A RARE CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE 'MASTER OF THE ROCKS' BOWL

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi / Yongzheng Period

清康熙或雍正 青花山水人物圖紋盌

The curved bowl delicately painted around the exterior with a continuous mountainous landscape depicting fishermen in a boat, scholars, woodcutters and farmers, all amongst detailed rockery, lofty pine trees and foliage,

25cm diameter

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PROVENANCE:

Purchased from Christie's London, 6th November 2007, lot 168.

來源：

購自倫敦佳士得，2007 年 11 月 6 日，拍品編號 168。

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NOTE:

This bowl exhibits the painterly skill and breadth of expression typical of the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods in China. During the tubulent and violent transfer of power from the Ming to the Qing dynasty during the 17th century, the kilns in Jingdezhen, the centre of China's porcelain production, had to rely solely on private custom due to the halting of imperial commissions. The subjects depicted in the medium of blue and white therefore expanded as kilns competed to stay afloat, and techniques in both potting and painting were refined during what is known as the High Transitional period. As the Kangxi emperor consolidated the power of the ruling Manchu, he also oversaw the beginning of a golden age for Chinese porcelain. Using carefully-weighted applications of cobalt blue to create a sense of great depth, this bowl not only recreates the idealised mountainous landscapes often seen on scroll paintings, but also the lone individuals - such as the solitary scholar sat contemplating life in his modest dwelling.

A bowl with a similar painterly style, marked as Yongzheng period and of a slightly-smaller size, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th November 2023, lot 2841.

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