Lot 2 清乾隆 仿哥釉耳杯形筆舔 | A RARE GE-TYPE GLAZED 'EAR CUP' SHAPED INK PALETTE, BITIAN
落槌价
预展中
成交价
预展中
| 拍卖公司 | 邦瀚斯 |
|---|---|
| 拍卖时间 | 2026年11月05日 |
拍品信息
拍品名称
清乾隆 仿哥釉耳杯形筆舔 | A RARE GE-TYPE GLAZED 'EAR CUP' SHAPED INK PALETTE, BITIAN
年代
Qianlong seal mark and of the period
起拍价
GBP 15,000
估值区间
GBP 15000 - 20000
尺寸
未知
品相
未知
更多信息
Qianlong seal mark and of the period
Finely potted of oval form, rising with tapering sides from a counter-sunk base, flanked by two flat crescent moon-shaped handles below the mouth rim, covered overall in a pale sky-blue glaze suffused with yellow-ochre crackles, save the foot ring fired to a dark chocolate brown tone. 7.8cm (3 1/8in) long.
Footnotes
清乾隆 仿哥釉耳杯形筆舔
青花「大清乾隆年製」篆書款
Provenance: John Berwald, London
Acquired from the above on 9 January 2012
來源：倫敦古董商John Berwald
從上處獲得于2012年1月9日
The present palette is distinguished by its deliberate archaism, uniting an ancient ear-cup form with a finely controlled crackled glaze of exceptional tactility. The small handled shape derives from early prototypes. Known in Chinese as bei (杯) or yushang (羽觴), vessels of this type appear to have served a dual purpose in early China, functioning both as drinking cups for wine and as containers for food offerings; see for example, a set of ninety lacquer ear cups excavated from the Han dynasty tombs of the Marquis Dai and his family, located at Mawangdui near Changsha in Hunan Province, where fifty cups were found inscribed with ('to serve you food') and the rest ('to serve you wine'); see J.Waley-Cohen, trans., 'The Lacquers of the Mawangdui Tomb', , no.11, Hong Kong, 1984, p.16.
Rather than serving as a vessel for food or wine, however, the present lot's restrained scale suggests use as a water or ink palette, intended for the subtle dilution and modulation of ink tones within the scholar's studio. In this context, the choice of archaistic form would have carried intellectual as well as aesthetic resonance.
The soft grey-blue glaze, densely suffused with an even network of crackle, consciously evokes the revered wares of the Song dynasty, especially those associated with the and traditions. Such glazes had long been esteemed for their quiet refinement and subtle surface complexity, remaining objects of connoisseurly admiration throughout subsequent centuries. Under the Yongzheng Emperor and his successor, the Qianlong Emperor, this admiration evolved into a sustained programme of revival at the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen. By the eighteenth century, technical advances in ceramic production enabled potters to recreate these celebrated crackled surfaces with remarkable precision. The intricate web of fissures was not incidental but carefully engineered through the controlled cooling of glaze and body, producing layered crackle patterns that were later accentuated through staining. The subtle tonal variation across the surface, together with the characteristic darkened footrim imitating Song prototypes, demonstrates the high level of technical mastery achieved during the Qianlong reign.
Similar or type glazed ear cups are extremely rare. A related type glazed ear-cup, Qianlong, is in the Musée Guimet, Paris, (acc.no.MA4236). This example is inscribed with a poem composed by the Qianlong Emperor himself. Written in 1776 for a -glazed vase, the verse reflects the Emperor's connoisseurial sensibilities and his engagement with the antiquities he so admired:
The inscription underscores both the aesthetic ideals of the Qianlong Court and the broader revivalist ethos that informed the production of archaistic porcelain during his reign. Through such works, the Emperor sought not merely to reproduce forms of the past, but to engage in a scholarly dialogue with them, merging technical mastery with historical awareness.
Compare with a related -type glazed ear cup, 18th century, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2024, lot 1. See also another -type ear cup, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Sotheby's London, 5 November 2014, lot 9.
Finely potted of oval form, rising with tapering sides from a counter-sunk base, flanked by two flat crescent moon-shaped handles below the mouth rim, covered overall in a pale sky-blue glaze suffused with yellow-ochre crackles, save the foot ring fired to a dark chocolate brown tone. 7.8cm (3 1/8in) long.
Footnotes
清乾隆 仿哥釉耳杯形筆舔
青花「大清乾隆年製」篆書款
Provenance: John Berwald, London
Acquired from the above on 9 January 2012
來源：倫敦古董商John Berwald
從上處獲得于2012年1月9日
The present palette is distinguished by its deliberate archaism, uniting an ancient ear-cup form with a finely controlled crackled glaze of exceptional tactility. The small handled shape derives from early prototypes. Known in Chinese as bei (杯) or yushang (羽觴), vessels of this type appear to have served a dual purpose in early China, functioning both as drinking cups for wine and as containers for food offerings; see for example, a set of ninety lacquer ear cups excavated from the Han dynasty tombs of the Marquis Dai and his family, located at Mawangdui near Changsha in Hunan Province, where fifty cups were found inscribed with ('to serve you food') and the rest ('to serve you wine'); see J.Waley-Cohen, trans., 'The Lacquers of the Mawangdui Tomb', , no.11, Hong Kong, 1984, p.16.
Rather than serving as a vessel for food or wine, however, the present lot's restrained scale suggests use as a water or ink palette, intended for the subtle dilution and modulation of ink tones within the scholar's studio. In this context, the choice of archaistic form would have carried intellectual as well as aesthetic resonance.
The soft grey-blue glaze, densely suffused with an even network of crackle, consciously evokes the revered wares of the Song dynasty, especially those associated with the and traditions. Such glazes had long been esteemed for their quiet refinement and subtle surface complexity, remaining objects of connoisseurly admiration throughout subsequent centuries. Under the Yongzheng Emperor and his successor, the Qianlong Emperor, this admiration evolved into a sustained programme of revival at the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen. By the eighteenth century, technical advances in ceramic production enabled potters to recreate these celebrated crackled surfaces with remarkable precision. The intricate web of fissures was not incidental but carefully engineered through the controlled cooling of glaze and body, producing layered crackle patterns that were later accentuated through staining. The subtle tonal variation across the surface, together with the characteristic darkened footrim imitating Song prototypes, demonstrates the high level of technical mastery achieved during the Qianlong reign.
Similar or type glazed ear cups are extremely rare. A related type glazed ear-cup, Qianlong, is in the Musée Guimet, Paris, (acc.no.MA4236). This example is inscribed with a poem composed by the Qianlong Emperor himself. Written in 1776 for a -glazed vase, the verse reflects the Emperor's connoisseurial sensibilities and his engagement with the antiquities he so admired:
The inscription underscores both the aesthetic ideals of the Qianlong Court and the broader revivalist ethos that informed the production of archaistic porcelain during his reign. Through such works, the Emperor sought not merely to reproduce forms of the past, but to engage in a scholarly dialogue with them, merging technical mastery with historical awareness.
Compare with a related -type glazed ear cup, 18th century, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2024, lot 1. See also another -type ear cup, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Sotheby's London, 5 November 2014, lot 9.
常见问题
这件清乾隆 仿哥釉耳杯形筆舔 | A RARE GE-TYPE GLAZED 'EAR CUP' SHAPED INK PALETTE, BITIAN的成交价是多少？
落槌价为 预展中。 成交价为 预展中。
