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拍賣筆記 vol.8 北宋定窰白釉劃雙龍洗 器底清雍正至乾隆後加 |An exceptionally rare and finely carved Dingyao 'dragon' brush washer, Cylinder: Northern Song dynasty.



Collection of Dr Carl Kempe (1884-1967).

卡爾坎普博士(1884-1967年)收藏


600萬起拍,650萬書面,流拍。


Description

Property from the Julian and Li Fan Thompson Collection

An exceptionally rare and finely carved Dingyao 'dragon' brush washer, 

Cylinder: Northern Song dynasty; its base inset by imperial command in the Qing dynasty, Yongzheng - Qianlong period


朱湯生及範麗伉儷收藏

北宋 定窰白釉劃雙龍洗 器底清雍正至乾隆後加


22.2 cm



Literature


Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1964, no. 468.

Jan Wirgin, Sung Ceramic Designs, Stockholm, 1970, p. 140, fig. 8b.

Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 9: Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, Tokyo, 1982, no. 120.

Chinese Ceramic Treasures. A Selection from the Ulricehamn East Asian Museum, Including the Carl Kempe Collection, Ulricehamn, 2002, no. 670.


Bo Gyllensvärd,《Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection》,斯德哥爾摩,1964年,編號468

Jan Wirgin,《Sung Ceramic Designs》,斯德哥爾摩,1970年,頁140,圖8b

《東洋陶磁大觀》,卷9:斯德哥爾摩遠東古物博物館,東京,1982年,編號120

《Chinese Ceramic Treasures. A Selection from the Ulricehamn East Asian Museum, Including the Carl Kempe Collection》,烏爾里瑟港,2002年,編號670

Exhibited


Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 116.


《Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection》,Asia House Gallery,紐約,1971年,編號116


卡爾·坎普是一位非常重要的早期藏家,東方陶瓷學會的核心成員之一,詳細參見SACA學會發布的文章:





上手感受:


實物比圖片體量感大很多,有皇家氣勢。龍的刻畫流暢,一為正面,二為側面,與台北故宮博物院的同類刻畫盤子、杭州南宋皇宮遺址出土的「壽成殿」、「位」字陀刻款類似,可確認是宮廷級別的定窯。


優點:CK、Julian Thompson的傳承顯赫,年代共識沒有疑問。


缺點:如蘇軾《與謝民師》卷說:“紛紛兩言,豈能有益於左右。” 陷入探討器物在宋代的器用是一個考古學術問題,應該由他的新主人在接下來的10年、20年裡慢慢研究,而不是影響購買的主要原因。審美和是否完整、器物在古代的用途沒有關係。


器物本身的用途是偽命題,審美不應受到偽命題探討的牽絆,而是應該專注在:器物的出身(宮廷)、在宋代的級別、以及純粹美的探討上。當然,這樣的認知若超出目前市場藏家的範疇,價格會受到影響。



The Kempe Collection Dingyao Cylinder

Julian Thompson

Among the wu da mingyao (Five Great Wares) of the Song Dynasty, Ru, guan, ge, Ding and Jun, the holding of Dingyao from the Qing court collection, now in the Palace Museum, Taipei is the largest and was the subject of a special exhibition held at the museum in 1987. Both carved and moulded Dingyao pieces were much in demand for use in the imperial palace in both the Northern Song and Jin dynasties, replacing the Xingyao wares of the late Tang and Five Dynasties. Looking at the range of shapes in the Special Exhibition catalogue it is remarkable how few pieces are of any shape other than dishes or bowls. In the very large collection of white wares formed by the Swedish industrialist Dr Carl Kempe the Dingyao pieces are also almost all dishes and bowls of a variety of patterns. Among the exceptions is the Dingyao cylinder under discussion here.


Close examination of the cylinder indicates that a base has been inset in antiquity into the lower end of the cylinder, which has been slightly ground around the lower rim so that the base could be tightly fitted. There seems to be no evidence that it was originally made with a base and it is probable that it was originally made as an open-ended cylindrical stand. The insertion of the base would have made it suitable for use as a brush washer. Dingyao brush washers from the Qing court collection of the same shape but of much smaller size see similarities to the cylinder in that there are engraved key-fret borders around both sides of the rim, and around the base, and the principal carved decoration is a small chilong medallion in the centre of the base.


No similar piece is in the Palace Museums in Taipei or Beijing, and a search of collections in the West has also failed to find any comparable piece.


Julian Thompson (1941-2011), the former Chairman of Sotheby's Asia, was a well-respected expert on Chinese ceramics, particularly Chenghua imperial porcelain. He grew up in a family of arts and culture and was highly regarded for his vast knowledge, discerning eye, and unwavering passion that fuelled his comprehensive research. Thompson played a pivotal role in launching the first auction in Hong Kong in 1973, a decade after he joined Sotheby's, which laid the foundation for the successful Chinese art market in the region.


his piece is a member of an extremely rare group of Ding vessels carved with ‘dragon’ designs. Forming a harmonious composition across the rare cylindrical form, the exceptional liveliness of the incised decoration is testament to the skill of an accomplished master. As so few 'dragon'-decorated Ding pieces survive and seem to form a fairly consistent group, it is likely that they were made during the height of production at the Ding kilns in Quyang, Hebei province. Celebrated to this day as one of the Five Famous Wares of the Song dynasty, the unctuous milky tones of the Ding glaze lend an air of sophistication and elegance to the piece.


Returning to the ancient motifs of dragons and leiwen (key frets), this piece exemplifies the veneration of archaic styles found during the Song dynasty. Reaching its height under the reign of Emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1126), the Song court turned to the philosophy, culture and artistic traditions of early Imperial China as a paragon of refined ancient beauty. The present motifs of chi dragons and leiwen appear on many archaic bronze pieces from the Warring States Period and many Ding pieces featuring such designs were acquired by or presented to the Imperial collections, now preserved in the Palace Museum, Taipei, as well as at least one piece from the Qing Court collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing. As Hsieh Ming-Liang points out in the Palace Museum’s Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ting Ware White Porcelain, Taipei, 1987, pp. 15-16, a piece similarly decorated with swirling chi dragon and leiwen band (ibid., cat. no. 87) is engraved with the characters Shou Cheng Dian ('Hall for Achieving Long Life'), and was likely reserved for use in the Imperial palace of the Northern Song dynasty.


No other Ding pieces of this remarkable type are known. A sheer cut in the glaze at the rim of the original cylindrical piece suggests it likely formed part of a multi-piece construction like that of a related ‘Xing’ bowl from the Sir Percival David Collection at the British Museum (accession no. PDF.182). Constructed from three pieces with a bowl resting above a cavernous cylinder to enable gentle heating, brush washers of this type were the treasured possessions of Song dynasty scholar-officials.


FIG. 1. A DING INCISED 'CHILONG' BRUSH WASHER, NORTHERN SONG - JIN DYNASTY, 14 CM, QING COURT COLLECTION, PALACE MUSEUM, TAIPEI, ACCESSION NO. GU CI 009307

圖一 北宋至金 定窰白瓷劃花盤龍紋洗 14厘米 清宮舊藏 台北故宮博物院 藏品編號:故瓷009307


However, these vessels were not just treasured in the Song dynasty, rather they were returned to, again and again, in later generations as timeless relics of refinement and elegance. The Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors of the Qing dynasty were particularly passionate antiquarians and amassed enormous collections of archaic and archaistic vessels including Ding wares. Wishing not just to preserve antiques but also to give them new life as scholar's objects fit for the 18th century, Yongzheng and Qianlong thoughtfully altered, restored and replicated pieces in their collections. An archaic jade bi from the Eastern Han dynasty (recently sold in these rooms, 22nd April 2021, lot 9), for example, was retrofitted on Qianlong’s orders into a screen of zitan wood and incised with a poem of the emperor’s composition. Many artefacts, including Ding bowls in the imperial collection, had similar treatment with poetry and imperial marks incised on their base.


Far from acts of self-absorbed graffiti, these additions sought to further elevate the archaic pieces and bring them into the modern day. Official records show how Tang Ying, superintendent of the Imperial Kilns in Jingdezhen, was frequently asked to produce matching covers, replicate or repair existing relics. The added base, likely the result of such repairs, renders the vessel as much a piece of Qing history as it is a treasure of the Song court. While the original form and use of this piece has long been lost to history, the dedication and care of its successive owners have stood the test of time.


FIG. 2. THE CORRESPONDING LEAF IN THE ALBUM PRECIOUS CERAMICS OF ASSEMBLED BEAUTY, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD, QING COURT COLLECTION, PALACE MUSEUM, TAIPEI, ACCESSION NO. GU HUA 003651

圖二 清乾隆 《珍陶萃美》之六 宋定窰蟠龍洗 清宮舊藏 台北故宮博物院 藏品編號:故畫003651


Another method by which such pieces were elevated to new heights in the Qing dynasty was through illustration. Painstakingly hand-painted in catalogues accompanied by imperial seals and descriptions, vessels like this were codified and immortalised as the personal treasures of emperors. Painted in 1728 and 1729, the two Guwan tu (‘Pictures of Ancient Playthings’), now held in the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, respectively, record around five hundred precious objects from the Yongzheng emperor’s collection including a number of Ding wares. One of four catalogues of illustrations made by the Qianlong Emperor held in the Taipei Palace Museum, the Zhentao cuimei (‘Precious Ceramics of Assembled Beauty’) depicts seven Ding vessels, among them a smaller brush washer with stylised chi dragon and similar leiwen design around the perimeter (accession no. Gu ci 009307, figs 1-2).


For other Ding wares with dragon designs, compare a closely related flat-bottomed dish from the Sir Percival David Collection in the British Museum (accession no. PDF.116) with similar pair of chi dragons; a magnificent foliate dish from the Hellner collection with almost identical chi dragon in profile was sold in our New York rooms, 31st March 2005, lot 30, for 1,528,000 US dollars; another widely exhibited brush washer of smaller size with chi dragon viewed from above, formerly in the collection of Eugene and Elva Bernat, sold at Christie’s New York, 22nd March 2018, lot 505.


卡爾坎普舊藏定窰圓筒形器

朱湯生


總覽兩岸故宮博物院之清宮舊藏宋代瓷器,在宋五大名窰、即汝、官、哥、鈞及定中,定窰白瓷被清宮入藏的數量最為可觀,以至台北故宮博物院最早於1987年便能舉辦首次「定窰白瓷特展」。定窰美器,北宋至金,無論劃花還是印花,均受清宮皇帝的青睞,在皇室中風靡,其地位逐漸取代晚唐和五代時期的邢窰白瓷。然細觀清宮舊藏特展中定窰器物的種類,則盤、盌為數較多,其他器型並不多見。另如知名收藏家、瑞典工業家卡爾坎普博士,其收藏以金銀器、陶瓷為主,而陶瓷中尤以歷代白瓷最豐,然其中盤、盌仍在器型中佔比最多,但這件定窰圓筒形器無疑是他舊藏中一個例外。


細審此件圓筒形器,口沿無釉,但可見古人嵌底其下,且細磨器緣,使得緊合,嚴絲合縫。但似乎無任何跡象及證據表明此圓筒形器在燒造初時配底,似為製作兩頭相通之圓柱形瓷器座而燒,器底開筒後加之,加底後,可成一筆洗。對比清宮舊藏的定窰刻花龍紋洗,雖大部分尺寸更小,螭紋刻於器內底中心,但洗口沿內外均裝飾與此圓筒形器上下緣相似的回紋。

於北京或台北故宮博物院均不見此物,西方收藏中亦莫能出其右,是為孤品。

蘇富比前亞洲區主席朱湯生(1941-2011年)乃中國陶瓷界翹楚,舉世知名,備受敬仰。生於文化世家,學古識今、獨具慧眼,對中國藝術的熱忱滿懷,在成化御瓷方面的學術研究更是孜孜未倦、矢志不渝。朱氏1963年加入蘇富比,在他的領導下,1973年在香港舉辦首場拍賣會,為亞洲中國藝壇發展奠下重要基石。


本品屬極少數飾有劃花龍紋的定瓷,直口器壁甚是罕見,妙劃螭龍悠遊於上,生動至極,展現瓷匠嫻熟畫技。現存龍紋定瓷數量雖少,畫工水平穩定,應造於河北曲陽定窰產瓷巔峰之際。名列宋代五大名窰,定瓷柔滑釉色,更添本品典雅細緻之氣。


器身雷紋與龍紋,皆可溯至遠古,本品突顯宋時慕古情懷。徽宗時,此風最盛,古代哲學、文化、美學等,皆深得推崇與倣傚。螭龍紋與雷紋可見於戰國時期青銅器,而有這類紋飾的定瓷,多為宮廷訂製或用以上貢,如台北故宮博物院藏品,與北京故宮博物院的一件清宮舊藏。謝明良在《定窰白瓷特展圖錄》論及,一件劃花有類同本品之螭龍與雷紋的定瓷,刻有「壽成殿」,或為北宋宮廷專用之物(故宮博物院,台北,1987年,頁15-16,編號87)。


現知無類同作例,口沿邊緣可見瓷釉切面,本品原或為成套組件之一,類似大英博物館中大維德基金會藏一例邢窰溫盌或筆洗(館藏編號 PDF.182),由一件瓷盌放置於直腰矮筒形座上,可用以加熱保溫。此類筆洗深得宋代文人鍾愛。


然而不僅是宋人,如此珍稀之器,雅絕隽永,代代相傳,已成經典。清時,雍正、乾隆皇帝尤其慕古,蒐藏廣納高古文物包括定瓷,不僅珍藏古物,亦巧思翻新,以符合十八世紀的需求。雍乾二帝並精心安排清宮藏品中的古物修復、改製,甚至仿製。譬如一件東漢玉璧(2021年4月22日售於香港蘇富比,編號9),乾隆皇帝詔命,改製成紫檀硯屏,銘有帝王御製詩。宮廷藏品中,許多古物之底部皆得鐫銘御製詩或款識,定瓷亦同。


如此銘文,非隨性而至,而欲汲古潤今,將古物融入當朝時空。宮廷檔案記載,御窰廠督陶官唐英,常受命為古瓷製作器蓋,或修復,或作仿古瓷。本品底部應屬清代特製修復而來,雖為宋瓷,卻在清代重生。本品的原始用途早已佚失於歷史洪流,在歷代收藏家悉心珍愛之下,流傳至今,至為寶貴。


清代宮廷也會藉由描繪藏品,記錄並表達對於古物之珍重,精緻細膩的圖畫,搭配圖說、鈐印,詳實記載帝王珍藏之軌跡。如大英博物館與維多利亞和艾伯特博物館收藏的兩卷《古玩圖》,刊錄約五百件雍正皇帝的重要收藏,其中可見多件定瓷。台北故宮博物院藏《珍陶萃美》,收錄七件定瓷,其中一例尺寸較小的筆洗,器內飾盤龍紋與雷紋(館藏編號:故瓷009307,圖一、二)。


其他龍紋定瓷作例,參考大英博物館,大維德基金會藏一件折沿盤,盤內劃雙螭龍紋,風格近似本品;Hellner 收藏一件龍紋花口盤,紋飾與本品極為相似,2005年3月31日售於紐約蘇富比,編號30,成交價1,528,000美金。Eugene 與 Elva Bernat 收藏一件螭龍紋定窰洗,尺寸較小,曾多次展出,2018年3月22日售於紐約佳士得,編號505。



朱利安-湯普森(Julian Thompson)是中國瓷器方面的權威專家。他以淵博的知識、非凡的記憶力和非凡的眼光而受到東西方的尊敬。湯普森於1982年被任命為蘇富比拍賣行主席,後又擔任蘇富比亞洲區主席(1992-2003年)。


他有著豐富的文化背景。他的外祖父沃爾特-德拉馬雷(Walter de la Mare)曾與湯普森一家同住數年,並給他寫了許多激勵人心的信件;年輕的朱利安回信時,信箋就貼在詩人的門下。朱利安的舅舅迪克-德拉馬雷是 Faber & Faber 出版社的董事長,也是日本瓷器的收藏家。


從伊頓公學畢業後,湯普森獲得了劍橋大學國王學院的獎學金,在那裡他學習數學和道德科學(哲學),並與他未來的妻子傑克-伊維米(Jacky Ivimy)談起了戀愛,開著一輛古老的莫里斯迷你小轎車帶著她遊覽了東英吉利大教堂。他們於 1965 年結婚。


湯普森於1963年加入蘇富比拍賣行,並克服了早期的一場災難。在一次部門搬遷中,他受託搬運一堆珍貴的粉彩盤,不慎跌入敞開的沙井,盤子化為碎片。四年後,他成為中國部負責人。1973年,他大膽地在香港舉辦了蘇富比的首場拍賣會,開闢了遙遠東方的古董市場,同時也為業界樹立了細緻編目和誠信交易的標準。在香港和倫敦舉行的一系列拍賣會上,包括仇焱之(Edward Chow)、戴潤齋基金會(JT Tai Foundation)和趙從衍(TY Chao)的收藏在內的傑出中國瓷器開始拍出越來越高的價格。


與此同時,在魅力四射的彼得-威爾遜(Peter Wilson)的成功領導下,蘇富比進入了一個困難時期,擴張過度、與媒體和經銷商關係不佳、董事會爭吵不斷。1982年,在尋找新主席的過程中,湯普森被選中,他經營有方的遠東帝國在這場動蕩中安然無恙。


他負責恢復公司,調整公司結構,修復與媒體和古董商的關係。他恢復了公司早期的半家庭氛圍,並開始為小型藝術、手工藝和音樂活動提供慈善資助。通過湯普森和美國蘇富比新任主席詹姆斯-拉利(James Lally)的友誼,倫敦和紐約分部在這一時期開展了密切合作。


這些改革剛剛開始生效,蘇富比這家自1977年起上市的公司就成為了兩位紐約企業家惡意收購的目標。湯普森領導了一場鬥爭,使公司沒有落入他們的手中,他對 "白衣騎士"、商人阿爾弗雷德-陶布曼(Alfred Taubman)的接近表示歡迎。


在此期間,湯普森遭遇了一場嚴重的車禍,導致他住院三個月。他的右手暫時失去了活動能力。但他並不氣餒,堅持在醫院裡租了一間足夠大的房間,以便在病床上召開行政會議,並練習新的、潦草的左手簽名。


陶布曼成為了蘇富比的新主人,一種更加美國化的管理風格也隨之而來。格雷-高利勳爵(Lord Gowrie)成為新的英國主席,而湯普森則成為蘇富比亞洲區的第一任主席。這在某種程度上讓湯普森松了一口氣,因為英國主席的社交生活並不是他的強項。大約在這個時候,他和Jacky在威爾士邊境買下了一棟農舍和一些土地,並將其打造成了一個工作農場。


湯普森一直在倫敦和遠東兩地奔波,在那裡,他的學術、專業和正直受到了人們的尊敬。2004 年,在繼續擔任蘇富比拍賣行顧問的同時,他轉為自由職業者,為收藏家提供建議,並利用自己對市場上所有參與者的無與倫比的瞭解促成大宗交易。


2009 年,與 Jacky 離婚後,他與Li Fan(人稱 Fanny)結婚。他繼續前往遙遠的東方,編寫成化御瓷綜合圖錄,這是一部龐大的開創性學術著作,至今仍未完成。


範妮和他們的兒子查理、傑基和他們的女兒貝基、索普和塞西莉亞以及他與珍妮-盧的另一個女兒瑞秋都健在。


魯珀特-朱利安-德拉馬-湯普森,中國藝術顧問和瓷器專家,生於 1941 年 7 月 23 日,卒於 2011 年 1 月 16 日



Julian Thompson, who has died of cancer aged 69, was a leading expert on Chinese porcelain. He was respected in both the east and the west for his deep knowledge, remarkable memory and extraordinary eye. Thompson was appointed chairman of Sotheby's in 1982 and later became chairman of Sotheby's Asia (1992-2003).

He had a rich cultural background. His maternal grandfather, Walter de la Mare, lived with the family for some years and wrote him stimulating letters; young Julian replied with missives posted under the poet's door. Julian's uncle, Dick de la Mare, was the chairman of the publishers Faber & Faber and a collector of Japanese porcelain.


From Eton college, Thompson won a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge, where he read mathematics and moral sciences (philosophy), and romanced his future wife, Jacky Ivimy, by driving her around the great churches of East Anglia in an ancient Morris Mini-Minor. They married in 1965.


Thompson joined Sotheby's in 1963 and overcame an early calamity. Trusted to carry a pile of precious famille rose plates during a departmental move, he stepped down an open manhole and reduced them to fragments. He became head of the Chinese department four years later. In 1973 he made the bold move of holding the first Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong, opening up the antiques market in the far east while setting standards of meticulous cataloguing and honest dealing for the trade. At a series of sales in Hong Kong and London – including the collections of Edward Chow, the JT Tai Foundation and TY Chao – outstanding pieces of Chinese porcelain began to fetch ever more remarkable prices.


Meanwhile, under the successful but ultimately divisive chairmanship of the charismatic Peter Wilson, Sotheby's was entering a difficult period, through over-expansion, bad relations with the press and dealers, and boardroom rows. In 1982 the search for a new chairman settled on Thompson whose well-managed far-eastern empire had survived the turmoil unscathed.


He took on the job of restoring the firm, fine-tuning its structure and repairing relations with the press and the antiques trade. He reinstated the quasi-family atmosphere of its earlier days and started up charitable funding for small arts, crafts and musical events. This was a period of close co-operation between the firm's London and New York branches, through the friendship of Thompson and James Lally, the new chairman of Sotheby's in the US.


No sooner had these reforms begun to take effect than Sotheby's, a publicly quoted company since 1977, became the target for a hostile takeover bid by two New York entrepreneurs. Thompson led a fight to keep the firm out of their hands and he welcomed the approach of a "white knight", the businessman Alfred Taubman.

During this period, Thompson was in a serious car accident which led to him being hospitalised for three months. He temporarily lost all movement in his right hand. Undeterred, he insisted on a large enough room in the hospital to take executive meetings from his bed, and he practised a new, scrawly left-handed signature.

Taubman became the new owner of Sotheby's and a more American management style took over. Lord (Grey) Gowrie became the new UK chairman while Thompson became the first chairman of Sotheby's Asia. This was somewhat to Thompson's relief because the social life that went with the UK chairmanship was not his forte. At about this time he and Jacky bought a farmhouse with some land on the Welsh borders and they made it into a working farm.


Thompson had always divided his time between London and the far east, where he was held in great esteem for his scholarship, expertise and integrity. In 2004, while continuing to act as a consultant to Sotheby's, he went freelance, advising collectors and using his unrivalled knowledge of all the players in the market to broker big deals.


In 2009, after his divorce from Jacky, he married Li Fan (known as Fanny). He continued to travel to the far east and worked on his comprehensive catalogue of imperial Chenghua porcelain, a massive and groundbreaking work of scholarship which remains uncompleted.


He is survived by Fanny and their son, Charlie; by Jacky and their daughters, Becky, Sophy and Cecilia; and by another daughter, Rachel, from his relationship with Jenny Lu.


Rupert Julian de la Mare Thompson, Chinese art consultant and porcelain expert, born 23 July 1941; died 16 January 2011


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