Ming Porcelain
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Chinese porcelain Ming Bird Chinese dragon
Chronology : 15th century 1400-1429 1430-1459 1480-1499 16th century 1540-1569
See also : Chinese porcelain Ming Bird Chinese dragon
Chronology : 15th century 1400-1429 1430-1459 1480-1499 16th century 1540-1569
Intro
Some cities had their rise ensured by fabulous natural resources. This is the case of the high hills of Jingdezhen in southern China. The Chinese word for "High Hills" is Gaoling, which the French translated as Kaolin.
Jingdezhen ceramics were already known under the Tang. A clever mixture of clay and kaolinite later enabled the development of Chinese porcelain.
During the Yuan dynasty, Jingdezhen kilns were already producing blue and white porcelains. But the Yuan, of Mongol origin, were northerners. The Hongwu emperor, who overthrew the Yuan and established the Ming dynasty, took Nanjing as his capital. The conditions became favorable for installing at Jingdezhen the Imperial workshops responsible for producing porcelain for the Court and for export.
A large dish with floral decoration made during the reign of Hongwu was sold for HK $ 41M on April 7, 2011 by Sotheby's, lot 43. It measures 45 cm in diameter with a rounded edge in the form of a string of accolades. The underglaze red color of its decoration is a technical feat for its time.
Jingdezhen ceramics were already known under the Tang. A clever mixture of clay and kaolinite later enabled the development of Chinese porcelain.
During the Yuan dynasty, Jingdezhen kilns were already producing blue and white porcelains. But the Yuan, of Mongol origin, were northerners. The Hongwu emperor, who overthrew the Yuan and established the Ming dynasty, took Nanjing as his capital. The conditions became favorable for installing at Jingdezhen the Imperial workshops responsible for producing porcelain for the Court and for export.
A large dish with floral decoration made during the reign of Hongwu was sold for HK $ 41M on April 7, 2011 by Sotheby's, lot 43. It measures 45 cm in diameter with a rounded edge in the form of a string of accolades. The underglaze red color of its decoration is a technical feat for its time.
Blue and White with YONGLE
Intro
The blue and white had been developed in the kilns of Jingdezhen under the Yuan dynasty. The Yongle emperor of the Ming makes the porcelain of that locality an official art strictly controlled by the court.
Through this action the ambitious Yongle pursues a political goal. Yuan porcelains had been admired throughout Asia for their beauty and healthiness. Yongle makes them a flagship of China's unsurpassable art and uses them widely as diplomatic gifts. The pieces that failed in production are scrapped to avoid imitations. Only the best of the best is released.
Since the Song dynasty the porcelain competes with jade in terms of exquisiteness. The blue decorations of the Yuan porcelain display a wide variety of themes. The diplomatic ambition of the Ming adds new stylized or naturalist themes often to the taste of the Middle East.
Through this action the ambitious Yongle pursues a political goal. Yuan porcelains had been admired throughout Asia for their beauty and healthiness. Yongle makes them a flagship of China's unsurpassable art and uses them widely as diplomatic gifts. The pieces that failed in production are scrapped to avoid imitations. Only the best of the best is released.
Since the Song dynasty the porcelain competes with jade in terms of exquisiteness. The blue decorations of the Yuan porcelain display a wide variety of themes. The diplomatic ambition of the Ming adds new stylized or naturalist themes often to the taste of the Middle East.
1
Meiping
2011 SOLD for HK$ 170M by Sotheby's
The mastering of cobalt under glaze on white ceramics was achieved in the Yuan Dynasty, with intense or subtle shades of blue and a very accurate drawing on a rich variety of themes. The Yongle emperor of the Ming was clever to place the Jingdezhen kilns under direct imperial control despite a large geographical distance.
Yongle was the irreconcilable enemy of the Yuan and the Mongols, whom he circumvented by a communication effort toward all other foreigners. He used the outstanding productions from Jingdezhen for diplomatic gifts.
Porcelain is an art that invites the touch, and the curves of the meiping with their bulging under the collar have a sensual intent. The sturdily potted meiping was used for holding wine.
On October 5, 2011, Sotheby's sold a meiping for HK $ 170M from a lower estimate of HK $ 80M, lot 11 in the second sale of the Meiyintang collection. This 36 cm high example is especially masculine in its massive form. Its fine decoration is classic : branches bearing fruit.
Yongle was the irreconcilable enemy of the Yuan and the Mongols, whom he circumvented by a communication effort toward all other foreigners. He used the outstanding productions from Jingdezhen for diplomatic gifts.
Porcelain is an art that invites the touch, and the curves of the meiping with their bulging under the collar have a sensual intent. The sturdily potted meiping was used for holding wine.
On October 5, 2011, Sotheby's sold a meiping for HK $ 170M from a lower estimate of HK $ 80M, lot 11 in the second sale of the Meiyintang collection. This 36 cm high example is especially masculine in its massive form. Its fine decoration is classic : branches bearing fruit.
2
Moon Flask
2016 SOLD for HK$ 110M by Sotheby's
Yongle, the third Ming emperor, was the most powerful monarch of his time. Ruthless enemy of the Mongols, he had a more open and tolerant vision of the rest of the world and successfully promoted the voyages of discovery.
At that time, the blue and white dominates the Chinese porcelain but touch is as important as visual beauty. A gourd also named moon flask is a technical feat by its complex shape. Its body in a more or less bulging oval section is pleasing to hold in hands for pouring. The recipient is circular, with two winding handles around the bulbous neck. The belly is more or less rounded depending on the variants.
The main known role of their new shape and new decoration was to create pieces able to demonstrate the Chinese know-how to the Muslim rulers of the Middle East. The moon flasks were thus used for presentation during diplomatic and commercial exchanges.
An example is indeed shaped from a Middle Eastern metal model with a decoration of Islamic origin. Its flattened spherical body is set with two circular bosses at the sides, rising to a garlic neck flanked by the pair of handles. Both faces are painted in deep cobalt blue with hexagonal and other polygonal facets sheltering lotus flower heads, the central one with a foliated bloom being a six branch star.
This flask is not marked, as usual for the Yongle porcelains, but has been prepared in Jingdezhen probably for the use of the Chinese imperial court. It was sold for HK $ 110M from a lower estimate of HK $ 25M by Sotheby's on April 5, 2016, lot 17.
These shapes will be continued under Xuande, with some small changes especially concerning the shape of the base. The Qing, keen of the synthesis of all Chinese art, will make replicas.
At that time, the blue and white dominates the Chinese porcelain but touch is as important as visual beauty. A gourd also named moon flask is a technical feat by its complex shape. Its body in a more or less bulging oval section is pleasing to hold in hands for pouring. The recipient is circular, with two winding handles around the bulbous neck. The belly is more or less rounded depending on the variants.
The main known role of their new shape and new decoration was to create pieces able to demonstrate the Chinese know-how to the Muslim rulers of the Middle East. The moon flasks were thus used for presentation during diplomatic and commercial exchanges.
An example is indeed shaped from a Middle Eastern metal model with a decoration of Islamic origin. Its flattened spherical body is set with two circular bosses at the sides, rising to a garlic neck flanked by the pair of handles. Both faces are painted in deep cobalt blue with hexagonal and other polygonal facets sheltering lotus flower heads, the central one with a foliated bloom being a six branch star.
This flask is not marked, as usual for the Yongle porcelains, but has been prepared in Jingdezhen probably for the use of the Chinese imperial court. It was sold for HK $ 110M from a lower estimate of HK $ 25M by Sotheby's on April 5, 2016, lot 17.
These shapes will be continued under Xuande, with some small changes especially concerning the shape of the base. The Qing, keen of the synthesis of all Chinese art, will make replicas.
3
Ewer
2023 SOLD for HK$ 107M by Sotheby's
The pear shaped ewer is arguably the most exquisite vessel in the Yongle period when its spout, rim and handle are in straight upper alignment.
A 22.5 cm high ewer was sold for HK $ 107M by Sotheby's on April 8, 2023, lot 101. Its cobalt blue is rich and its glaze is pristine. The cover is missing but its chain attachment eyelet is present on the handle. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This piece is painted on both sides in a double lined peach shaped cartouche with an undulating powerful dragon. They are portrayed in direct mirror image, both looking up towards the wine or tea pouring from the spout.
It does not have an imperial mark, as usual for most of the porcelains from that reign. It was nevertheless made for imperial use as evidenced by the five claws per paw of the dragon, a symbol of the emperor. Dragon vessels made for diplomatic presentation feature three claws per paw.
The same image of the dragon was also used to decorate bowl bottoms and outside walls, stem cups, washers and probably chargers and jars. It became highly popular from the Xuande period onwards.
Jingdezhen potters used to discard the pieces that were not perfect enough for the emperor. A nearly complete broken ewer nearly identical in form and painting style as the example above has been excavated from a Yongle kiln strata in that manufacturing site.
A mausoleum ewer in pure gold in the same shape and size is dated from the unique year of Yongle's successor Hongxi.
A 22.5 cm high ewer was sold for HK $ 107M by Sotheby's on April 8, 2023, lot 101. Its cobalt blue is rich and its glaze is pristine. The cover is missing but its chain attachment eyelet is present on the handle. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This piece is painted on both sides in a double lined peach shaped cartouche with an undulating powerful dragon. They are portrayed in direct mirror image, both looking up towards the wine or tea pouring from the spout.
It does not have an imperial mark, as usual for most of the porcelains from that reign. It was nevertheless made for imperial use as evidenced by the five claws per paw of the dragon, a symbol of the emperor. Dragon vessels made for diplomatic presentation feature three claws per paw.
The same image of the dragon was also used to decorate bowl bottoms and outside walls, stem cups, washers and probably chargers and jars. It became highly popular from the Xuande period onwards.
Jingdezhen potters used to discard the pieces that were not perfect enough for the emperor. A nearly complete broken ewer nearly identical in form and painting style as the example above has been excavated from a Yongle kiln strata in that manufacturing site.
A mausoleum ewer in pure gold in the same shape and size is dated from the unique year of Yongle's successor Hongxi.
4
Holy Water Vessel
2016 SOLD for HK$ 100M by Sotheby's
A type of ewer from the Yongle period is known in three pieces, all of them in blue and white. Its shape is highly unusual, with its body set in its lower part with a raising spout, very long, tapered and facetted, ending in a lipped rim, without a handle.
This vessel is beautifully pouring in a thin and elegant stream, certainly not for palace use but for a ceremonial use. The Yongle emperor was a devout Buddhist. Such a holy water vessel was admired by the Qianlong emperor who commented it with a Buddhist phrase.
Specialists are considering that monochrome white porcelains would have been preferred for Buddhist rituals. Indeed a fragmentary piece has been reconstituted from sherds in the Yongle kiln stratum at Jingdezhen.
One of the three examples was sold for HK $ 100M from a lower estimate of HK $ 35M by Sotheby's on April 5, 2016, lot 15. The cobalt decoration of the pear shaped body is made of hibiscus bloom heads amidst arabesques of leaves. The spout and the unusual stepped foot are painted with stylized lotuses.
This vessel is beautifully pouring in a thin and elegant stream, certainly not for palace use but for a ceremonial use. The Yongle emperor was a devout Buddhist. Such a holy water vessel was admired by the Qianlong emperor who commented it with a Buddhist phrase.
Specialists are considering that monochrome white porcelains would have been preferred for Buddhist rituals. Indeed a fragmentary piece has been reconstituted from sherds in the Yongle kiln stratum at Jingdezhen.
One of the three examples was sold for HK $ 100M from a lower estimate of HK $ 35M by Sotheby's on April 5, 2016, lot 15. The cobalt decoration of the pear shaped body is made of hibiscus bloom heads amidst arabesques of leaves. The spout and the unusual stepped foot are painted with stylized lotuses.
Blue and White with XUANDE
1
Fish Bowl
2017 SOLD for HK$ 230M by Sotheby's
When the emperor himself encouraged the development of porcelain techniques, the ingenuity of the Jingdezhen potters no longer had any limits. The reign of Xuande, the fifth emperor of the Ming dynasty, is one of those golden ages with spectacular progress for blue and red under glaze.
The red is still difficult to achieve and its drawing remains limited to massive silhouettes of fish or fruit. At the same time the cobalt blue is obtained in a series of tones which enable subtle contrasts. The quality of the Xuande blue and white will never be surpassed.
The sharpness of the blue drawing becomes exceptional but the iconography remains traditional. The wall of a bowl is read like a paper ink drawing being gradually unrolled. The theme of fishes moving at mid-depth amidst the aquatic weeds of a pond is well suited to such achievements.
On April 5, 2017, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 230M at lot 101 a bell-shaped bowl on that theme, 23 cm in diameter, with a ultimate refinement : it is lobed in ten sections down to the base which is also lobed in the extension. The goal is an unprecedented visual effect : the unfolding of the image before the eyes gives the impression of a gentle movement of the fish.
The lobes are not new in Chinese porcelain : washers or saucers lobed for imitating a flower had been a specialty of the fabulous Ru kilns at the end of the Northern Song dynasty.
A piece as deep as that lobed fish bowl is a technical feat : no other specimen of this form and visual effect has surfaced in such a large size. Two smaller bowls were identified in an ancient inventory of the Taipei Museum. Waste from an even smaller discarded piece was found in Jingdezhen.
The red is still difficult to achieve and its drawing remains limited to massive silhouettes of fish or fruit. At the same time the cobalt blue is obtained in a series of tones which enable subtle contrasts. The quality of the Xuande blue and white will never be surpassed.
The sharpness of the blue drawing becomes exceptional but the iconography remains traditional. The wall of a bowl is read like a paper ink drawing being gradually unrolled. The theme of fishes moving at mid-depth amidst the aquatic weeds of a pond is well suited to such achievements.
On April 5, 2017, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 230M at lot 101 a bell-shaped bowl on that theme, 23 cm in diameter, with a ultimate refinement : it is lobed in ten sections down to the base which is also lobed in the extension. The goal is an unprecedented visual effect : the unfolding of the image before the eyes gives the impression of a gentle movement of the fish.
The lobes are not new in Chinese porcelain : washers or saucers lobed for imitating a flower had been a specialty of the fabulous Ru kilns at the end of the Northern Song dynasty.
A piece as deep as that lobed fish bowl is a technical feat : no other specimen of this form and visual effect has surfaced in such a large size. Two smaller bowls were identified in an ancient inventory of the Taipei Museum. Waste from an even smaller discarded piece was found in Jingdezhen.
A Xuande bowl expected to fetch US$12.8mil leads #HongKong's Chinese Works of Art sales on 5 Apr #sothebysasianart https://t.co/5ILRjKHVQh pic.twitter.com/WIhR7E11Yk
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) March 27, 2017
2
Dragon Jar
2016 SOLD for HK$ 158M by Christie's
The mastery of porcelain in the Ming dynasty is achieved in three phases : a restart to the top quality under Yongle, an approach to touching perfection under Xuande and the masterpieces for the palace of Chenghua.
The use of underglaze cobalt blue on the white porcelain had reached under the Yuan a refinement which continued under Yongle. In the reign of the Xuande emperor the chemists significantly improved this technique for shading the blue. An extreme care is taken in the homogeneity of the cobalt solution and in the control of the kiln atmosphere. The sharpness of the line is also improved.
The image of the dragon, appreciated by the Yuan, becomes popular again in the Xuande porcelain, with a fierce expression. Dark blue dragons move in an environment of lighter figures. This contrast reinforces the power of the imperial symbol.
On May 30, 2016, Christie's sold for HK $ 158M from a lower estimate of HK $ 60M a jar with the mark of Xuande 48 cm high, lot 3012. The empowered dragon deploys its undulating body throughout the circumference. It is a great examples of the Xuande perfection in blue and white that will never be equaled even under Chenghua.
The use of underglaze cobalt blue on the white porcelain had reached under the Yuan a refinement which continued under Yongle. In the reign of the Xuande emperor the chemists significantly improved this technique for shading the blue. An extreme care is taken in the homogeneity of the cobalt solution and in the control of the kiln atmosphere. The sharpness of the line is also improved.
The image of the dragon, appreciated by the Yuan, becomes popular again in the Xuande porcelain, with a fierce expression. Dark blue dragons move in an environment of lighter figures. This contrast reinforces the power of the imperial symbol.
On May 30, 2016, Christie's sold for HK $ 158M from a lower estimate of HK $ 60M a jar with the mark of Xuande 48 cm high, lot 3012. The empowered dragon deploys its undulating body throughout the circumference. It is a great examples of the Xuande perfection in blue and white that will never be equaled even under Chenghua.
What makes this large 15th-century 'dragon' jar so rare — and so special? https://t.co/QLNIYOqVal pic.twitter.com/3fOW2SxJrB
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 16, 2016
Once used as an umbrella stand, this Ming Dynasty 'Dragon' jar sold for over $20 million pic.twitter.com/BT3lTth3vU
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 22, 2016
3
Dragon Stembowl
2012 SOLD for HK$ 113M by Sotheby's
During Xuande's reign, white porcelain is purified with an unprecedented care, creating an unalterable material. The improvement of the cobalt blue associated with a thick glaze provides to the imperial pieces the brilliance of the drawing and the tactile quality. These advances allow Jingdezhen potters to prepare new visual effects.
The realization of different hues of blue on the same piece is obtained by spreading the color like a traditional ink wash on a paper. Obtaining shades of blue by modifying the purity of cobalt will be developed half a century later for the Chenghua palace bowls.
The Chinese have always enjoyed the lithophanes. The new purity of the porcelain, associated with a thinness of the walls which does not prevent the robustness, makes it possible to incise hidden images observable only by transparency. This technique is named anhua.
A model of bowl on a tall hollow foot includes all these advances of the blue and white. These pieces about 15.5 cm in diameter are decorated on the exterior of the bowl with two dragons drawn in dark blue with a fine brush, evolving within light blue clouds. The interior includes a pair of anhua dragons that encircle the imperial mark painted in dark blue. For these bowls of very high prestige, these dragons are imperial with five fingers per leg.
These stem bowls were made in series, as it is often the case with Chinese imperial porcelain. Four of them are almost identical. A bowl 15 cm high was sold for HK $ 113M from a lower estimate of HK $ 50M by Sotheby's on April 4, 2012, lot 29. The artist, playing with the thickness of the line, obtained several shades of blue.
Another one was sold for HK $ 75M by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, 2019, lot 3606. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Four pieces also exist in a very close variant, of the same dimensions, recognizable by a different design of the rocks on the foot. One of them, also with the anhua, was sold for HK $ 69M by Christie's on November 30, 2016. Christie's commented that the anhua is so subtle that it was missed by the catalogers in the previous sales of the same specimen.
On May 31, 2016, Lyon and Turnbull in association with Freeman's sold for HK $ 41.5M a stem cup without anhua, lot 84. Please watch the video edired by the auction house. On the theme of two flying dragons chasing the pearl, it is a great example of the Xuande luminosity in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua. This small piece 8.7 cm high and 9.8 cm in diameter is in brilliant condition including the perfectly preserved softness of its thick and lustrous glaze.
The realization of different hues of blue on the same piece is obtained by spreading the color like a traditional ink wash on a paper. Obtaining shades of blue by modifying the purity of cobalt will be developed half a century later for the Chenghua palace bowls.
The Chinese have always enjoyed the lithophanes. The new purity of the porcelain, associated with a thinness of the walls which does not prevent the robustness, makes it possible to incise hidden images observable only by transparency. This technique is named anhua.
A model of bowl on a tall hollow foot includes all these advances of the blue and white. These pieces about 15.5 cm in diameter are decorated on the exterior of the bowl with two dragons drawn in dark blue with a fine brush, evolving within light blue clouds. The interior includes a pair of anhua dragons that encircle the imperial mark painted in dark blue. For these bowls of very high prestige, these dragons are imperial with five fingers per leg.
These stem bowls were made in series, as it is often the case with Chinese imperial porcelain. Four of them are almost identical. A bowl 15 cm high was sold for HK $ 113M from a lower estimate of HK $ 50M by Sotheby's on April 4, 2012, lot 29. The artist, playing with the thickness of the line, obtained several shades of blue.
Another one was sold for HK $ 75M by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 8, 2019, lot 3606. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Four pieces also exist in a very close variant, of the same dimensions, recognizable by a different design of the rocks on the foot. One of them, also with the anhua, was sold for HK $ 69M by Christie's on November 30, 2016. Christie's commented that the anhua is so subtle that it was missed by the catalogers in the previous sales of the same specimen.
On May 31, 2016, Lyon and Turnbull in association with Freeman's sold for HK $ 41.5M a stem cup without anhua, lot 84. Please watch the video edired by the auction house. On the theme of two flying dragons chasing the pearl, it is a great example of the Xuande luminosity in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua. This small piece 8.7 cm high and 9.8 cm in diameter is in brilliant condition including the perfectly preserved softness of its thick and lustrous glaze.
CHENGHUA
1
Chicken Cup
2014 SOLD for HK$ 280M by Sotheby's
In 1464 CE, Chenghua became the eighth Ming Emperor. Politically dominated by his eunuchs and socially by his concubines, he did not leave an indelible mark in history during this reign that lasted 24 years. Inactive after the reign of Xuande, the Jingdezhen kilns were reactivated three decades later by Chenghua.
The blue and white in two hues of the beginning looks similar as Yuan and early Ming styles. The most recent technical innovation is then the doucai, by which other colors could be added through a second firing.
The best period of Chenghua porcelains is the second decade of his reign with the unique technique of the so-called palace bowls. Improvements are made to the choice of materials, enabling a higher temperature.
These pieces are innovative by the extreme care in realizing the porcelain with a dense paste, a transparent and robust glaze, providing a tactile quality that will never be available again.
The doucai color also gets some spectacular progress. Mixing enameled colors over the glaze allows a wide range of shades. The gently curved shapes of their walls are also new, in several variants.
Cups are used for wine and bowls for food. These pieces bearing the imperial mark are mainly made for the use of the principal concubine Wan Guifei whose demands were evidently extreme. They are highly rare and not even found as failed or waste pieces, demonstrating the rigorous surveillance made on site in Jingdezhen by imperial eunuchs.
This limited production was so expensive that the emperor's advisers were able to stop it after about ten years, during the 20th year of the reign corresponding to 1485 CE, two years before the death of the emperor and his concubine.
The drawing is innovative with asymmetrical compositions often adorned with spirals. The chicken cups are prestigious. Bowls are decorated with delicacy and simplicity, with flowers or fruits of botanical accuracy.
The figures of Chenghua ceramics are simple and naive. However, his chicken wine cups had an almost mystical reputation. The rooster is the emperor, and the hen protecting her chicks is his favorite concubine. Wan Guifei herself intervened to improve the quality of imperial porcelains.
One of these wonders is in perfect condition, on a pristine white background, without any crack or scratch. This piece 8.2 cm in diameter is decorated underglaze in cobalt blue and multicolored on its surface.
It was sold for HK $ 29M on April 27, 1999 by Sotheby's, purchased at that sale by Eskenazi. It was sold by Sotheby's on April 8, 2014 for HK $ 280M from a lower estimate of HK $ 200M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
380 years earlier the Ru of the Song had been interrupted by the Yuan invasion after only a few years. Similarly, the production of Chenghua bowls did not survive his reign. Easier to execute, the doucai had a great future and is one of the major steps that lead to the perfection of colors of the falangcai under the Qing.
The blue and white in two hues of the beginning looks similar as Yuan and early Ming styles. The most recent technical innovation is then the doucai, by which other colors could be added through a second firing.
The best period of Chenghua porcelains is the second decade of his reign with the unique technique of the so-called palace bowls. Improvements are made to the choice of materials, enabling a higher temperature.
These pieces are innovative by the extreme care in realizing the porcelain with a dense paste, a transparent and robust glaze, providing a tactile quality that will never be available again.
The doucai color also gets some spectacular progress. Mixing enameled colors over the glaze allows a wide range of shades. The gently curved shapes of their walls are also new, in several variants.
Cups are used for wine and bowls for food. These pieces bearing the imperial mark are mainly made for the use of the principal concubine Wan Guifei whose demands were evidently extreme. They are highly rare and not even found as failed or waste pieces, demonstrating the rigorous surveillance made on site in Jingdezhen by imperial eunuchs.
This limited production was so expensive that the emperor's advisers were able to stop it after about ten years, during the 20th year of the reign corresponding to 1485 CE, two years before the death of the emperor and his concubine.
The drawing is innovative with asymmetrical compositions often adorned with spirals. The chicken cups are prestigious. Bowls are decorated with delicacy and simplicity, with flowers or fruits of botanical accuracy.
The figures of Chenghua ceramics are simple and naive. However, his chicken wine cups had an almost mystical reputation. The rooster is the emperor, and the hen protecting her chicks is his favorite concubine. Wan Guifei herself intervened to improve the quality of imperial porcelains.
One of these wonders is in perfect condition, on a pristine white background, without any crack or scratch. This piece 8.2 cm in diameter is decorated underglaze in cobalt blue and multicolored on its surface.
It was sold for HK $ 29M on April 27, 1999 by Sotheby's, purchased at that sale by Eskenazi. It was sold by Sotheby's on April 8, 2014 for HK $ 280M from a lower estimate of HK $ 200M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
380 years earlier the Ru of the Song had been interrupted by the Yuan invasion after only a few years. Similarly, the production of Chenghua bowls did not survive his reign. Easier to execute, the doucai had a great future and is one of the major steps that lead to the perfection of colors of the falangcai under the Qing.
2
Palace Bowl
2013 SOLD for HK$ 140M by Sotheby's
White porcelain from the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen was highly appreciated by the Ming. Yongle, third emperor of the dynasty, had promoted pieces in immaculate white, without slowing the progress of underglaze decoration in cobalt blue.
The "palace bowls" were produced for a very short period not exceeding 7 years, from 1481 to 1487 in our calendar at the end of the reign of Chenghua, the seventh emperor. This utensil is by nature an object to be touched. These Chenghua bowls reach a perfection of tactility that will never be exceeded.
Vines of melons are a rare theme symbolizing an auspicious prosperity to the offspring. The bowl from the Meiyintang collection with a nice balance of blue and white was sold in post sale for HK $ 90M at Sotheby's on April 7, 2011. Measuring 15 cm in diameter, it is inscribed with the six-character mark of Chenghua and decorated with melon vines including leaves and fruits.
On April 6, 2016, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 64M another melon bowl, lot 25. This piece is unique in the details of its pattern by the quantity and density of the fruit. Its size is 15.4 cm in diameter.
On October 8, 2013, Sotheby's sold a palace bowl with the Chenghua imperial mark for HK $ 140M from a lower estimate of HK $ 80M, lot 101.
It is decorated inside and outside with humble musk-mallows. Also same as the melon bowl, it wears the Imperial mark.
The "palace bowls" were produced for a very short period not exceeding 7 years, from 1481 to 1487 in our calendar at the end of the reign of Chenghua, the seventh emperor. This utensil is by nature an object to be touched. These Chenghua bowls reach a perfection of tactility that will never be exceeded.
Vines of melons are a rare theme symbolizing an auspicious prosperity to the offspring. The bowl from the Meiyintang collection with a nice balance of blue and white was sold in post sale for HK $ 90M at Sotheby's on April 7, 2011. Measuring 15 cm in diameter, it is inscribed with the six-character mark of Chenghua and decorated with melon vines including leaves and fruits.
On April 6, 2016, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 64M another melon bowl, lot 25. This piece is unique in the details of its pattern by the quantity and density of the fruit. Its size is 15.4 cm in diameter.
On October 8, 2013, Sotheby's sold a palace bowl with the Chenghua imperial mark for HK $ 140M from a lower estimate of HK $ 80M, lot 101.
It is decorated inside and outside with humble musk-mallows. Also same as the melon bowl, it wears the Imperial mark.
1559-1566 Jiajing Fish Jar
2017 SOLD for HK$ 214M by Christie's
The palace bowls of the Chenghua emperor were fabulous by the quality of the porcelain and their early application of polychromy but the pieces were small and the drawings were naive. A period of inactivity begins because of court protests against the onerous taste of the leading concubine for such a luxury.
The progress of Jingdezhen porcelain is restarting with the Jiajing emperor, an art lover and an adept of Daoism. Becoming emperor at the age of 14 in 1522 CE, Jiajing retreated from politics in 1542 and reigned for 24 further years, obsessed by the search for immortality.
Large pieces are made under his rule, using the bright color palette identified as wucai. Wucai means five enamels, five having here a meaning of plurality adjusted to the five elements.
The porcelain was first painted with the classical underglaze blue. The other colors were added over the glaze. Experts believe that three firings have been necessary. The fish jars display a golden orange of the carps specially developed under Jiajing, applying an iron red over an already fired yellow enamel. This onerous technique was not maintained afterwards.
This emperor liked to state that he was the fisherman of the heavenly pond. The pattern with fish swimming amidst aquatic plants enables a pleasing interweaving of the drawings on the walls of the jars and Jiajing himself promotes this theme by massive commissions. The details of the themes are related to homophonic rebuses bringing to the emperor the auspices that he so much enjoyed.
No record was found of imperial orders for Jiajing polychrome porcelains, leading to a terminus post quem ca 1559. All the fish jars share the same basic design.
A 46 cm high wucai guan shaped jar with its cover is one of the biggest pieces of that type. It is animated by carps of two different sizes. The suspension of the fish in water allows various attitudes.
Pieces which are still with their original cover are very rare in private hands. This one was sold for HK $ 44M by Sotheby's on October 29, 2000, and for HK $ 214M by Christie's on November 27, 2017, lot 8006. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
In the same technique and size as the example above, a pair of Jiajing fish jars with their original covers was sold for £ 9.6M by Sotheby's on November 6, 2024, lot 32. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. This pair has been treasured in the same German family for about a century. Another pair with covers, somewhat damaged, is kept at the Musée Guimet.
The progress of Jingdezhen porcelain is restarting with the Jiajing emperor, an art lover and an adept of Daoism. Becoming emperor at the age of 14 in 1522 CE, Jiajing retreated from politics in 1542 and reigned for 24 further years, obsessed by the search for immortality.
Large pieces are made under his rule, using the bright color palette identified as wucai. Wucai means five enamels, five having here a meaning of plurality adjusted to the five elements.
The porcelain was first painted with the classical underglaze blue. The other colors were added over the glaze. Experts believe that three firings have been necessary. The fish jars display a golden orange of the carps specially developed under Jiajing, applying an iron red over an already fired yellow enamel. This onerous technique was not maintained afterwards.
This emperor liked to state that he was the fisherman of the heavenly pond. The pattern with fish swimming amidst aquatic plants enables a pleasing interweaving of the drawings on the walls of the jars and Jiajing himself promotes this theme by massive commissions. The details of the themes are related to homophonic rebuses bringing to the emperor the auspices that he so much enjoyed.
No record was found of imperial orders for Jiajing polychrome porcelains, leading to a terminus post quem ca 1559. All the fish jars share the same basic design.
A 46 cm high wucai guan shaped jar with its cover is one of the biggest pieces of that type. It is animated by carps of two different sizes. The suspension of the fish in water allows various attitudes.
Pieces which are still with their original cover are very rare in private hands. This one was sold for HK $ 44M by Sotheby's on October 29, 2000, and for HK $ 214M by Christie's on November 27, 2017, lot 8006. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
In the same technique and size as the example above, a pair of Jiajing fish jars with their original covers was sold for £ 9.6M by Sotheby's on November 6, 2024, lot 32. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. This pair has been treasured in the same German family for about a century. Another pair with covers, somewhat damaged, is kept at the Musée Guimet.
