BW-06014  Pear-shaped octagonal bottle with underglaze-blue illustration of emperor Tang Tai-zong  

Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), Hu-tian kiln, Unmarked

Height: 48.5cm, Mouth Diameter: 13.3cm, Bottom Diameter: 14.6cm.

Interior bottom height: 1.5cm, Weight: 5390g.

This ware has been cleansed with Oxalic Acid to remove dirt and viscidities to restore its original luster for collection and preservation.

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Flared-mouth, thin neck, round belly and foot ring made up a smooth and soft octagonal contour.

Partial glaze peeling around mouth rim and ware body due to fragile bonding.

 

The bottle was joined at two sites. Calabash leaf design encircled the interior mouth rim. The body was decorated with Chinese historical figures from Tang Dynasty and complemented by stones and plants. A pattern of leaf scroll was found around the foot ring.

 

References (Ware Form & Decoration) :

1.      Tan, Dan-jiong. ¡§Figure: octagonal bottle with lion decoration¡¨, History of Chinese Ceramics, Vol. 2, Taipei: Guang-fu Book Co., Feb. 1985, p.708.

2. Li, Hui-bing. ¡§Figure 293: Decoration of bamboo leaves in Yuan dynasty¡¨, Appraisement Foundations of Chinese Porcelain, Beijing: Forbidden City, 2001, p.202

3.      National Palace Museum. ¡§Bamboo pattern¡¨, ¡§Plantain leaves pattern¡¨, ¡§Cloud pattern¡¨, The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art No.52, Vol. 5, Issue 4. Taipei: Yu-tai, Jul.1987, p.72, 73, 79.

4.      Ma, Xi-gui. ¡§Figure 75: decoration of cloud¡¨, Chinese Blue and White Porcelain, Shanghai: Shanghai Gu Ji, 1999, p.62.

5.  Liu, Ru-shui. ¡§Glaze peeling¡¨, Appreciation of China, 2nd Ed, Taipei: Shuchuan, Aug. 2004, p.7.

The illustration on the jar depicted an epic battle when Yu-chi Gong, a fearless and loyal subordinate of Li Shi-min, rode to rescue his master.

Li Shi-min, one of the most highly praised rulers of China, also known as Tang Tai-zong, rode to battle with Wang Shi-chong, a powerful warlord fighting with Li¡¦s father for the throne. Li was surrounded by Wang¡¦s troops when he led five hundred cavalries on a scout mission. Shan Xiong-xin, serving Wang, rode hastily toward Li trying to kill him. Yu-chi Gong let out a stunning roar and stuck Shan Xiong-xin who then fell off his horse. After saving Li¡¦s life, Yu-chi Gong gained his trust and later became one of the top ranking

generals of the Tang Dynasty.   

About the wardrobe and accessories:

1.      The first rider Tang Tai-zong (Li Shi-min) who wore a regnal hat with a round collar robe and leather boots.

2.      The rider behind Tang Tai-zong was Yu-chi Gong dressed in full battle gear holding an iron whip.

3.      The retinue foot solider in uniform held Tang Tai-zong¡¦s flag in his hands.

4.      The opposing rider wearing battle helmet and body armor was Shan Xiong-xin, a general from the enemy campaign trying to assassinate Tang Tai-zong with a single blow.  

All clothing and accessories were based on costumes worn on stage during Yuan Dynasty. They bared little or no resemblance to accurate dressing in Tang Dynasty. 

The style the artist chose to finish the illustrations was standard in Yuan Dynasty.  

Reference(Story & Costume):

1.         Zeng, Bai-rong. ¡§Yu-chi Gong rides to rescue his master¡¨ Beijing Opera's Directory, Beijing: Chinese Drama, Jun. 1989, p.367.

2. Ma, Xi-gui. ¡§Figure 75: Jar with underglaze-blue illustration of Yu-chi Gong rode to rescue his master¡¨, Chinese Blue and White Porcelain, Shanghai: Shanghai Gu Ji, 1999, p.62.

Unique dark blue underglaze color attributed to the imported pigment¡¦s higher iron, lower manganese concentration. Black marks were seen at areas with high pigment application.

 

Green tinted, semi-transparent surface conveyed a firm, glittering sensation. The glaze surface showed orange-peel marks.

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Grayish white clay appeared loose and rough. The raw clay material hardened with dilated sand holes. Coarse trimming work. Small brownish black spots were seen at unglazed areas.

The imported pigment displayed different shades of indigo-blue after baking. Uneven iron rust made on the glaze surface reveal metallic brown or greenish brown color with light silvery glittering. Diffused spots found in thick pigment layers were congregations of bluish black mineral particles.

 

Small air bubbles distributed evenly across the surface with presence of inconsistent larger bubbles.

 

Reference (Pigment & Su-ma-li Blue):

1.      Li, Hui-bing. ¡§Appraisement Foundations of Chinese Porcelains¡¨ Forbidden City Publishing House, Jan. 2005, p.223-224, 264-265.

2.  Liao, Pao-show. Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsuan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei: National Palace Museum, 1998, 14-15.

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Kiln workers in Yuan Dynasty invented a binary formula of mixing Ma-cang clay with porcelain clay. This new grayish white compound was dehydrated and loose with obvious black impurities and air holes.

(Ma-chang clay was also known as Kaolin clay or imperial clay)  

References (Clay) :

1. Fu, Zheng-chu. Culture of china, Taipei: Fine Arts Society, 1997, p.50.

2. She Cheng. Development of Blue and White Porcelain in Ming Dynasty and Art Research, Taipei: Wen Shi zhe, Mar. 1986, p.76

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