Footnotes

十八世紀 仿官釉葵瓣口盤

Provenance: Christie's London, 8 November 2016, lot 30

來源： 倫敦佳士得，2016年11月8日，拍品編號30

Song dynasty Guan kiln porcelain is characterised by its simple yet archaic forms, with a glaze that is exceptionally fine, smooth, and jade-like, embodying a natural and unpretentious aesthetic. The reproduction of Guan kiln porcelain was mostly undertaken by the Imperial kilns, with no expense spared to achieve both the form and spirit of the originals. Among these, the most accomplished reproductions were produced during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reign periods of the Qing dynasty, as exemplified by the present lot.

The glaze of Song Guan kiln wares and their Ming and Qing reproductions predominantly exhibits varying shades of blue-green. A defining characteristic is the intricate network of crackles, with patterns differing in size and density. The glaze has a jade-like texture, and in most pieces, it thins towards the rim, partially revealing the body, resulting in the 'purple rim' (zikou 紫口) effect. The foot, where the glaze is scraped off to reveal the body, appears iron-brown after firing due to the high iron oxide content in the clay, resulting in the 'iron foot' (tiezu 鐵足) effect. Both the shape and the glaze of the present lot follow Song dynasty prototypes, for comparison, see three Guan foliate dishes, Song dynasty, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), Hong Kong, 1996, pp.31-33.

Comparing the crackle patterns in the glaze of Song dynasty Guan kiln porcelain with those in Ming and Qing reproductions, it is observed that the crackles in Song Guan kiln porcelain are generally short and dense, whereas those in Ming and Qing imitations are more sparse and elongated. Additionally, the crackle lines in Ming and Qing reproductions, seen in the present lot, tend to be straighter and less curved compared to those in Song Guan kiln porcelain. For more discussion on the similarities and differences of the Guan wares between the Song dynasty and the Ming and Qing dynasties, see Duan Hongying, 'The Microstructure Characteristic Research on Song dynasty Guan Wares and Guan-typed Wares of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Collected in the Palace Museum' (故宮博物院藏宋代官窯及明清仿官瓷器的顯微特征), in Palace Museum Journal, 2010 (5), vol.151, pp.165-183.

See a related Guan-type incense burner, Yongzheng mark and period, which was sold at Christie's New York, 24 September 2020, lot 849.