heating completed the process.
One of the rarest ground colors of the falangcai is a pink with colloidal gold. Two 14.7 cm diameter bowls, each one decorated with four lobed cartridges showing flowers in front of a blue sky, were probably made side by side. They carry the yuzhi mark of Kangxi. The floral themes are however different, attesting to a close cooperation between Chinese and European artists. The bowl kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei follows the traditional Chinese auspices of the four seasons.
The other bowl is of European decoration, displaying flowers without symbolic meaning and a perspective effect that is not usual in traditional Chinese art. It will be sold by Sotheby's on April 3 in Hong Kong, lot 1. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
The yangcai will be the complete mastery of the falangcai process at Jingdezhen around the sixth year of the Yongzheng emperor, 1729 CE. The participation of foreigners will no longer be necessary.
The activity is developed in a workshop of the Forbidden City under the direct control of the emperor. A new glassmaker arrived in 1695 brings with him the enamels invented by Glauber to create splendid colors with colloidal gold. The glass pieces colored with the enamel of the foreigners (in Chinese: falangcai) serve as diplomatic gifts.
The potters of Jingdezhen were working with the limited color range of the wucai for a purpose of productivity. It was tempting to apply the new colors to the porcelain for bringing more luxury to the pieces for the personal use (yuzhi) of the emperor. Chinese craftsmen joined the Jesuits of the imperial workshop around 1711 to develop a mixed technology.
Chinese porcelain was unknown in Europe and the Jesuits considered it impossible to affix the enamel over the glaze. They were supplied from Jingdezhen with incompletely glazed pieces to paint the outside wall and the base with the colors unavailable at Jingdezhen. A second heating completed the process.
One of the rarest ground colors of the falangcai is a pink with colloidal gold. Two 14.7 cm diameter bowls, each one decorated with four lobed cartridges showing flowers in front of a blue sky, were probably made side by side. They carry the yuzhi mark of Kangxi. The floral themes are however different, attesting to a close cooperation between Chinese and European artists. The bowl kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei follows the traditional Chinese auspices of the four seasons.
The other bowl is of European decoration, displaying flowers without symbolic meaning and a perspective effect that is not usual in traditional Chinese art. It will be sold by Sotheby's on April 3 in Hong Kong, lot 1. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
The yangcai will be the complete mastery of the falangcai process at Jingdezhen around the sixth year of the Yongzheng emperor, 1729 CE. The participation of foreigners will no longer be necessary.
1725 The Jade Seals of the Yongzheng Emperor
2015 SOLD for HK$ 105M including premium
The Yongzheng Emperor had an original and exquisite artistic taste. A eunuch serving as a majordomo transferred to the workshops the edicts by which the emperor expressed his desires. The records have been kept. Regarding the seals, an extreme accuracy in descriptions and sizes allows to attribute the pieces.
The 15th day of the 7th month of the third year of the reign, August 22, 1725 in our calendar, the eunuch commissions two white jade seals for the same inscription along with their boxes. Five days later a bronze prototype of the inscription is submitted to an inspection.
Both jade seals are completed in the next month, nine days apart one another. This great speed of execution is explained by the fact that the workshops had re-carved two ancient seals that the emperor himself had probably chosen in the imperial collection before issuing his order.
The smaller of the two seals, 5.5 x 5.6 cm, carved with a dragon in Yuan style, was sold for HK $ 35,4M including premium by Sotheby's on October 5, 2011.
The other seal, reworked from a Kangxi figure, is larger and more ambitious. 7.4 cm high on a square base 6.1 x 6.1 cm, it has the form of a rock on which a hornless dragon or chilong is reclining with a wide open mouth in a threatening attitude. The rock is flanked by eight other chi moving amidst clouds.
This seal is offered with its luxurious original box inlaid in ivory. It is estimated HK $ 30M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 7, lot 102.
Both seals discussed above are exceptional. Although Yongzheng has ordered more than two hundred seals during his short reign, only five have been made in jade.
The 15th day of the 7th month of the third year of the reign, August 22, 1725 in our calendar, the eunuch commissions two white jade seals for the same inscription along with their boxes. Five days later a bronze prototype of the inscription is submitted to an inspection.
Both jade seals are completed in the next month, nine days apart one another. This great speed of execution is explained by the fact that the workshops had re-carved two ancient seals that the emperor himself had probably chosen in the imperial collection before issuing his order.
The smaller of the two seals, 5.5 x 5.6 cm, carved with a dragon in Yuan style, was sold for HK $ 35,4M including premium by Sotheby's on October 5, 2011.
The other seal, reworked from a Kangxi figure, is larger and more ambitious. 7.4 cm high on a square base 6.1 x 6.1 cm, it has the form of a rock on which a hornless dragon or chilong is reclining with a wide open mouth in a threatening attitude. The rock is flanked by eight other chi moving amidst clouds.
This seal is offered with its luxurious original box inlaid in ivory. It is estimated HK $ 30M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 7, lot 102.
Both seals discussed above are exceptional. Although Yongzheng has ordered more than two hundred seals during his short reign, only five have been made in jade.
#HK #AuctionUpdate: 9 bidders, 14 mins: Imperial White Jade Yongzheng Yubi Zhi Bao Seal sells for HK$104.9m/US$13.5m pic.twitter.com/5p8ODk7WrO
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) April 7, 2015Yongzheng - An Archaic Dragon
2019 SOLD for RMB 147M including premium
From the 6th year of his reign matching 1728 CE, the Yongzheng emperor managed a direct control over the production of imperial porcelain. Under the supervision of Superintendent Tang Ying, most of the traditional techniques were restarted and quickly raised to a new level of perfection.
On June 5 in Beijing, Poly sells as lot 5552 a magnificent vase 51 cm high with a round body and a thick neck which is a technological feat without any relationship with the new enamel paintings brought by the foreigners.
This piece flawlessly combines an underglaze in cobalt blue and a red copper glaze which nevertheless required an extremely dissimilar firing profile. The recipe was lost very soon afterward and the Qianlong emperor himself will not get comparable porcelains despite his insistence with the same Superintendent.
The bright red dragon wraps its sinuous body in the blue clouds, in a contrast of superb brilliance. The blue is made in several shades, matching the quality of the Xuande porcelain of the Ming. The glaze becomes invisible over blue and white.
The wide open mouth and the bulging eyes of the dragon express a great fury. This mythical animal has only three claws per leg and cannot be confused with a Qing imperial dragon.
It is a copy of the dragons drawn under the Southern Song dynasty by Chen Rong, assessing Yongzheng's care to promote the best from Chinese graphic art of all times. Copies on silk in the same style were executed in the same period.
Let us remind that a drawing 35 x 440 cm scrolling six dragons executed by Chen Rong in 1244 CE was sold for $ 49M including premium by Christie's on March 15, 2017.
A vase sold for HK $ 56M by Christie's on November 30, 2023, lot 2640, is nearly identical as the vase sold for RMB 147M by Poly in 2017.
On June 5 in Beijing, Poly sells as lot 5552 a magnificent vase 51 cm high with a round body and a thick neck which is a technological feat without any relationship with the new enamel paintings brought by the foreigners.
This piece flawlessly combines an underglaze in cobalt blue and a red copper glaze which nevertheless required an extremely dissimilar firing profile. The recipe was lost very soon afterward and the Qianlong emperor himself will not get comparable porcelains despite his insistence with the same Superintendent.
The bright red dragon wraps its sinuous body in the blue clouds, in a contrast of superb brilliance. The blue is made in several shades, matching the quality of the Xuande porcelain of the Ming. The glaze becomes invisible over blue and white.
The wide open mouth and the bulging eyes of the dragon express a great fury. This mythical animal has only three claws per leg and cannot be confused with a Qing imperial dragon.
It is a copy of the dragons drawn under the Southern Song dynasty by Chen Rong, assessing Yongzheng's care to promote the best from Chinese graphic art of all times. Copies on silk in the same style were executed in the same period.
Let us remind that a drawing 35 x 440 cm scrolling six dragons executed by Chen Rong in 1244 CE was sold for $ 49M including premium by Christie's on March 15, 2017.
A vase sold for HK $ 56M by Christie's on November 30, 2023, lot 2640, is nearly identical as the vase sold for RMB 147M by Poly in 2017.
Yongzheng - An Amphora for the Qing
2017 SOLD for HK$ 140M including premium
The Manchus who overthrew the Ming dynasty are foreigners. When their Qing dynasty is politically stabilized, they are paying an intense attention to relying on the whole of the more than four-thousand-year-old tradition of the Chinese empire. From the reign of Kangxi some workshops in Jingdezhen realize porcelain pieces imitating the antique.
Jingdezhen's chemists and thermal engineers are highly skilled and there is no question of going back to the ancient manufacturing processes. A special effort is made to improve the green glaze imitating the color and transparency of jade, which is named qingci in Chinese and celadon in Europe. During the reign of Yongzheng several hues of celadon glaze are listed.
An amphora vase bearing the imperial mark of Yongzheng appears as a culmination of that development. It was sold for HK $ 17.4M including premium by Christie's in Hong Kong on November 1, 2004, a very high price at that time for a monochrome porcelain, and returns in the same venue on May 31, lot 2888.
The shape of this vase 52 cm high imitates vessels made of metal or porcelain in the Tang period, which are no longer amphorae of the antique type since the pointed lower end used to catch the vessel in its lower part for pouring the liquid has been replaced by a usual flat base for installation. He retains from these Tang models the two lateral handles in the shape of dragons biting the rim. The ornament of the neck simulating bamboo rings is a reference to the Northern Song.
Celadon is also an ancient symbol reminding the development of that glaze in the Longquan kilns under the Southern Song dynasty. The bluish-green glaze of this amphora, thick and translucent and leveled in the recesses, is indeed an achievement directly attributable to the engineering of the Qing.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
Jingdezhen's chemists and thermal engineers are highly skilled and there is no question of going back to the ancient manufacturing processes. A special effort is made to improve the green glaze imitating the color and transparency of jade, which is named qingci in Chinese and celadon in Europe. During the reign of Yongzheng several hues of celadon glaze are listed.
An amphora vase bearing the imperial mark of Yongzheng appears as a culmination of that development. It was sold for HK $ 17.4M including premium by Christie's in Hong Kong on November 1, 2004, a very high price at that time for a monochrome porcelain, and returns in the same venue on May 31, lot 2888.
The shape of this vase 52 cm high imitates vessels made of metal or porcelain in the Tang period, which are no longer amphorae of the antique type since the pointed lower end used to catch the vessel in its lower part for pouring the liquid has been replaced by a usual flat base for installation. He retains from these Tang models the two lateral handles in the shape of dragons biting the rim. The ornament of the neck simulating bamboo rings is a reference to the Northern Song.
Celadon is also an ancient symbol reminding the development of that glaze in the Longquan kilns under the Southern Song dynasty. The bluish-green glaze of this amphora, thick and translucent and leveled in the recesses, is indeed an achievement directly attributable to the engineering of the Qing.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
#AuctionUpdate This incredibly rare Yongzheng-period celadon-glazed amphora just sold for US$18,129,688 in HK https://t.co/7B1k4RqKrU pic.twitter.com/5GkAzM45fT
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 31, 2017
Yongzheng - Perfection of a Cloisonné
2010 SOLD 130 MHK$ including premium
A masterpiece is for sale by Christie's in Hong Kong on December 1.
The technique of cloisonné enamel was used to create realistic figures often intended as candle holder or as censer. Our exceptional pair of double imperial Chinese cranes belongs to the latter category.
Both elements show the same scene. As it is often the case, they are inverted with respect to each other. On each one, the larger bird, straight legs, sinuous neck, holds in its raised beak a twig of peach with two fruits. More flexible, the smaller bird has slightly bent legs.
The elegance of the cranes, the fineness of the cloisonné and the large size, 1.45 m, are making this pair to be considered as highly exceptional. The estimate is not published in the catalog, but the press release told that the auction house expects in excess of HK $ 120M.
Of course, this representation is full of symbols. The red-capped crane, valued for its longevity, means harmony and peace. The exceptional presence of a smaller bird beside the main figure shows a filial piety. We would like to see it as a tribute by Prince Hongli, the future Emperor Qianlong, to his father Yongzheng in whose reign this perfect artwork was made.
The technique of cloisonné enamel was used to create realistic figures often intended as candle holder or as censer. Our exceptional pair of double imperial Chinese cranes belongs to the latter category.
Both elements show the same scene. As it is often the case, they are inverted with respect to each other. On each one, the larger bird, straight legs, sinuous neck, holds in its raised beak a twig of peach with two fruits. More flexible, the smaller bird has slightly bent legs.
The elegance of the cranes, the fineness of the cloisonné and the large size, 1.45 m, are making this pair to be considered as highly exceptional. The estimate is not published in the catalog, but the press release told that the auction house expects in excess of HK $ 120M.
Of course, this representation is full of symbols. The red-capped crane, valued for its longevity, means harmony and peace. The exceptional presence of a smaller bird beside the main figure shows a filial piety. We would like to see it as a tribute by Prince Hongli, the future Emperor Qianlong, to his father Yongzheng in whose reign this perfect artwork was made.
1736 The Celadon Dragons
2014 SOLD for HK$ 94M including premium
When the Song authorized the porcelain as an imperial ware, a special effort was made to develop a glaze whose beauty can be compared to jade. By reducing the flow of air while cooking, Song potters pushed celadon to perfection.
Several centuries pass. The many workshops in Jingdezhen offer the best of Chinese porcelain, with the protection and soon the enthusiasm of the Qing emperors.
In the sixth year of his reign, Yongzheng appointed Tang Ying as Superintendent of Jingdezhen imperial works. Encouraged cleverly during the two decades of the ministry of Tang Ying, the Chinese porcelain reached its peak, combining the rediscovery of ancient techniques, the experimenting with new cookings, as well as the full range of traditional and new shapes and themes.
A large monochrome celadon jar of 34 cm for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, lot 3901, meets all these characteristics. This exceptional porcelain is expected beyond HK $ 80 million according to the press release.
The technique optimizing celadon was rediscovered after being lost since the Song. The theme with two dragons flying in a tight pattern of flames and clouds was not so lively before the Qing. Its high relief carving including the emergence of the muzzles is stunning, creating in the round a real three-dimensional scene.
A dragon is in a slightly dominant attitude relative to the other one. Both are imperial in the five fingered variant. They probably represent the emperor and his heir, same as the pairs of cranes in cloisonne from the same time that symbolized Yongzheng and his son Honli, the future Qianlong.
The jar does not bear the imperial mark of Yongzheng but of Qianlong. It was probably made in the period of transition between the two reigns, around 1736 of our calendar, the 14th and final year of Yongzheng.
Several centuries pass. The many workshops in Jingdezhen offer the best of Chinese porcelain, with the protection and soon the enthusiasm of the Qing emperors.
In the sixth year of his reign, Yongzheng appointed Tang Ying as Superintendent of Jingdezhen imperial works. Encouraged cleverly during the two decades of the ministry of Tang Ying, the Chinese porcelain reached its peak, combining the rediscovery of ancient techniques, the experimenting with new cookings, as well as the full range of traditional and new shapes and themes.
A large monochrome celadon jar of 34 cm for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, lot 3901, meets all these characteristics. This exceptional porcelain is expected beyond HK $ 80 million according to the press release.
The technique optimizing celadon was rediscovered after being lost since the Song. The theme with two dragons flying in a tight pattern of flames and clouds was not so lively before the Qing. Its high relief carving including the emergence of the muzzles is stunning, creating in the round a real three-dimensional scene.
A dragon is in a slightly dominant attitude relative to the other one. Both are imperial in the five fingered variant. They probably represent the emperor and his heir, same as the pairs of cranes in cloisonne from the same time that symbolized Yongzheng and his son Honli, the future Qianlong.
The jar does not bear the imperial mark of Yongzheng but of Qianlong. It was probably made in the period of transition between the two reigns, around 1736 of our calendar, the 14th and final year of Yongzheng.
