坂本五郎：唐三彩貼塑繩柄注子
SANCAI-GLAZED EWER TANG DYNASTY
2016年唐三彩還處於沈寂期，這時候的中國收藏家還在更新迭代的過程中，正是一大批喜歡高古的年輕收藏家正在取代以明清為主力的老一輩藏家的分水嶺時刻。坂本五郎先生的專場在這個期間陸續釋放，是一劑有力的強心針，這也是他去世以後為這個行業的一大貢獻之一。
行業裡一直都需要有自我犧牲，自我奉獻精神的鋪路者，前人栽樹，後人乘涼的概念在如今的教育中卻沒有再出現了，活在當下成為了社會的價值觀，豈有此理。活在當下，前不管後不顧，這是很可怕的思維，如今竟成為了褒義詞。古代藝術的市場，本就是活在超脫四維時間維度的另一個維度，這是古代藝術的魅力，也是其核心價值。超過過去、現在、未來，自由倒帶的一個精神世界，有始有終，收放自如。
如今人們在無休止的自洽中迷失對美的訴求，鮮有人顧及、維護藝術的未來。坂本五郎先生的人生價值，在其去世後繼續綻放，如今看來，他的專場扮演著十分重要的角色，再度為行業點亮明燈，希望他在九泉之下也能欣慰一笑。
收藏需要反向思維，這也是收藏的哲學啟示。Less is More，少則是多。在藝術品的世界裡，則往往是所謂“貴”的藏品，最後是最“便宜的”，也就是性價比最高，最有投資回報的。遺憾，無數的初級藏家卻在斤斤計較和算計小錢的路上丟失了收藏的初心⋯ 日本侘茶之祖村田珠光（Murata Juko）曾訓示：為心師，不師於心：做自己心的主人，而不是被自己的慾望之心牽著走。
殘念，此般覺悟並非此時此刻此地所能有之福分。藝術的修煉實是修心，而非另一個跨市場貨運套利的金錢遊戲。智者寡而愚者眾，則選擇比努力更重要。近朱者赤，近墨者黑，不是為智慧買單，就是為愚蠢付出代價，畢竟人總是要“做點什麼的”。
新的一年，原智者多行動，愚者少折騰。
王秋生 allen wang
SACA學會
2024年12月12日
估價：500,000 - 700,000 USD
已售出：874,000 USD
2016年9月13日 蘇富比紐約
finely potted, the ovoid body rising from a widely splayed foot to a double-waisted neck and tall cylindrical cupped mouth secured to the shoulder by a rope-twist handle, the body applied with crisply molded elements of quatrefoil leaf panels separated by florets, trefoil floral sprigs and festooned flower heads, all below a band of three incised grooves at the shoulder with four further trefoil floral sprigs pendent between flanking loop handles and an upright 'beak', all beneath brilliant splashed ivory, green and amber glazes, pooling at the foot to an olive-green tone and extending partially over the underside of the foot, stopping unevenly to reveal the buff body at the base, the interior of the mouth applied with a soft greenish-white glaze, Japanese wood box (3)
壺體工藝精湛，壺身呈卵形，自寬大的外撇底座向上收至雙束頸與高柱形敞口，頸部以繩狀把手穩固連接至肩部。壺身裝飾以清晰雕模的花卉圖案，包含四瓣葉形花紋面板，間以小花簇、三葉花枝和垂懸的花頭，構成錯落有致的華麗紋飾。肩部以下飾有三條刻劃的凹槽，肩部四周均勻分布著四組下垂的三葉花枝，間隔於對稱的圓環狀耳與一個直立的“喙”之間。
全器罩以璀璨的乳白、綠、琥珀色釉，釉色在底座處匯聚呈橄欖綠色調，部分釉料延伸至器底內側，但未完全覆蓋，露出淺黃色胎質的底部。壺口內壁施以柔和的淡青白釉，整器古樸雅致，流光溢彩。附日本木盒（三件）。
來源 Provenance
倫敦佳士得1970年10月12日，編號95
出版 Publication
長谷部樂爾及林屋晴三，《中國古陶磁》，上冊，東京，1971年，圖版45
Anthony du Boulay，《Christie's Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics》，倫敦，1984年，頁21，圖3
品相 Condition
考慮到器形之複雜性，此器整體保存狀況極為優良，僅有幾處淺小磕損。其中最大的一處位於雕模四瓣花飾尖端之一，尺寸約1.3厘米 x 0.9厘米，可見於圖錄照片中。此外，“壺嘴”尖端和敞口內側底部各有一處小磕損，其他部位亦有若干輕微淺表缺損。底部可見一個小型熱釋光（TL）鑽孔，並伴隨幾處窯燒瑕疵，另有一處約1.2厘米 x 0.9厘米的淺磕損。整體輕微磨損及局部釉層脫落，均為該時期器物之常見現象。
In exceptional general condition given the complexity of the form, with only several shallow chips. The largest measuring 1.3 cm by 0.9 cm, to one tip of the molded quatrefoil florets, as visible in the catalogue image. One small chip to the tip of the 'spout' and another to the underside of the cupped mouth. Several minor shallow losses elsewhere. The base with a small TL drill hole, and several firing imperfections, and a 1.2 cm by 0.9 cm shallow chip. Other light ware and minor glaze flaking as consistent with the period.
三彩花時繁似錦
康蕊君
本品三彩貼花雙繫繩柄壺，瑰麗華美，光秀斑斕，薈異國之風，集盛唐之氣，見證中國史上輝煌一頁。此例獨一無二，不論其工藝、造型、裝飾與釉色，皆顯盛唐陶器之偉大成就。
唐代絲綢之路通達西域，沿塔克拉瑪干沙漠之長途險要，自長安都城及至中亞與中東，聯繫外邦文化重鎮，促成繁盛商貿，引領思想交流。長安城其時威名遠播，日臻繁榮，幅員廣大，為世上之最，人口高達百萬，聚眾更來自亞洲各地。外商於市集出售異國貨品，使節向朝廷上呈海外珍寶。因此，唐代藝匠接觸之款式及技術愈見豐富，面對競爭環境，自當因時制宜，博採眾長。富裕貴族卓識善鑑，對精品需求與日俱增，藝匠為此竭盡所能，更令盛唐工藝技術愈見精良。
縱觀中國悠久歷史，唯有唐代匠工最精陶器，取素土為胎，塑成名器，其技藝之精湛，從本品足可窺見一斑。此壺設計精煉，造工嚴謹，對後世影響深遠。器身流麗灑脫，造形起伏順暢，配以貼花葉飾、繩紋手柄，巧施三彩釉色，皆盡精製華飾，足見匠心獨運。
陶瓷貼花手法，意源寶石、珍珠鑲飾。參考一件唐代鑲寶石舍利金盒，陝西省臨潼縣慶山寺遺址出土，載《中國美術全集：工藝美術編》，第10冊，北京，1987年，圖版76，另見《隋唐文化》，香港，1990年，頁275，圖版5。此技法自北齊始，盛行於陶器之上， 當時中亞風格始對中國工藝帶來強烈影響，Suzanne G. Valenstein曾就此提及一早期同款紋飾青釉瓶，藏紐約大都會藝術博物館。（，《Oriental Art》，第VLIII冊，編號4，1997-1998年，頁2-13）蔓藤花紋，仿如佛教造像佩戴寶飾，參考一西安出土著名石雕觀音菩薩殘像，載《中國美術全集：雕塑編》，卷四，北京，1988年，圖版53（圖一）。
壺身花飾，多見唐初藝品，媒材不同，效果各異，款例包括一唐代陶馬裝飾，河南鞏縣出土，同上，圖版156；另見一唐代木鎮俑甲飾，公元688年，新疆吐魯番阿斯塔那古墓出土，展於《China. Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD》，大都會藝術博物館，紐約，2004-2005年，編號180；再有一銅鎮俑裝飾，陝西寶雞出土，同上，編號230；
另參考兩款絲織品，阿斯塔那古墓出土，其一為六世紀末／七世紀初，另一出自公元778年古墓，同上，編號235及242；一件繡花絲韉，出自青海都蘭熱水，同上，編號247；另一唐代銅鏡，出自陝西岐山，展《長安瑰寶：絲綢之都》，香港藝術館，1993-1994年，編號33。如本壺器形及裝飾者，今未見有二，但有存世三彩鳳首壺例者數，形意頗近，固當歸至一類，獨本品不作鳳首之式，而於肩部置一鳥喙，借取其意，與壺柄相對，互作平衡，相得益彰，配與錦飾，整體觀之，華美奪目，雅致分明。
參考五件相類例，球形壺口，作鳳首狀。其中一例，同飾大片四葉及花蕾貼飾，東京國立博物館館藏，載佐藤雅彥及長谷部楽爾，《世界陶磁全集：隋、唐》，卷十一，東京，1976年，彩圖版200（圖二）。另一同款花蕾貼飾，配團飾圖案，Aso收藏，同上，圖版199。
再有三例，貼飾不同，壺肩飾一環蓮花，其一藏神戶白鶴美術館，同上，彩圖版35；其二先後屬巴黎L. Wannieck收藏、比利時Jan Pincket收藏及日本私人收藏，同上，圖版117，另載《Inaugural Exhibition: Early Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art》，Eskenazi，倫敦，1972年，編號32，封面，近期售於倫敦蘇富比2015年5月13日，編號104（成交價2,725,000英鎊）（圖三）；其三載水野清一，《陶器全集：唐三彩》，卷二十五，東京，1961年，彩圖版1。鳳首壺之喙飾，或作壺口出水，或僅作裝飾，盛於六朝時期，其重要意義尚待深入考究。
此壺製工複雜，裝飾精緻，三彩均勻飽滿，亮麗出眾，流釉至足，平整規細，並非一般唐器可比。河南鞏義市黄冶鞏縣窰址，著名唐三彩窰口之一，曾出土大量三彩陶例，亦有作貼飾者，然鮮有與本品比肩之作。相類貼葉紋飾之三彩殘器，見《黄冶唐三彩窰》，北京，2000年，載於書中各處及彩圖版54: 4。
Reflectioin on the Sakamoto Collection
In 2016, Tang sancai ware was still in a period of relative dormancy. During this time, Chinese collectors were undergoing a generational shift—young collectors with a passion for early antiquities were beginning to replace the older generation, whose focus was predominantly on Ming and Qing artifacts. It was in this transformative period that the auctions of the late Mr. Goro Sakamoto’s collection were released, acting as a powerful catalyst for the field. These auctions became one of his enduring contributions to the industry, even after his passing.
The art world has always needed trailblazers willing to make sacrifices and lay foundations for others, embodying the spirit of “planting trees for future generations to enjoy the shade.” Sadly, this principle has diminished in modern education, replaced by a societal fixation on “living in the moment.” How absurd! Living solely for the present, with no regard for the past or the future, is a dangerous mindset, yet it has astonishingly become a celebrated virtue. Ancient art transcends the linear dimensions of time—past, present, and future. This timeless quality is its essence and allure. It provides a spiritual realm where one can rewind freely, embracing both beginnings and ends with ease.
Today, many are lost in the endless pursuit of self-validation, neglecting the responsibility to preserve and nurture the future of art. Yet, the value of Mr. Sakamoto’s life continues to shine even after his passing. His auctions have played an essential role in illuminating the path forward for the industry, a legacy that we hope brings him peace and satisfaction in the afterlife.
The Philosophy of Collecting
Collecting requires a mindset of reverse thinking—it is a philosophical pursuit. “Less is more” often applies here. In the world of art, the most “expensive” pieces are often the ones with the highest value in terms of cost-effectiveness and investment return. Unfortunately, countless novice collectors lose sight of the true purpose of collecting, fixating on trivial calculations and forsaking their original passion.
Murata Jukō, the founder of Japanese wabi-cha, once advised: “Be the master of your heart, not a servant to its desires.”Regrettably, such wisdom is rarely appreciated in this time and place. The cultivation of art is ultimately the cultivation of the soul—not merely another financial arbitrage opportunity across markets. Wisdom is scarce, while folly abounds. Hence, making the right choices is more critical than blind effort. Proximity to good influences fosters wisdom, while proximity to negative influences leads to downfall. Whether one pays for wisdom or folly, everyone inevitably pays a price for their actions.
A New Year Resolution
In the new year, let the wise act with purpose, and the foolish refrain from unnecessary chaos.
Allen Wang
SACA
December 12, 2024
Lot 6. A magnificent sancai-glazed ewer, Tang dynasty. Estimate 500,000 — 700,000 USD. Lot Sold 874,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's
finely potted, the ovoid body rising from a widely splayed foot to a double-waisted neck and tall cylindrical cupped mouth secured to the shoulder by a rope-twist handle, the body applied with crisply molded elements of quatrefoil leaf panels separated by florets, trefoil floral sprigs and festooned flower heads, all below a band of three incised grooves at the shoulder with four further trefoil floral sprigs pendent between flanking loop handles and an upright 'beak', all beneath brilliant splashed ivory, green and amber glazes, pooling at the foot to an olive-green tone and extending partially over the underside of the foot, stopping unevenly to reveal the buff body at the base, the interior of the mouth applied with a soft greenish-white glaze, Japanese wood box (3) - Height 11 7/8 in., 30.1 cm
Provenance: Christie's London, 12th October 1970, lot 95.
Literature: Gakuji Hasebe and Seizo Hayashiya, Chugoku Kotoji / Chinese Ceramics, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1971, pl. 45.Anthony du Boulay, Christie's Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, London, 1984, p. 21, fig. 3.
Opulent Foliage in Three Colors
Regina Krahl
This flamboyant vessel encapsulates the international spirit and the opulent atmosphere at the Chinese court in the first half of the Tang dynasty (618-907), which made that period one of the most splendid periods of Chinese history. Although this piece is unique, in workmanship, form, decoration and coloration, it represents the greatest achievements of Tang pottery.
The long and dangerous overland route across the Taklamakan desert from the capital Chang’an, modern Xi’an, to Central Asia and the Middle East known as the Silk Road linked the heart of China to distant cultural spheres and enabled a flourishing exchange of goods and ideas. Chang’an was an international metropolis without par, the largest city on earth, with an estimated population of one million inhabitants that included sizeable communities of foreign residents from all over Asia. Foreign merchants offered foreign goods in the city’s exotic Western market, and foreign embassies brought foreign artefacts to the court. China’s craftsmen thus came into contact with an abundance of styles and techniques, which they quickly had to adopt in this competitive climate.
The first half of the Tang dynasty saw an unprecedented rise in the ingenuity and skills of the country’s artisans who strove to meet the rising demands of an affluent and discerning aristocracy. In no other period of China’s long history did its potters understand so successfully to create luxury items out of mere clay, as this striking ewer exemplifies. Superbly designed and exactingly executed, it is an object with a dramatic impact. Its crisp profile is composed of a daring combination of cylindrical, convex and concave outlines. Its sprig-moulded floral and foliate appliques, freely modelled rope-twist handle and well applied, splashed sancai glazes, document the potters’ intention to create a masterpiece, embellished as lavishly as possible.
The application of sprig-moulded reliefs on ceramics evokes the encrustation of precious metal objects with jewels and pearls; compare a Tang bejewelled gold sarira container excavated from the remains of Qingshan Temple in Lintong county, Shaanxi province, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji. Gongyi meishu bian [Complete series on Chinese art: Arts and crafts section], vol. 10, Beijing, 1987, pl. 76, and in Sui Tang wenhua [Sui and Tang culture], Hong Kong, 1990, p. 275, pl. 5. The technique which became popular on ceramics in the Northern Qi period (550-577) period, when Central Asian styles began to exert a strong influence on Chinese crafts, has been discussed by Suzanne G. Valenstein in relation to an earlier green-glazed jar with such decoration in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (“Preliminary Findings on a 6th-Century Earthenware Jar”, Oriental Art, vol. VLIII, no. 4, 1997/8, pp. 2-13).
The arabesque shapes are reminiscent of the jewellery worn by Buddhist deities; compare, for example, the jewellery adorning the famous white marble torso of Avalokitesvara excavated in Xi’an, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji. Diaosu bian [Complete series on Chinese Art: Sculpture section], vol. 4, Beijing, 1988, pl. 53 (fig. 1).
A marble torso of Avalokitesvara, Tang dynasty ©Xi’an Beilin Museum
Such fanciful floral and foliate palmette motifs are ubiquitous on early Tang dynasty works of art and appear in a multitude of different versions on artefacts of various media; see, for example, the trappings of a Tang pottery horse excavated in Gongxian, Henan province, ibid., pl. 156; the painted decoration on the armor of a Tang wooden guardian figure excavated from a tomb dated in accordance with AD 688 in Astana, Turfan, Xinjiang, included in the exhibition China. Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2004-5, cat. no. 180; similar decoration on a bronze guardian figure from Baoji, Shaanxi province, ibid., cat. no. 230; designs on pieces of woven silk, again from Astana, one of the late 6th/early 7th century, another from a tomb dated in accordance with AD 778, ibid., cat. nos 235 and 242; on an embroidered silk saddle blanket from Reshui, Dulan, Qinghai province, ibid., cat. no. 247; or on a Tang bronze mirror from Qishan county, Shaanxi province, included in the exhibition Treasures of Chang’an. Capital of the Silk Road, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1993-4, cat. no. 33, to name only a few examples.
Although no other vessel of this form and decoration appears to exist, this ewer belongs to an extremely small group of spectacular bird’s-head vessels decorated in this way with appliques. On the present ewer the bird’s head is reduced to a minute ‘beak’ opposite the handle. The dramatic nature of the ornate designs is thus particularly well balanced by the serene, clearly structured shape of the vessel.
Five related ewers are known, all more complex in shape, with a globular mouth with distinct bird’s-head spout, a foliate stalk as handle, and the foot with an angled edge or raised ridge: one with the same large quatrefoil and bud-shaped appliques, in the Tokyo National Museum, is illustrated in Satō Masahiko and Hasebe Gakuji, eds, Sekai tōji zenshū/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 11: Sui Tō/Sui and T'ang Dynasties, Tokyo, 1976, col. pl. 200 (fig. 2); one with the same bud-shaped appliques combined with roundels, in the Aso collection ibid., col. pl. 199; and three with different appliques and a band of lotus petals around the shoulder, one in the Hakutsuru Art Museum, Kobe, ibid., col. pl. 35; one from the collections of L. Wannieck, Paris, Jan Pincket, Belgium, and a Japanese private collection, ibid., pl. 117, included in the Inaugural Exhibition: Early Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Eskenazi, London, 1972, cat. no. 32, illustrated on the cover, and recently sold in our London rooms, 13th May 2015, lot 104 (£ 2,725,000) (fig. 3); and the last published in Mizuno Seiji, Tōki zenshū [Complete works on ceramics], vol. 25: Tō sansai [Tang three-colour], Tokyo, 1961, col. pl. 1. Bird’s-head ewers, with the beak sometimes forming a functional spout, sometimes representing a purely decorative feature, became popular in the Six Dynasties’ period (220-589), but their significance is still not understood.
fig. 2. A Sancai-glazed phoenix-head ewer with applied ornaments, Tang dynasty, Tokyo National Museum © TNM Image Archives
fig. 3. A Sancai-glazed phoenix-head ewer, Tang dynasty, sold Sotheby’s London, 13 May 2015, lot 104 (£2,725,000)
The present vessel is also remarkable for the evenly applied sancai glazes, which fully cover the vessel rather than stopping in an uneven line well above the base and thus revealing the unglazed body, as is more common on Tang pottery vessels. Related ceramics with sancai glazes and applied designs – but apparently no vessel of this complex shape or elaborate decoration – have been excavated at the Gongxian kilns at Huangye in Gongyi, Henan province, the best researched, but probably not the only major sancai pottery kiln site of the Tang dynasty; see Huangye Tang sancai yao/Three-colour Glazed Pottery Kilns of the Tang Dynasty at Huangye, Beijing, 2000, passim, and col. pl. 54: 4 for a sancai pottery fragment with a related foliate applique.
Sotheby's. Chinese Art Through the Eye of Sakamoto Gor: Early Chinese Art, New York, 13 Sep 2016, 10:00 AM
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