A fine tea-dust glazed double-gourd vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆 茶葉末釉如意耳葫蘆瓶 《大清乾隆年製》款

Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 83.

The distinctive ‘teadust’ glaze was first successfully developed at Jingdezhen during the Yongzheng reign (1723–1735), a time characterised by sustained technical innovation at the imperial kilns. Under the supervision of Tang Ying and the close attention of the Yongzheng Emperor, who took an active and exacting interest in ceramic production, considerable experimentation led to the refinement of this sophisticated monochrome glaze.

Although surfaces resembling the teadust effect had appeared much earlier on certain black wares of the Tang dynasty (618–907), those earlier examples were likely the unintended result of uneven or insufficient firing. Their muted greyish-brown tones lack the depth and vitality associated with the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) version. In contrast, the eighteenth-century glaze produced at Jingdezhen represented a deliberate and technically advanced achievement. As noted by Nigel Wood (Chinese Glazes, London, 1999, p. 157), while the glaze has not yet undergone chemical analysis, its method of production appears fundamentally different from that of earlier wares and was probably more closely related in composition to iron-red glazes.

The finished surface, characterised by a subtle interplay of yellow and green speckling reminiscent of powdered tea leaves, became an esteemed monochrome glaze of the Yongzheng period. Its production continued into the Qianlong reign, when both the refinement of the glaze and the sophistication of vessel forms reached particularly high levels of artistic accomplishment.

The present vase features two spherical sections ingeniously connected by ribbon-shaped handles to form a double-gourd shape, echoing the concept of ​​"Heaven and Earth in Harmonious Union"​​ from the Classic of Changes, symbolising prosperous fortune and auspicious blessings.

Compare a closely related example in the Palace Museum, Taipei, accession no. guci-15559; another from the National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, included in the exhibition National Treasures: Gems of China’s Cultural Relics, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1997, cat. no. 70; a third from the Tsui Museum of Art, illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art: Chinese Ceramics, vol. IV: Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, no. 46, and sold at Christie’s New York, 16th September 1999, lot 366; and a fourth example, from the Meiyintang Collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. II, London, 1994, pl. 938, and sold in these rooms, 5th October 2011, lot 1935.

出版

朱湯生，《中國瓷器：莊紹綏收藏》，香港，2009年，圖版83

茶葉末釉這一獨特釉色，係於雍正朝在景德鎮御窰廠首次燒製成功。此時期御窰在督陶官唐英的主持下，正處於持續的技術革新階段。雍正皇帝本人對瓷器官窰燒造抱有極高熱忱且要求嚴苛，在其密切關注與唐英的督導下，御窰廠經過大量實驗，最終才將此一精妙的單色釉品種臻於完善。

雖然類似茶葉末釉的視覺效果早在唐代某些黑瓷上就已出現，但當時的效果很可能是因燒成不均或火候不足而產生的偶然結果。這些早期樣本的灰褐色調較為沉悶，缺乏清代（1茶葉末釉所具有的層次感與生命力。與之相對，十八世紀景德鎮燒造的此類釉色，是一項刻意為之且技術先進的成就。正如伍德在《Chinese Glazes》，倫敦，1999年，頁157中指出：雖然該釉色尚未經過詳細的化學分析，但其生產方法與早期器物存在根本差異，其化學成分可能更接近於鐵紅釉。

此種釉面呈現精妙的黃綠斑點交織效果，宛若細碎茶末，故名「茶葉末釉」。它於雍正朝一躍成為備受推崇的單色釉品種，其燒造工藝延續至乾隆時期，無論是釉色質感還是器物造型的精緻度及複雜度，均達到了極高的藝術成就。

此瓶造型別緻，由上下兩球形部分巧妙相接，並飾以綬帶形雙耳，構成「雙葫蘆」樣式。此形制取意自《周易》「天地交泰」之概念，象徵天地和合、福澤綿長與吉祥順遂。

可資比對的相近實例包括：一件藏於台北故宮博物院，藏品編號：故瓷15559；一件藏於北京中國國家博物館，曾參展《國寶：中國歷史文物精華展》，香港藝術館，1997年，編號70；一件原屬徐氏藝術館舊藏，著錄於《徐氏藝術館：陶瓷IV·清代》，編號46，後售於紐約佳士得1999年9月16日，編號366；以及一件原屬玫茵堂舊藏，著錄於康蕊君，《玫茵堂藏中國陶瓷》第二卷，倫敦 ，1994年，圖版938，後售於香港蘇富比2011年10月5日，編號1935。