Vase en porcelaine à décor rouge de cuivre Yuhuchunping, Chine, dynastie Ming, époque Hongwu (1368-1398)
Lot 37. Vase en porcelaine à décor rouge de cuivre Yuhuchunping, Chine, dynastie Ming, époque Hongwu (1368-1398); 31,5 cm, 121/8 in. Estimate 80,000-120,000 EUR. Lot Sold 84,750 EUR. Photo Sotheby's 2011
e corps en forme de poire finement peint en rouge de cuivre sous couverte deᅠpivoines dans des rinceaux feuillagésᅠsous une frise de têtes de ruyi stylisées, le piedᅠsouligné d'une frise de grecquesᅠsousᅠdes pétales stylisés, le col décoréᅠd'une bande d'entrelacsᅠet de feuilles de bananier séparées par une frise de grecques ;ᅠle col coupé, restaurations.
An underglaze copper-red porcelain vase, yuhuchunping, China, Ming dynasty, Hongwu period (1368-1398)
See a similar vase illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 34, Blue and White Porcelain with Undeglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, ill. 197, p. 212 and a close example with the same design of peonies but a band of waves around the neck sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 May 2006.
Note: Finely painted with a rhythmic peony scroll and bands of stylised motifs, the present piece is a rare example of 14th century copper-red decorated porcelain. Copper as a colouring agent is particularly unstable in the firing process, thus it carries a high possibility of becoming runny and leaving indistinct outlines or resulting in weak shades of red and pale grey tones. The strong copper tones and clearly pencilled lines set this vase apart as a highly successful and skilfully manufactured piece.
This vase is particularly rare for the combination of a key fret band at the foot and curling stems encircling the neck. A related example, but with a classic scroll adorning the foot, was sold in our London rooms, 21st November 1961, lot 24; and another, but with a band of an undulating stem at the neck, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd May 1995, lot 14.
Compare also vases decorated with various bands of decoration on the neck and foot, such as two in the Qing Court collection, and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red, vol. 1, Shanghai, 2000, pls 196 and 197; another in the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 112; one from the collection of Sir Harry Garner and sold in our London rooms, 21st November 1961, lot 24; and four bottles of this type published in Mayuyama: Seventy Years, Tokyo, 1976, pls 721-24. See also a vase of this type sold three times at auction and most recently at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2006, lot 1248.
Very little underglaze-red decorated Hongwu porcelain appears to have been excavated from the imperial Kiln sites at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. However, the peony scroll, key fret and petal panel borders are all found on copper-red bowls attributed to the Hongwu period, excavated from the Zhushan site in Jingdezhen and included in the exhibition Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1996, cat. nos 7-10.
Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie, Paris, 8 juin 2011