Bonhams 1793 : An Yixing stoneware water vessel Qing dynasty, signed Chen Zhongmei

27 May 2012 16:00 CST Hong Kong
Yixing stoneware and scholar's objects from private collections
Back to auction 20489

An Yixing stoneware water vessel

Qing dynasty, signed Chen Zhongmei
Of archaistic bronze form, the elegantly potted square body with domed sides and rounded shoulders gently rising to a pronounced upturned lip, the central body applied with a narrow band of intricately incised classic scroll, the shoulder with a continuous row of raised bosses, the broad flat base enclosing a countersunk base impressed with a four-character zhuanshu seal mark, the stoneware of a rich chocolate-brown colour with extensive pale speckling.
8.5cm diam.

Sold for HK$ 500,000 inc. premium

Footnotes

Provenance:
Tan Jing (late Qing / Early Republican period), by repute
Du Yuesheng (1888-1951), and thence by descent, by repute
I-Hsing Wares: Property from a Private Collection, Sotheby Parke Bernet, Hong Kong, 24 May 1978, lot 346

來源:
譚敬 (清末民初) (擬)
杜月笙 (1888-1951) 遺傳至其後裔 (擬)
香港蘇富比，I-Hsing Wares: Property from a Private Collection,1978年5月24日，拍品編號346

The K.S. Lo Collection catalogue K.S. Lo Collection in the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Hong Kong, 1984, p.24, introduces Chen Zhongmei, with a translation of an excerpt from the 17th century Yangxian ming huzi ('Tradition of Yangxian Teapots') by Zhou Bogao:

"Chen Zhongmei, a native of Wuyuan, began working as a potter in Jingdezhen. As there were too many potters, it was not easy to establish a successful business. Therefore, he left Jingdezhen and came (to Yangxian). He had great artistry in mixing fine pottery clay and he made superb copies and adaptations to archaistics shapes". The majority of his recorded works are vessels drawing on archaic bronze shapes and characteristics, using clay to imitate bronze. An example of his work is illustrated by L. Fulai and C. Keli, Yangxian shaqi jingpin tupu ('An Illustrated Collection of fine stonewares of Yangxian'), Taipei, 1985, pl.10.

For an example sold at auction, see an Yixing stoneware model of a tapir, impressed with similar Chen Zhongmei four-character zhuanshu seal, formerly in the Dr Ip Yee Collection and latterly the collection of Robert H. Blumenfeld, sold at Christie's New York, 22 March 2012, lot 1251. See also the gu vessel offered in this collection, lot 553.

清紫泥摻沙仿古方盂

「陳仲美製」篆文方印

水盂四方直口，器形上窄下寬；呈仿古式，肩飾乳釘紋，下有如意捲雲紋一周，泥質潤澤，整體厚實敦穆。底部成方形凹處，既成盂內凸起之方形小塊，又在中間鈐上「陳仲美製」篆文方印，古拙簡潔。

陳仲美，萬歷年間宜興製紫砂名手，生卒年不詳。據明．周高起《陽羨茗壺系．神品》記載：「陳仲美，婺源人。初造瓷於景德鎮，以業之者多，不足成其名，棄之而來。好配壺土，意造諸玩，如香盒、花杯、狻猊爐、辟邪鎮紙，重鎪疊刻，細極鬼工。壺像花果，綴以草蟲，或龍戲海濤，伸爪出目。至塑大士像，莊嚴慈憫，神采欲生，瓔珞花鬘，不可思議。智兼龍眠道子，心思殫竭，以夭天年。」可見在當時已名重一時。現存陳仲美款器，多為仿古器，是融合了青銅器之造型或特徵的作品為多，或以紫砂製仿青銅器形之文房茗壺，例子可參見曾為陳克立藏仿古鳳盉壺，見陳克立、賴福來：《陽羨砂器精品圖譜》，淑韾出版社，台北，1985，圖版10。

另一件在拍賣會上出現的同鈐有「陳仲美製」紫砂器，也曾為葉義醫生及美國收藏家Robert H. Blumenfeld收藏的，可見紐約佳士得，2012年3月22日，拍品編號1251。以及本專拍中，拍品編號553。