A rare and superb rose-verte ‘dragon’ vase, tianqiuping, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period 清康熙 五彩加粉彩雲龍戲珠紋天球瓶

This tianqiuping vase displays the technical developments of the early Qing dynasty. Its striking decoration is testament to the advances in porcelain production during the early 18th century, when potters began to experiment with new enamel colours. It is one of the earliest examples of the inclusion of pink enamel amidst the famille-verte colour scheme and style.

The present vase is extremely rare for its enamel decoration. A comparable Yongzheng tianqiuping decorated with relief-moulded dragon motifs against a black ground was sold in these rooms, 23th May 1978, lot 163, and published in Sotheby's Hong Kong – Twenty Years, 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 381 and Sotheby's. Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 357. For a Kangxi period rouleau vase decorated in a similar palette, see one sold in these rooms, 4th April 2017, lot 1116.

The use of pink enamel with overglaze blue and broad washes of green enamel indicates that this piece was made in the late Kangxi period, when the wucai colour scheme was gradually replaced by famille-rose enamels, hence the name of this palette, rose-verte. Numerous scholars have discussed the origins and far reaching consequences of the introduction of pink enamel in the Qing dynasty, which together with the development of opaque white and opaque yellow changed dramatically the outlook of porcelain produced at Jingdezhen. Nigel Wood, who examined in depth the chemical composition of these porcelain colours, suggests that while the white and yellow enamels probably derived from enamels used on cloisonné ware, pink enamel was probably introduced in China from Europe through Jesuit missionaries. A gold-pink enamel was in use at the Meissen factory in Saxony in about 1718, and the pink enamel of Jingdezhen similarly appears to contain minute traces of colloidal gold (see Nigel Wood, Chinese Glazes, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 241-243).

The appearance of overglaze blue enamel, which slightly predated that of pink in the 1720s, similarly had an important impact on porcelain decoration. Appearing first during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, overglaze blue simplified the making of famille-verte wares, enabling porcelain painters to create highly sophisticated motifs. In the Ming dynasty underglaze cobalt blue had to be applied before firing to those areas where it would later be needed, while the other colours were added after the firing to make up the complete polychrome design; in the Qing, underglaze blue was omitted or exchanged for overglaze blue, which was applied together with the other colours, thus allowing much more complex and detailed designs. Overglaze blue enamel is mentioned in a letter by the Jesuit missionary Père François d’Entrecolles (1664-1741), who noted that this glaze was made from a powdered blue glass, which would be mixed with gum and fish-glue. The advantages of using overglaze blue are evident in the attractive rendering of the flowers and where it has been employed to enhance the naturalism of the birds’ feathers.

本品工藝始於清初，紋飾富麗，彰顯十八世紀早期製瓷工藝之卓絕，對新進釉色之探索推陳出新，在五彩基礎上添飾粉紅，屬當時創燒雛例。

此瓶用彩特別，極為罕見。可比較一例雍正年製黑地五彩浮雕龍紋天球瓶售於香港蘇富比1978年5月23日，編號163，發表於《香港蘇富比二十週年》，香港，1993年，編號381，以及《香港蘇富比三十週年》，香港，2003年，編號357。康熙年間五彩加粉彩例可見一五倫圖棒槌瓶，售於香港蘇富比2017年4月4日，編號1116。

此瓶見粉紅彩、釉上藍彩及綠彩暈染，乃屬康熙晚期製作，時五彩漸為粉彩所替，其遂得名五彩加粉彩。關於清代引入粉紅彩之來源及深遠影響，以及不透明白、黃色彩之發展，歷來學者討論頗多。諸上種種，使得景德鎮所製瓷器面貌發生顯著改變。學者 Nigel Wood 對此類彩化學成分進行研究，認爲此類不透明白、黃彩或源於琺瑯器，而粉紅彩則可能從歐洲經天主教傳教士進入中國。德國薩克森之麥森瓷廠約於1718年已有採用以金發色之粉紅彩，彩料成份與景德鎮粉紅彩同樣含有微量熔金（參見Nigel Wood，《Chinese Glazes》，香港，1999年，頁341-343）。

釉上藍彩則首現於1720年代，較粉紅彩略早，深刻影響後期同類器物燒造。首例創於康熙年間，此藍彩之發明，簡化五彩瓷窰燒工藝，器身可飾以繁複紋飾。明代五彩須先於成形素胎施青花鈷藍料勾繪圖案輪廓，經高溫燒製成釉下青花，後填釉上彩繪紋飾細節，經二次低溫燒製，最終成型。清代釉上藍取代釉下鈷藍，與其他彩料繪於白胎之上，因而可繪細節入微。天主教傳教士殷弘緒書信中曾有提及，釉上藍彩，採藍色玻璃磨粉，混以樹膠及魚膠而成，以釉上藍繪製尤顯花卉層次，遂特別用於繪製翎羽，以使其更顯惟妙惟肖。