An extremely rare polychrome-enamelled and underglaze-blue decorated ‘dragon’ cup, Mark and period of Longqing | 明隆慶 青花加紅綠彩龍紋小酒盃 《大明隆慶年造》款

An old Japanese private collection, Okayama.

A Japanese private collection, Tokyo, acquired from the above since early 2000s.

Porcelains bearing the Longqing (1567-1572) imperial mark are particularly rare and significant, primarily due to the brevity of Longqing's reign, which lasted only six years. This short reign resulted in comparatively limited porcelain production, making surviving examples exceedingly scarce and valuable for dating purposes.

A key characteristic of Longqing imperial porcelain is the vibrant and sophisticated use of polychrome enamels, often combined with a distinctive rich and deep cobalt-blue underglaze decoration. These stylistic features evolved from the aesthetics established during the preceding Jiajing reign, yet exhibit a refined elegance in both composition and execution specific to Longqing wares, he meticulous craftsmanship and decorative proficiency reflected in present example highlights the high technical mastery achieved by potters during this brief period.

The historical significance of Longqing porcelains further stems from severe disruptions faced by the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen. Imperial records from the late 1560s and early 1570s document significant challenges including severe flooding, earthquakes, and notably, a devastating fire in 1571 that severely hampered porcelain production. These adversities made the creation of technically demanding and finely rendered imperial porcelains, such as those bearing the Longqing mark, particularly challenging and costly, further contributing to their rarity and historical importance.

A closely related Longqing polychrome-enamelled and underglaze-blue decorated ‘dragon’ cup, also with the fifth claw intentionally effaced, is in the Umezawa Kinenkan, Tokyo, illustrated in Yuan and Ming Porcelain from the Collection of the Umezawa Memorial Museum, MOA Art Museum, Atami, 1992, cat. no. 42. A further comparable dragon cup, Mark and period of Longqing decorated in red enamel is in the Percival David Foundation Collection, now in housed in the British Museum (accession no. PDF.765), illustrated in Rebecca Feng, illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Ming Style Polychrome Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 2006, p.37, no.765. Two additional closely related examples of Longqing mark and period porcelain wares decorated in polychrome enamels with dragon motifs have been sold at auction: a rare wucai 'dragon' dish, mark and period of Longqing, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th April 2014, lot 3105, and another rare blue and white and iron-red 'dragon' bowl, also mark and period of Longqing, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th April 2013, lot 3003.

來源

日本岡山私人舊藏

日本東京私人舊藏，自2000年代初由以上獲得

撇口，直腹，圈足。通體施白釉，盃壁繪兩龍輕逸穿梭於花間，赭彩、礬紅彩勾勒龍身輪廓，身軀及四肢以礬紅繪就，腹部以綠彩平塗，盃心上下共飾四道弦紋，正中以濃豔的回青料繪製火珠一顆，青花色澤豔麗，藍中泛紫。

隆慶御製瓷，因隆慶帝在位僅六年，御瓷燒造甚為有限，故世間遺存極少，尤為珍貴難得，而於斷代鑑賞上亦極具價值。其風格承襲嘉靖之遺韻，然又更進一步，五彩繪飾精妙華麗，釉下青花則呈深邃濃豔之鈷藍色調，殊為典雅秀麗，展現當時御窯製瓷工藝之頂峰。本品龍紋繪製精細，且第五爪刻意磨去，乃嚴守御用之規制，彰顯其宮廷出身與歷史價值，亦為隆慶御瓷之鮮明特徵。史載隆慶年間景德鎮御窯廠屢遭天災侵襲，如洪水、地震，尤以隆慶五年（1571年）大火尤為慘烈，嚴重影響宮廷瓷器燒製，致使此類技藝精湛且燒製難度高之御瓷更為稀有珍罕。

明代御瓷中亦有見將龍紋第五爪抹除之例，見日本東京梅澤紀念館所藏一件隆慶青花五彩龍紋杯，第五爪有意磨去，著錄於《梅澤紀念館所蔵：中國．元明の陶磁》，MOA美術館，1992年，圖錄編號42。另倫敦大英博物館大維德基金會藏一例隆慶御製紅彩龍紋杯，載於Rebecca Feng著，《illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Ming Style Polychrome Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art》，倫敦，2006年，頁37，編號765。拍賣售出隆慶五彩御瓷之例，見香港蘇富比曾售出一件五彩龍紋盤，2014年4月8日，拍品編號3015，以及另一青花礬紅龍紋盌，2013年4月8日，拍品編號3003。