三彩筆記 vol.46 美國波士頓美術館：唐三彩純藍釉馬 - Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Tang Sancai Blue Glazed Horse

唐代早期典型三彩馬俑，姿態優雅，施以罕見的純藍釉，體現唐代陶瓷工藝的奢華與技術高峰。藍釉需使用進口鈷料，成本高昂，故純藍或藍主調唐三彩馬極為稀有。該馬現陳列於波士頓美術館亞洲部Paul and Helen Bernat畫廊，為館藏經典之作。

純藍釉唐三彩馬極為罕見。傳統唐三彩（sancai）以綠、黃（琥珀）、白（透明）為主色，使用銅、鐵氧化物著色；藍色則需昂貴的鈷（cobalt）氧化物，極少使用，因此純藍或以藍為主的三彩馬存世量非常有限，可能僅個位數，已知類似或純藍的唐三彩馬實例如下：

• 波士頓美術館（Museum of Fine Arts, Boston）：這件編號46.478的馬，高73 cm，早8世紀，Mrs. John Gardner Coolidge於1946年捐贈，是館藏經典。

• 明尼阿波利斯藝術學院（Minneapolis Institute of Art）：曾收藏一件極為出色的藍釉唐三彩馬，被譽為「發現的最偉大唐馬之一」，但後來可能已非館藏（或曾展出/售出）。

• 私人收藏：根據財新報導，香港松隱閣（Lam’s Gallery by Midco），據記載擁有一件唐三彩純藍釉馬。

這些藍釉唐三彩馬不僅反映唐代陶瓷工藝高峰（藍色需進口鈷料，技術與成本高），也象徵唐代貴族墓葬陪葬品的奢華與對西域馬種（如Ferghana馬）的崇尚。這件波士頓館藏馬姿態優雅、施釉精湛，是研究唐代三彩藝術的珍貴標本。

唐三彩純藍釉馬

8世紀早期

媒材/技法

陶土胎，三彩釉並施加貼花裝飾（Earthenware with three-color glaze and applied motifs）

尺寸

73 公分（28 3/4 英寸）

捐贈來源

John Gardner Coolidge 收藏（John Gardner Coolidge Collection）

館藏編號

46.478

展覽位置

Paul and Helen Bernat 畫廊（Gallery 273）

來源

1946年，波士頓John Gardner Coolidge夫人；由Mrs. John Gardner Coolidge贈予波士頓美術館。（入藏日期：1946年6月13日）

Mrs. John Gardner Coolidge（約1876–1962年），本名Helen Stevens Coolidge（或Helen Granger Stevens），是美國波士頓一位知名收藏家與慈善捐贈者。她是外交官John Gardner Coolidge（1863–1936）的妻子，John Gardner Coolidge是美國著名藝術收藏家Isabella Stewart Gardner的侄子，家族與波士頓的文化藝術圈有深厚淵源，包括與Isabella Stewart Gardner博物館的關聯。

Helen Stevens Coolidge出身於Stevens家族，該家族在麻薩諸塞州擁有長期歷史，包括位於North Andover的Ashdale Farm（後成為Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens）。1914年她繼承該莊園後，與丈夫將其改造成新喬治亞式殖民復興風格的夏季宅邸，由知名建築師Joseph Everett Chandler負責翻新。他們夫婦熱衷於藝術收藏與園藝，Helen在丈夫過世後繼續活躍於波士頓社會，並長期支持Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA)。她於1962年逝世，其遺產與捐贈持續影響波士頓藝術界，被列入MFA的創辦人與主要捐贈者名單。

她在1940年代至1950年代多次向MFA捐贈多件重要文物，包括中國陶瓷、家具與其他亞洲藝術品。例如：1946年捐贈的這件唐代三彩馬（Accession No. 46.478）。其他如櫃子（cabinet）、亭台建築模型（pavilions）、花瓶（vase）、景泰藍瓶等，多件於1947–1952年間入藏。

Tang Sancai Blue Glazed Horse

Chinese

Tang dynasty

Early 8th century

MEDIUM/TECHNIQUE

Earthenware with three-color glaze and applied motifs

DIMENSIONS

73 cm (28 3/4 in.)

CREDIT LINE

John Gardner Coolidge Collection

ACCESSION NUMBER

46.478

ON VIEW

Paul and Helen Bernat Galleries (Gallery 273)

PROVENANCE

1946, Mrs. John Gardner Coolidge, Boston; gift of Mrs.John Gardner Coolidge to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 13,1946)

Mrs. John Gardner Coolidge (c. 1876–1962), née Helen Granger Stevens (also referred to as Helen Stevens Coolidge), was a prominent American collector and philanthropist based in Boston. She was the wife of diplomat John Gardner Coolidge (1863–1936), who was a nephew of the renowned art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner, linking the family to Boston's elite cultural circles, including connections to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Helen was born into the Stevens family, which had deep roots in Massachusetts, including ownership of Ashdale Farm in North Andover (later known as the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens). She inherited the property in 1914 and, together with her husband, transformed it into a summer residence in the neo-Georgian Colonial Revival style, with renovations led by the noted preservation architect Joseph Everett Chandler. The couple shared passions for art collecting and gardening, and after her husband's death in 1936, Helen remained active in Boston society, continuing her support for cultural institutions, particularly the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA).

From the 1940s to the 1950s, she made several significant donations to the MFA, enriching its Asian art collection with Chinese ceramics, furniture, and other objects. Notable examples include:

• The Tang dynasty sancai horse (Accession No. 46.478), gifted in 1946.

• Additional items such as cabinets, pavilion models, vases, and cloisonné bottles, many accessioned between 1947 and 1952.

Her contributions greatly enhanced the MFA's holdings in Chinese ceramics and earned her recognition as a key donor in the museum's history; she is listed among its founders and major benefactors. Helen passed away in 1962, and her legacy endures through her gifts and the preserved Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens, now operated by The Trustees of Reservations as a public historic site.

Regarding the rare pure blue-glazed Tang sancai horse (Earthenware with three-color glaze and applied motifs, primarily blue-dominated with other sancai elements), it is indeed exceptionally scarce. Traditional sancai ("three-color") glazes typically feature green (from copper), amber/yellow (from iron), and white/clear, while blue required expensive imported cobalt oxide, making blue-glazed or blue-dominant pieces highly unusual and limited in number—likely only single digits surviving worldwide.

Known examples or closely related blue/blue-dominant Tang sancai horses include:

• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: This piece (Accession No. 46.478), height 73 cm, early 8th century, donated by Mrs. John Gardner Coolidge in 1946. It is a museum highlight, noted for its elegant posture and masterful glazing.

• Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia): Acquired in 1949 from a set of Tang tomb figures (including guardians, camels, and spirits) excavated from an imperial tomb, this horse was praised as "one of the greatest T’ang horses ever discovered" for its modeling and blue glaze coverage. It remains in the collection and is displayed as a key example of rare complete tomb sets.

• Private collection: According to Caixin, Hong Kong's Lam’s Gallery (also known as 松隱閣), which specializes in early Chinese pottery owns a pure blue glazed Tang Sancai horse.