작품 상세

The vase is skillfully potted in archaistic lei form with a baluster body rising from a splayed foot to a waisted neck and flared rim, flanked by a pair of large scroll handles, further adorned with raised bands and flanges to the neck and foot. The body is painted in vibrant tone of cobalt blue with meandering leafy scrolls bearing large, stylised pomegranate blooms, between a band of pendant ruyi motifs and upright lappet. The shoulder is painted with a narrow band of lotus scroll while the neck and the foot are both decorated with pomegranate scrolls. The white base is inscribed with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue. This vase celebrates the tradition through both its form and pays testament to the Qianlong Emperor’s keen interest in antiquity. Its form and raised flanges echo the glorious bronzewares of the Shang and Zhou dynasties while its floral scroll and choice of palette are rooted in imperial porcelain of the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Qing painters employed a stippled effect to simulate the accidental unevenness typically found on early Ming pieces. harmoniously combining design elements from different traditions, the craftsmen of this piece has created a visually striking and contemporary vase with direct imperial association. Modelled after a contemporary bronze prototype, which would in turn have been inspired by archaic bronze lei of the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1050-771 BC), vases of this form were first made in porcelain in the Yongzheng reign. It is rare to find a Qianlong blue and white vase of this form although related examples in monochrome can be found with a Qianlong seal mark and of the period. See for example a Ru-type vase, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 31 October 2004, Lot 225; and a ‘eel skin’ glazed example, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 9 October 2020, Lot 54; and a flambé-glazed vase of the same form sold in Sotheby’s New York, 4 June 1986, lot 137. See a Qianlong light-blue glazed vase of this shape with similar flanges on the neck, body and foot included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics. vol. II, Tokyo, 1990, pl. 722. 款識：「大清乾隆年製」 本品以的青銅罍作為原形，參考國立故宮博物院藏商至西周時期獸面紋罍，是典型的乾隆仿古創新之作。尊敞口束頸，溜肩斂腹，脛部外撇，頸部、肩部與脛部突現對稱的四道戟狀棱柱。以青花繪腹部主體樣纏枝蓮花紋，葉片舒展，枝莖牽連婉轉，布局繁複，洋溢出西洋巴羅克氣息，是宮廷藝術「西風東漸」之一例證。質地細膩勻凈，肩部裝飾象鼻為耳。通體從上而下飾以六層紋飾，工整有序，分別是纏枝石榴花卉、如意雲頭紋、變形蓮瓣紋，間飾以纏枝花卉紋。底以青花書「大清乾隆年製」六字三行篆書款。 觀其青花發色，濃艷而不炫目，秀斂亦不蒙滯，濃淡相宜，層次宛然，別有一番清雅韻致。釉汁瑩白堅致，與青花相襯，愈臻乎妙境，審其形制、釉色、紋飾、畫工之精美，確其為清乾隆時重要宮廷陳設，應為乾隆早期官窯青花精品。 乾隆皇帝親自主導且控管當時宮廷文物製作，呈現並實踐他的藝術品味，以致乾隆一朝出現大量仿製創新之作。乾隆皇帝好古，仿古即表達他對前朝藝匠工藝的喜愛、學習和致敬，亦有著超出古人的雄心，在摹古的基礎下推陳出新，推動宮廷藝術發展，達至前所未有的藝術高峰。本器即為一範例，仿製青銅罍造型，其上飾以青花，景德鎮御窯廠當時對青花燒製技術掌控得心應手，爐火純青，纏枝花卉刻劃細膩，如紙上作畫。 此類仿青銅尊造形的古器初見於雍正朝，至乾隆有所沿襲，品種多見於單色釉系，如仿汝釉，售於香港蘇富比2004年10月31日，編號225；繕魚黃釉例售於香港蘇富比2020年10月9 日，編號54；山中商會藏仿汝釉例，售於北京保利，2021年6月7日，編號5015；惟飾以青花者極為鮮見，見山中商會藏黃地青花之例，售於倫敦蘇富比，2019年11月6日，編號27。亦見東京國立博物館藏一例，施淺藍釉者，載於《Catalogue of Tokyo National Museum Chinese CeramicsⅡ》，東京，1990年，圖722。