A blue and white 'lotus' bottle vase, Seal mark and period of Daoguang | 清道光 青花纏枝蓮紋賞瓶《大清道光年製》款

English Private Collection.

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英國私人收藏

The present vase is a grand example of Ming-inspired design adopted and adapted for a Qing dynasty setting. Adorning the generous curves of the bottle’s belly, a band of crisply rendered lotus scrolls are intentionally dotted with thicker spots of underglaze blue to imitate the once-accidental mottled ‘heaping and piling’ effect of the celebrated 15th century wares. Indeed, from the stiff leaf border around the piece’s neck to palm lappets at the foot and crashing waves swirling around its neck, the present bottle borrows heavily from the canon of early Ming designs but imbues them with a truly novel sense of vibrancy.

While bottle vases of this type were first developed during the Qianlong reign (1735-1795), the design continued to be refined and reproduced throughout the middle and late Qing periods, with many of the finest examples bearing Daoguang marks. Compare a number of Qianlong prototypes preserved in the world’s leading collections of Chinese porcelain, including one in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in Treasures of the Royalty. The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pl. 233; another in the Shanghai Museum, in Zhongguo taoci quanji [Complete series on Chinese ceramics], vol. 15, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 2; and four others once preserved in the Ottoman court, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, vol. III, London, 1996, pl. 2564, one with an elaborate 19th century Ottoman gilt-metal cover.

Compare also a small number of examples of Daoguang mark and period, including a pair from the collection of Dr. J.C.J. Bierens de Haan (1867-1951), sold at Christie’s London, 15th May 2009, lot 126; a single vase from the collection of Reverend Isaac Taylor Headland (1859-1942), sold at Christie's New York, 15-16th March 2015, lot 3165; and a fourth from the collection of Dr. Chan Chi Chin, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9th April 2024, lot 3660.

本瓶體造型宏麗，為清代對明代經典加以繼承與創新詮釋之典範。瓶腹寬厚之處飾纏枝蓮紋，筆法勁利且鈷料暈染刻意加重，模擬十五世紀青花瓷器上偶發的「暈染堆積」效果，為明代青花特徵之一。自頸部挺立的仰覆蕉葉紋、足部的棕櫚葉紋至頸部翻騰之海水紋飾，皆可見早期明代瓷器語彙的再現，然整體構圖更富動感，注入嶄新的視覺活力。

此類瓶式最早創燒於乾隆時期（1735–1795），但其設計於清中期至晚期不斷演進與再製，其中佳作多署道光年款。可比較多件乾隆時期範例，現藏於世界重要中國瓷器收藏之中，如南京博物院藏一例，著錄於《宮廷珍藏：中國清代官窯瓷器》，上海，2003年，圖版233；另見上海博物館藏品，載於《中國陶瓷全集》，卷15，上海，2000年，圖版2；及原鄂圖曼宮廷收藏之四例，收錄於康蕊君《土耳其托卡比皇宮博物館藏中國瓷器》，卷3，倫敦，1996年，圖版2564，其中一例配有十九世紀鄂圖曼鎏金蓋。

另可參考數件道光年款之瓶式，如J.C.J. Bierens de Haan醫生（1867–1951）收藏之一對，售於倫敦佳士得2009年5月15日，編號126；Reverend Isaac Taylor Headland（1859–1942）舊藏一例，售於紐約佳士得2015年3月15至16日，編號3165；以及陳子謙醫生珍藏一例，售於香港蘇富比2024年4月9日，編號3660。