In His Majesty’s Palm: Exquisite Imperial Porcelain from the Alan Chuang Collection
In His Majesty’s Palm: Exquisite Imperial Porcelain from the Alan Chuang Collection
Auction Closed
April 8, 03:58 AM GMT
Estimate
800,000 - 1,200,000 HKD
Lot Details
Description
A fine and very rare blue and white 'Su Jin' cup,
Mark and period of Kangxi
清康熙 青花蘇晉坐禪圖盃 《大清康熙年製》款
finely potted with deep rounded sides resting on a countersunk base, painted with Su Jin, one of the eight 'drunken immortals', seated on a rush mat beside three large jars of wine, with an open sutra and a wine cup in front of him, his hands clasped in prayers to Budai sitting on a table in an alcove, the reverse inscribed with two verses from 'The Ballad of the Eight Drunken Immortals', followed by a square seal shang (appreciation), the base inscribed with a six-character mark within a double circle
d. 6.3 cm
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 21st May 1985, lot 110.
Collection of Henry and Beatrice Goldschmidt.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 13th November 1990, lot 1.
Collection of Mary Porter Walsh (1928-2012).
Sotheby's New York, 28th November 1994, lot 334.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 12th June 1999, lot 442.
香港蘇富比1985年5月21日,編號110
亨利.戈爾德施密特伉儷收藏
香港蘇富比1990年11月13日,編號1
Mary Porter Walsh(1928-2012年)收藏
紐約蘇富比1994年11月28日,編號334
香港蘇富比1999年6月12日,編號442
Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 30.
朱湯生,《中國瓷器:莊紹綏收藏》,香港,2009年,圖版30
Featuring Su Jin (676-734), a Tang dynasty scholar-official and one of the eight 'immortals' in 'The Ballad of the Eight Drunken Immortals' (Yinzhong baxian ge), the present cup depicts a light-hearted juxtaposition of a devout Buddhist with a penchant for alcohol. Composed by the great poet Du Fu (712-770), the ballad perfectly encapsulates Su Jin's story and the two sides of his nature:
Admiring the Buddha embroidered on a cloth,
Su Jin has vowed to abstain,
But he has lots of lapses whenever he gets drunk!
This subject matter became particularly popular during the Kangxi reign, probably a reflection of the leisurely lifestyle enjoyed by the literati under the sagely rule and benevolent governance of the Kangxi Emperor. It also became a favourite subject matter in porcelain production, as seen on the present cup and lot 3806. Featuring great Tang dynasty scholars - He Zhizhang, Li Jin, Li Shizhi, Cui Zongzhi, Su Jin, Li Bai, Zhang Xu and Jiao Sui - the ballad describes the rambunctious overindulgence of each of the eight 'immortals', as they participate in revelry to escape from everyday concerns, transcend the material world and gain entrance to a realm of artistic inspiration.
Cups of this design are incredibly rare, with very few examples known to exist; see a blue and white version from the collections of T. Bushell and T.Y. Chao, sold twice in these rooms, 22nd May 1979, lot 162 and 19th May 1987, lot 266, and a third time at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2009, lot 1895; and a doucai version, also from the collection of Mary Porter Walsh, sold four times in 1983, 1990, 2010, and most recently in these rooms, 3rd April 2018, lot 3612.
題識:
蘇晉長齋繡佛前,醉中往往愛逃禪。
蘇晉(676-734年),唐代朝臣名士,亦是杜甫(712-770年)《飲中八仙歌》之一,此盃紋飾見蘇晉誠心向佛,身畔卻滿置佳釀,如同歌中描述:「蘇晉長齋繡佛前,醉中往往愛逃禪。」
〈飲中八仙歌〉,千古流傳,尤其盛行於康熙朝,如此安逸題材,或反映當時賢明之治,也常作為瓷器紋樣題材,如本品與編號3806。歌中稱唐代學士賀知章、李璡、李適之、崔宗之、蘇晉、李白、張旭、焦遂,為「酒中八仙」,超離俗世禁錮,悠遊仙界藝境。
存世類同作例甚稀,如一件青花盃,曾為 T. Bushell、趙從衍遞藏,二度售於香港蘇富比,1979年5月22日,編號162,及1987年5月19日,編號266,後於2009年12月1日售於香港佳士得,編號1895;Mary Porter Walsh 舊藏一件鬪彩飲中八仙圖盃,曾四度售出,1983、1990、2010年,最近一次為香港蘇富比2018年4月3日,編號3612。
You May Also Like