A pair of fine lemon-yellow enamelled saucer dishes, Marks and period of Yongzheng | 清雍正 檸檬黃彩撇口小盤一對 《大清雍正年製》款

The Hosokawa Collection.

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7th October 2014, lot 3110.

細川收藏

香港蘇富比2014年10月7日，編號3110

Hosokawa Morisada Collection ten II – Shinno jiki, Persia no touki [Morisada Hosokawa Collection exhibition II – Qing porcelains and Persian ceramics], Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, Kumamoto, 1993, cat. no. 47.

《細川護貞コレクション展 II：清の磁器．波斯の陶器》，熊本縣立美術館，熊本市，1993年，編號47

Morisada Hosokawa, Mokumei goshiki: Shinchō jiki [Bewildering Colours: Qing Dynasty Porcelains], Tokyo, 1992, pl. 24.

細川護貞，《目迷五色：清朝磁器》，東京，1992年，編號24

‘Lemon-yellow’ enamelled ware, introduced in the 18th century under the Yongzheng emperor, is usually found only on cups and dishes of small size due to the difficulties of producing an even tone. Known as ningmeng huang in Chinese, this opaque enamel was created by using lead antimonite to result in a bright yellow. As wares covered in the warmer ‘imperial yellow’ glaze played an important part in court ritual sacrifices and were governed by court sumptuary laws from as early as the 15th century, the alternative lemon-yellow enamel was able to be used on innovative forms, such as the present flared dishes.

A closely related pair of dishes from the T.Y. Chao collection was included in the exhibitions Ch’ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, The Art Institute, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1973, cat. no. 38, and One Hundred Selected Pieces of Chingtechen Porcelain of the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties from the Collection of the T.Y. Chao Family Foundation, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1978, cat. no. 54, and sold in these rooms, 19th May 1987, lot 282; and another pair, from the Sir Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Qing Monochrome, London, 1989, pls B541 and B542. See also a pair of dishes, from the G.P. Fitzgerald collection, sold in our London rooms, 10th July 1979, lot 199; and a further pair included in the Japan Ceramic Society (Tokai Shibu) exhibition Chugoku shinchou toji meihin ten [Exhibition of Chinese Ceramic Sasterpieces from the Qing dynasty], Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya, 1953, and sold in these rooms, 5th October 2011, lot 2009.

雍正一朝燒造檸檬黃彩，發色難達均勻，是以多見尺寸較小之盃盌器形。檸檬黃彩含亞銻酸鉛，燒造後呈色鮮明亮黃且不透明。十五世紀以降，據朝廷禮制規定，黃釉器均限用於祭祀場合，新添之檸檬黃彩不受此限，能施作於更多樣且創新之器形，一如現例之撇口盤造形。

趙從衍珍藏一對近類瓷盤，曾展於《華光艸堂珍藏清代瓷器》，香港中文大學文物館，香港，1973年，編號38；及《趙從衍基金會藏明清陶瓷》，香港藝術館，香港，1978年，編號54，並於1987年5月19日售於香港蘇富比，編號282。大維德基金會珍藏的一對作例，現藏於倫敦大英博物館，刊載於 Margaret Medley，《Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Qing Monochrome》，倫敦，1989年，圖版B541、B542。亦可參考 G.P. Fitzgerald 收藏之一對瓷盤，1979年7月10日售於倫敦蘇富比，編號199；還有一對曾展出於日本陶磁協會展覽，《中國清朝陶磁名品展》，德川美術館，名古屋，1953年，後售於香港蘇富比2011年10月5日，編號2009。