Years 1400-1429
See also : China Early Ming Buddhism Chinese porcelain Ming porcelain Ancient sculpture Islam Persia Manuscript Religious texts Textiles
The Buddhist Legitimacy of the Yongle Emperor
2014 SOLD for HK$ 350M including premium
Hongwu had founded the Ming Dynasty by relying upon Buddhist sects. His fourth son, the Prince of Yan, was an able and competent general. Too competent indeed : the old emperor found a subterfuge for removing him from the rule of succession.
The Prince took power in a coup four years later, 1402 in our calendar. His nephew, who perished in the fire of the imperial palace after having revived the feudal war, was scholar minded and supported by the Confucians. The new emperor erased from the annals the reign of his predecessor of whom he massacred the followers, took the name Yongle meaning Perpetual Happiness and immediately began to prepare for the transfer of the capital from Nanking to Beijing.
The ambitious Yongle could not appear as a usurper : he offered to himself a Buddhist legitimacy. He invited the Karmapa, who was one of the most important sages of Tibetan Buddhism and got his power through reincarnation.
The trip of the Karmapa from Tibet to Nanking lasted four years, during which Yongle organized the Buddhist tribute to his deceased parents and prepared lavish gifts. The stories of miracles performed by the Karmapa were propagated and contributed effectively to assure the power of Yongle, now firmly established as Hongwu's heir.
On November 26 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells a wonderful silk thangka embroidered with silk and gold threads, lot 3001. This monumental piece 3.35 x 2.13 m is in perfect condition with bright colors of great beauty.
According to the concerns of Yongle, its theme is the victory over death. The central character with a bright red head is Raktayamari, the Conqueror of Death, who embraces his wife and mercilessly tramples the blue body of Yama the Lord of Death lying on the back of a buffalo. The top and bottom of the image display some deities inviting to Buddhist devotion.
This piece includes the presentation mark of Yongle. The existence of two thangkas of same quality in a monastery in Lhasa along with the fact that the thangka for sale was in Sikkim in the 1940s reinforces the assumption that it had actually accompanied the Karmapa in his return trip.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's:
The Prince took power in a coup four years later, 1402 in our calendar. His nephew, who perished in the fire of the imperial palace after having revived the feudal war, was scholar minded and supported by the Confucians. The new emperor erased from the annals the reign of his predecessor of whom he massacred the followers, took the name Yongle meaning Perpetual Happiness and immediately began to prepare for the transfer of the capital from Nanking to Beijing.
The ambitious Yongle could not appear as a usurper : he offered to himself a Buddhist legitimacy. He invited the Karmapa, who was one of the most important sages of Tibetan Buddhism and got his power through reincarnation.
The trip of the Karmapa from Tibet to Nanking lasted four years, during which Yongle organized the Buddhist tribute to his deceased parents and prepared lavish gifts. The stories of miracles performed by the Karmapa were propagated and contributed effectively to assure the power of Yongle, now firmly established as Hongwu's heir.
On November 26 in Hong Kong, Christie's sells a wonderful silk thangka embroidered with silk and gold threads, lot 3001. This monumental piece 3.35 x 2.13 m is in perfect condition with bright colors of great beauty.
According to the concerns of Yongle, its theme is the victory over death. The central character with a bright red head is Raktayamari, the Conqueror of Death, who embraces his wife and mercilessly tramples the blue body of Yama the Lord of Death lying on the back of a buffalo. The top and bottom of the image display some deities inviting to Buddhist devotion.
This piece includes the presentation mark of Yongle. The existence of two thangkas of same quality in a monastery in Lhasa along with the fact that the thangka for sale was in Sikkim in the 1940s reinforces the assumption that it had actually accompanied the Karmapa in his return trip.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's:
The Yongle Mark on a Buddhist Figure
2013 SOLD 236 MHK$ including premium
Yongle, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, is one of the most remarkable of all the emperors of China. A formidable autocrat and an uncompromising military, he was however a protector of all cultural trends and all religions of China.
At the beginning of his reign, 600 years ago, his sympathy for Buddhism is clearly stated. Relying on a meeting with an important Tibetan scholar, it is accompanied by the announcement of miracles.
Nothing is simple with the Yongle emperor. His personal preference went certainly to Confucianism, and such a pro-Buddhist movement could be a strategy to reduce the influence of the Yuan.
During his reign, the massive gilded bronze statues reach a perfection of form, proportions and beauty of attitudes. This peak of Chinese Buddhist art will continue into the reign of Xuande.
On October 8 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a statue 55 cm high with the mark of Yongle. The absence of color traces goes against the Tibetan tradition and suggests that this Buddha was designed for the use of the imperial court.
Seated on a double lotus, Shakyamuni Buddha displays an attitude of complete serenity. His eyelids are closed despite the temptation from the demons in the last events preceding his enlightenment. A hand towards the ground shows that he does not forget the realities.
Here is the link to the catalog. The estimate beyond HK$ 50M has been indicated in the press release of August 28.
POST SALE COMMENT
Buddha had all the qualities, and it is the same for this statue: beauty of carving and gilding, perfect expression, important period. It was sold for HK $ 236M including premium.
At the beginning of his reign, 600 years ago, his sympathy for Buddhism is clearly stated. Relying on a meeting with an important Tibetan scholar, it is accompanied by the announcement of miracles.
Nothing is simple with the Yongle emperor. His personal preference went certainly to Confucianism, and such a pro-Buddhist movement could be a strategy to reduce the influence of the Yuan.
During his reign, the massive gilded bronze statues reach a perfection of form, proportions and beauty of attitudes. This peak of Chinese Buddhist art will continue into the reign of Xuande.
On October 8 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a statue 55 cm high with the mark of Yongle. The absence of color traces goes against the Tibetan tradition and suggests that this Buddha was designed for the use of the imperial court.
Seated on a double lotus, Shakyamuni Buddha displays an attitude of complete serenity. His eyelids are closed despite the temptation from the demons in the last events preceding his enlightenment. A hand towards the ground shows that he does not forget the realities.
Here is the link to the catalog. The estimate beyond HK$ 50M has been indicated in the press release of August 28.
POST SALE COMMENT
Buddha had all the qualities, and it is the same for this statue: beauty of carving and gilding, perfect expression, important period. It was sold for HK $ 236M including premium.
Yongle - A Masculine Yongle Meiping
2011 SOLD 168 MHK$ including premium
Yongle, the third Ming emperor, reigned 600 years ago. In porcelain, the cobalt blue on a white background was already reaching a high level of perfection, and the Meiping shape was fashionable for the vases.
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 large vase, 36 cm high, for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 5, is more masculine in its massive form. Its fine decoration is classic : branches bearing fruit.
It is the star lot of the second sale of the prestigious Meiyintang collection. It is estimated HK $ 80M, and illustrated at the top of the left column in the article shared by ARTINFO.
The first Meiyintang sale, on April 7, included some very beautiful pieces, but buyers were confused by the process for guarantee of payment requested by the auction house. The two top lot, the Qianlong vase with pheasants and a bowl with melon vines from Chenghua time, had to wait the post-sale for finding a buyer, at 200 and 90 MHK$ respectively.
The next sale will be a good test for this exciting market.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is a glorious day for the Ming porcelain. This large size vase was sold HK$ 168M including premium.
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 large vase, 36 cm high, for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 5, is more masculine in its massive form. Its fine decoration is classic : branches bearing fruit.
It is the star lot of the second sale of the prestigious Meiyintang collection. It is estimated HK $ 80M, and illustrated at the top of the left column in the article shared by ARTINFO.
The first Meiyintang sale, on April 7, included some very beautiful pieces, but buyers were confused by the process for guarantee of payment requested by the auction house. The two top lot, the Qianlong vase with pheasants and a bowl with melon vines from Chenghua time, had to wait the post-sale for finding a buyer, at 200 and 90 MHK$ respectively.
The next sale will be a good test for this exciting market.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is a glorious day for the Ming porcelain. This large size vase was sold HK$ 168M including premium.
Yongle - Doctor Buddha
2014 SOLD 5.5 M$ including premium
Buddha is omnipotent. He plays all the roles to lead the faithful on his way. His most popular figures are Shakyamuni, reminiscent of his historical preaching, and Amitabha who invites the souls on the way to paradise. The Buddha healer of the bodies, Bhaishajyaguru, is more rare.
The gilt bronze Buddhist figures reach their supreme refinement during the reign of Yongle, the third Ming emperor, 600 years ago. The perfection of expressions and attitudes is worthy of the purity of Buddha. The thick double lotus base allows him to dominate his audience while retaining a seated pose.
On October 8, 2013, Sotheby's sold HK $ 236M including premium a serene Shakyamuni 55 cm high.
On March 20 in New York, Christie's sells a Bhaishajyaguru 28 cm high, also with the Yongle imperial mark, estimated $ 2M.
Smiling but a little stiff in his role as a teacher, this Medicine Buddha offers the myrobalan, an obsolete wording naming the dried fruit for pharmaceutical use. In one hand he carries a pot. To display his symbol, he takes with elegance a single fruit between thumb and index fingers of the other hand.
POST SALE COMMENT
This bronze deserved to be compared with the Shakyamuni sold last year but it is smaller. The result, $ 5.5 million including premium, is excellent.
The gilt bronze Buddhist figures reach their supreme refinement during the reign of Yongle, the third Ming emperor, 600 years ago. The perfection of expressions and attitudes is worthy of the purity of Buddha. The thick double lotus base allows him to dominate his audience while retaining a seated pose.
On October 8, 2013, Sotheby's sold HK $ 236M including premium a serene Shakyamuni 55 cm high.
On March 20 in New York, Christie's sells a Bhaishajyaguru 28 cm high, also with the Yongle imperial mark, estimated $ 2M.
Smiling but a little stiff in his role as a teacher, this Medicine Buddha offers the myrobalan, an obsolete wording naming the dried fruit for pharmaceutical use. In one hand he carries a pot. To display his symbol, he takes with elegance a single fruit between thumb and index fingers of the other hand.
POST SALE COMMENT
This bronze deserved to be compared with the Shakyamuni sold last year but it is smaller. The result, $ 5.5 million including premium, is excellent.
The White Secret of the Yongle Emperor
2017 SOLD for $ 3.13M including premium
A 32 cm high meiping vase was sold for $ 2.77M including premium by Christie's on September 17, 2008, lot 245. It is now estimated $ 2.3M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on March 14, lot 3. The essay below is improved from my 2008 discussion.
600 years ago the third Ming emperor reigned over China. His reign name was Yongle. An effective and refined despote, he promoted the Chinese culture and helped protecting China against foreign influences.
His preferred color was white. To please the Emperor the chemists developed during his reign a highly tactile white glazed porcelain known as tianbai meaning sweet white. It is particularly appealing with its glossy texture whiter than the bulk of its ceramics.
The emperor so enjoyed the purity of the tianbai that he rejected the presents in jade. It was a very difficult technique as evidenced by the high number of rejected fragments excavated in Jingdezhen compared with the extreme scarcity of surviving end item products.
The vase for sale has a baluster shape with high shoulder, short neck and small mouth. This shape is named meiping. Of course meiping was also popular in blue and white. A Yongle vase 36 cm high was sold for HK$ 168M including premium by Sotheby's on October 5, 2011.
The tianban meiping coming back for sale displays another exquisite refinement known as anhua meaning secret. Its body is incised with motifs of scrolls, lotus, blossoms and buds that remain invisible at a distance.
Hopefully this white auspicious vase will make the yongle of its new owner : Yongle means perpetual happiness in medieval Chinese.
600 years ago the third Ming emperor reigned over China. His reign name was Yongle. An effective and refined despote, he promoted the Chinese culture and helped protecting China against foreign influences.
His preferred color was white. To please the Emperor the chemists developed during his reign a highly tactile white glazed porcelain known as tianbai meaning sweet white. It is particularly appealing with its glossy texture whiter than the bulk of its ceramics.
The emperor so enjoyed the purity of the tianbai that he rejected the presents in jade. It was a very difficult technique as evidenced by the high number of rejected fragments excavated in Jingdezhen compared with the extreme scarcity of surviving end item products.
The vase for sale has a baluster shape with high shoulder, short neck and small mouth. This shape is named meiping. Of course meiping was also popular in blue and white. A Yongle vase 36 cm high was sold for HK$ 168M including premium by Sotheby's on October 5, 2011.
The tianban meiping coming back for sale displays another exquisite refinement known as anhua meaning secret. Its body is incised with motifs of scrolls, lotus, blossoms and buds that remain invisible at a distance.
Hopefully this white auspicious vase will make the yongle of its new owner : Yongle means perpetual happiness in medieval Chinese.
@Sothebys Opens Asia Week With $3.1 Million Vase@AsiaWeekNY #auction #arthttps://t.co/Djz4HFxSbP pic.twitter.com/YqQLqBWSKo
— Antiques & The Arts (@TheBeeAntiques) March 15, 2017
1416 The Funerary Art of the Valois
2016 SOLD for € 5M including premium
In 1364 Charles V becomes King of France, aged 26. He immediately commissions the graves of his grandparents Philippe VI and Queen Jeanne who had died during the plague epidemic in 1350 and 1349 respectively, and of his father Jean II whose body was repatriated from England.
The new king also wants to prepare for the future. He requires to simultaneously prepare his own monument and his gisant (recumbent) in white marble which are the masterpieces of André Beauneveu.
The descendants of St. Louis view this new funerary art installed in grand chapels as a way to maintain respect and even devotion from the people. The dukes of Burgundy and of Berry, sons of Charles V, amplify that tradition.
Philippe de Bourgogne approves in 1381 the drawing for his own monument. The recumbent figure is placed on a high base flanked by arches sheltering a procession of 41 pleurants (mourners) 40 cm high. There is no emergency. Most of these statuettes will be realized by Claus de Werwe, nephew of Claus Sluter, between 1406 and 1410. The duke had died in 1404.
Jean de Berry certainly wanted to imitate his brother because his monument has a very similar design. He defines his chapel at Bourges in 1391 from the model of the Sainte-Chapelle of St. Louis. At the death of the duke in 1416, Jean de Cambrai had made the recumbent and the canopy and started the arches. He had also completed five surface-mounted statuettes of mourners in marble from the 40 that had been scheduled.
Two of the mourners in marble remain in private hands. They will be sold together by Christie's in Paris on June 15, lot 24 estimated € 4.5 million.
The male heirs of Jean de Berry predeceased him and a tribute to the late duke was no longer appealing. The payment of the artists is suspended and the work is stopped. The 35 other mourners will be realized circa 1450 in alabaster, cheaper than the marble. The style has changed and the attitudes are more expressive. Two of these statuettes, from the same collection as the two marbles discussed above, were sold together for € 4M including premium by Christie's on November 8, 2013.
The new king also wants to prepare for the future. He requires to simultaneously prepare his own monument and his gisant (recumbent) in white marble which are the masterpieces of André Beauneveu.
The descendants of St. Louis view this new funerary art installed in grand chapels as a way to maintain respect and even devotion from the people. The dukes of Burgundy and of Berry, sons of Charles V, amplify that tradition.
Philippe de Bourgogne approves in 1381 the drawing for his own monument. The recumbent figure is placed on a high base flanked by arches sheltering a procession of 41 pleurants (mourners) 40 cm high. There is no emergency. Most of these statuettes will be realized by Claus de Werwe, nephew of Claus Sluter, between 1406 and 1410. The duke had died in 1404.
Jean de Berry certainly wanted to imitate his brother because his monument has a very similar design. He defines his chapel at Bourges in 1391 from the model of the Sainte-Chapelle of St. Louis. At the death of the duke in 1416, Jean de Cambrai had made the recumbent and the canopy and started the arches. He had also completed five surface-mounted statuettes of mourners in marble from the 40 that had been scheduled.
Two of the mourners in marble remain in private hands. They will be sold together by Christie's in Paris on June 15, lot 24 estimated € 4.5 million.
The male heirs of Jean de Berry predeceased him and a tribute to the late duke was no longer appealing. The payment of the artists is suspended and the work is stopped. The 35 other mourners will be realized circa 1450 in alabaster, cheaper than the marble. The style has changed and the attitudes are more expressive. Two of these statuettes, from the same collection as the two marbles discussed above, were sold together for € 4M including premium by Christie's on November 8, 2013.
Christie's to offer the last two mourners from the tomb of the duc de Berry https://t.co/csOAAIg6zk pic.twitter.com/xhwJyKFqL7
— ArtDaily (@artdaily) March 31, 2016
#Highlights2016 – The Duc de Berry marble mourners, sold at Christie's Paris in June https://t.co/JHk9mT8HrF pic.twitter.com/PnfGNE8ZpQ
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) December 31, 2016
> 1417 Persian Manuscripts on Chinese Paper
2020 SOLD for £ 7M including premium
The ambition of Timur (Tamerlane) had been to become the Khan of the Mongols and the Caliph of the Muslims. He could not obtain these titles for traditional reasons but he was the most effective conqueror and was never defeated. His capital was Samarkand.
The Timurid empire broke out after his death. His son Shahrukh reigned over Persia and transferred the capital from Samarkand to Herat. He re-established relations with China through the silk road and became immensely wealthy. He did not seek conquests, took the title of sultan and protected Islam.
This political lull occured during the reign of Yongle of the Ming. A first Chinese embassy reaches Herat in 815 AH (1412 CE). China produces porcelain decorated in Muslim taste to serve as a diplomatic gift. The second embassy in 820 AH brought many gifts including porcelain but also silks, brocades, velvets and paper. This embassy is probably the terminus post quem of the Persian books on Chinese paper.
The Chinese luxury paper is thick, and designed to be extremely soft and silky to the touch. The Chinese workshops prepare the folio on a monochrome background in various hues of blue, pink, lavender, yellow and green. They then add an illustration in gold, with speckled patterns and sometimes figurative drawings, without human representation in conformance with the iconographic principles of Islam. The Persian workshops add their text on this preparation.
A dozen Persian manuscripts on Chinese paper are known, including four Qur'ans. One of these Qur'ans, recently discovered, consists of 534 folios 23 x 16 cm, 29 of which have been replaced. The text in Naskh script is written on each page in a 14 x 9.4 cm frame. The binding is Safavid. This book is estimated £ 600K for sale by Christie's in London on April 2 (postponed to June 25), lot 29.
The Timurid empire broke out after his death. His son Shahrukh reigned over Persia and transferred the capital from Samarkand to Herat. He re-established relations with China through the silk road and became immensely wealthy. He did not seek conquests, took the title of sultan and protected Islam.
This political lull occured during the reign of Yongle of the Ming. A first Chinese embassy reaches Herat in 815 AH (1412 CE). China produces porcelain decorated in Muslim taste to serve as a diplomatic gift. The second embassy in 820 AH brought many gifts including porcelain but also silks, brocades, velvets and paper. This embassy is probably the terminus post quem of the Persian books on Chinese paper.
The Chinese luxury paper is thick, and designed to be extremely soft and silky to the touch. The Chinese workshops prepare the folio on a monochrome background in various hues of blue, pink, lavender, yellow and green. They then add an illustration in gold, with speckled patterns and sometimes figurative drawings, without human representation in conformance with the iconographic principles of Islam. The Persian workshops add their text on this preparation.
A dozen Persian manuscripts on Chinese paper are known, including four Qur'ans. One of these Qur'ans, recently discovered, consists of 534 folios 23 x 16 cm, 29 of which have been replaced. The text in Naskh script is written on each page in a 14 x 9.4 cm frame. The binding is Safavid. This book is estimated £ 600K for sale by Christie's in London on April 2 (postponed to June 25), lot 29.
1420 Blue and White from Jingdezhen to Shah Jahan
2015 SOLD for $ 5.1M including premium
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.
On March 18 in New York, Sotheby's sells a Ming dish estimated $ 2.5M, lot 264. With no imperial mark, it is however a masterpiece of the blue and white porcelain with its large diameter, 43 cm, the elegance of its waved rim and its figurative theme. It was probably made around 1420, shortly before the end of the Yongle period.
Its naturalistic central theme of grapes on foliated branches of vine, along with a circular frieze of various flowers with their leaves, matched the Muslim taste and anticipates by one century the Iznik dishes. This dish belonged later to a Safavid princess and afterward to Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor of the Mughal dynasty in North India.
It was exhibited in 2000 at the Brooklyn Museum of Art as a major piece from the Cabinet of wonders of the Guennol collection.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's :
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.
On March 18 in New York, Sotheby's sells a Ming dish estimated $ 2.5M, lot 264. With no imperial mark, it is however a masterpiece of the blue and white porcelain with its large diameter, 43 cm, the elegance of its waved rim and its figurative theme. It was probably made around 1420, shortly before the end of the Yongle period.
Its naturalistic central theme of grapes on foliated branches of vine, along with a circular frieze of various flowers with their leaves, matched the Muslim taste and anticipates by one century the Iznik dishes. This dish belonged later to a Safavid princess and afterward to Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor of the Mughal dynasty in North India.
It was exhibited in 2000 at the Brooklyn Museum of Art as a major piece from the Cabinet of wonders of the Guennol collection.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's :
Yongle - The Bottomless Vase
2019 SOLD for HK$ 23.6M including premium
The Yongle emperor greatly intensifies China's trade with the Middle East. At the same time Jingdezhen becomes the main production center of imperial porcelain. Jingdezhen mainly uses for decoration the cobalt blue imported from the Middle East.
Objects are exchanged. The potters in Jingdezhen add to their know-how the creation of shapes and styles previously unknown in China. Since the Song, porcelain is used in the imperial court for vessels, chargers, plates or flower vases. Unusable objects are extremely rare.
The Mamluks used brass tray stands, built in two truncated cones in opposition around a cylindrical cavity. A horizontal rib at half height allows a better handling. The flat top and bottom are identical at both ends of the cylinder.
This form, comparable to lacquered stands for tea bowls, is however too high and too narrow. Its ceramic reproduction is useless because it cannot offer the steadiness of Mamluk pieces in heavy metal.
Three centuries later, the Qianlong emperor considers a porcelain stand. The quality of workmanship and the very fine decoration imitating Arabic patterns and script indicate that it was produced at the beginning of the Ming period.
A 17 cm high stand almost identical to the piece in the imperial collection is estimated HK $ 20M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 3, lot 102. It is supposed to be from Yongle time when the imperial mark was still often omitted. Similar fragments were found in the Yongle and Xuande strata of the Jingdezhen rubble.
The long inspection poem prepared by Qianlong is translated in Sotheby's catalog.
The most learned of the emperors is so much astonished at the uselessness of this item that he devotes a poem to it despite the absence of an imperial mark. He attributes it reasonably to the Xuande period and inscribes that name on the zitan stand which he commissions for it.
The Son of Heaven is the holder of the continuity of the Chinese dynasties. He does not authorize himself to criticize his Ming predecessor who let made this crazy vase that does not hold water. He opportunely finds an antique fable in which the leak of water from a bottomless goblet is compared to the loss of a good word.
Objects are exchanged. The potters in Jingdezhen add to their know-how the creation of shapes and styles previously unknown in China. Since the Song, porcelain is used in the imperial court for vessels, chargers, plates or flower vases. Unusable objects are extremely rare.
The Mamluks used brass tray stands, built in two truncated cones in opposition around a cylindrical cavity. A horizontal rib at half height allows a better handling. The flat top and bottom are identical at both ends of the cylinder.
This form, comparable to lacquered stands for tea bowls, is however too high and too narrow. Its ceramic reproduction is useless because it cannot offer the steadiness of Mamluk pieces in heavy metal.
Three centuries later, the Qianlong emperor considers a porcelain stand. The quality of workmanship and the very fine decoration imitating Arabic patterns and script indicate that it was produced at the beginning of the Ming period.
A 17 cm high stand almost identical to the piece in the imperial collection is estimated HK $ 20M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 3, lot 102. It is supposed to be from Yongle time when the imperial mark was still often omitted. Similar fragments were found in the Yongle and Xuande strata of the Jingdezhen rubble.
The long inspection poem prepared by Qianlong is translated in Sotheby's catalog.
The most learned of the emperors is so much astonished at the uselessness of this item that he devotes a poem to it despite the absence of an imperial mark. He attributes it reasonably to the Xuande period and inscribes that name on the zitan stand which he commissions for it.
The Son of Heaven is the holder of the continuity of the Chinese dynasties. He does not authorize himself to criticize his Ming predecessor who let made this crazy vase that does not hold water. He opportunely finds an antique fable in which the leak of water from a bottomless goblet is compared to the loss of a good word.
Cloisonné Enamels of the Early Ming
2018 SOLD for HK$ 21.7M including premium
The cloisonné enamels are a very old technique of decoration of the metal that was brought to excellence by the first Ming. The 62 cm high dragon jar kept by the British Museum bears the imperial mark of the Xuande emperor. It is the earliest datable example in its class.
On April 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells an altar jar 26 cm high, lot 3428 estimated HK $ 20M. It wears quite discreetly the Buddhist symbols and its form is of Tibetan ritual inspiration. The decoration of the ovoid body is centered in its circumference by six lotuses of various designs on a turquoise background. The colors are many and bright with a naturalism rare at this time in flowers and leaves.
The wire partitioning is entangled and tight. On the shoulder frieze the use of four color combinations on identical patterns is an additional refinement.
A piece of this quality is extremely rare but an almost identical example is known. The stabilizing heating of the enamels was certainly extremely difficult. They were made during Yongle or Xuande reigns. Both emperors were closely linked to Buddhism.
On April 20, 2017 another similar piece with some misses and wears was sold for $ 810K including premium by Quinn's from an estimate of 400 to 600 dollars. It was dated 18th or 19th century in the post sale release published by Artnet.
Until the falangcai of the Qing nearly three centuries later, such variety and beauty of colors will remain impossible to obtain on porcelains. This probably explains the craze for cloisonné during the short and eventful reign of the Jingtai emperor, second son and second successor to Xuande. From that reign the decoration had become more stylized.
On April 3 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells an altar jar 26 cm high, lot 3428 estimated HK $ 20M. It wears quite discreetly the Buddhist symbols and its form is of Tibetan ritual inspiration. The decoration of the ovoid body is centered in its circumference by six lotuses of various designs on a turquoise background. The colors are many and bright with a naturalism rare at this time in flowers and leaves.
The wire partitioning is entangled and tight. On the shoulder frieze the use of four color combinations on identical patterns is an additional refinement.
A piece of this quality is extremely rare but an almost identical example is known. The stabilizing heating of the enamels was certainly extremely difficult. They were made during Yongle or Xuande reigns. Both emperors were closely linked to Buddhism.
On April 20, 2017 another similar piece with some misses and wears was sold for $ 810K including premium by Quinn's from an estimate of 400 to 600 dollars. It was dated 18th or 19th century in the post sale release published by Artnet.
Until the falangcai of the Qing nearly three centuries later, such variety and beauty of colors will remain impossible to obtain on porcelains. This probably explains the craze for cloisonné during the short and eventful reign of the Jingtai emperor, second son and second successor to Xuande. From that reign the decoration had become more stylized.
