序 言：
白色作为中国古代陶瓷中不可或缺的重要颜色，与我们相伴了千年之久，它被人们赋予了光明，纯洁，与快乐的意义，代表着人们心中最圣洁的那一片净土。
白瓷的烧造是困难的，需要排除胎土中的杂质与釉料中的杂色，这在当时较为原始的烧造技法中，是相当具有挑战性的，随着技术的成熟与经验的累积，人们逐渐掌握了白瓷的烧制技术，也顺利的烧制出了拥有纯净釉面质感的白瓷，正所谓类银似雪，好的白瓷让人从视觉上的愉悦逐渐延伸到了精神世界中的享受。
2015年著名古董商J.J.Lally联合Ronald W. Longsdorf举办了一场早期白瓷展览，此次展览所选器物，以中国早期白瓷为主，颜色纯净甜美，虽没有过多的装饰，但依靠器型线条的变化，还是深深的打动了我们。
Designing luxury goods and packaging for the fashion, beauty
and housewares markets has been my occupation for over 40 years.
I have worked with most of the materials from which these products are made, but the most challenging and rewarding has been ceramics.
Sophisticated manufacturing has all but replaced the artisanal approach
which defined their history, yet this exposure to modern ceramics production
has given me a unique appreciation for the history of the ceramic art and the
lengthy trial-and-error evolution which produced some of the most remarkable ceramics the world has ever seen. It all developed in China. The large
body of extraordinarily beautiful and complex ceramics created over many
millennia in China is ample proof of China’s pre-eminence in world ceramics. My understanding of that miraculous achievement, coupled with my
experience in modern manufacturing techniques, inspired me to learn more
about the early Chinese potters and their craft. My enthusiasm for collecting
soon deepened into an even more passionate inquiry.
Early in my collecting days I recognized that a wide-ranging collection of
beautiful pieces from many categories would not be as rewarding as a
collection created by a disciplined strategy of identifying a few specific
categories and buying in depth within those categories. One of the categories
which has interested me the longest is early Chinese white ware which I
started collecting more than twenty-five years ago. It has an incredibly long
history, from the earliest attempts to produce white pottery in stone age
China, during the Dawenkou culture (4300–2400 BC), through the white
stonewares of the Sui and Tang dynasties, and on to the first true porcelains
Introduction
introduced by the Ding kilns at the end of Tang dynasty. It has been a long
and complicated development characterized by many stops and starts and
long periods of slow progress followed by exciting periods of wonderful
achievements in technology and the creation of vessels of great beauty.
Looking at it from today’s point of view, the early porcelains in China may
seem less surprising than when they first appeared. I think innovations,
however revolutionary, always look more obvious in retrospect. Today we
see white ware in every home furnishings shop, restaurant and home. It is
ubiquitous and so it fails to impress. But imagine what it would have been
like to see a piece of white porcelain for the first time in the Tang or Five
Dynasties periods. It would have seemed nothing short of miraculous. How
could this possibly have been made? It couldn’t be further from the crude
earth from which it was produced. The first white porcelain was praised at
the time in the most poetic terms, comparing it to the moon, snow, white
flowers and even silver! No wonder we see examples of late Tang white
ware (including the famous “Samarra” bowls) being desired everywhere
around the world outside China. It was big news, and it was global news. It
didn’t take long to attract the notice of the Emperor. Imperial officials in
charge of supervising the ceramics industry were instructed to select the
best pieces to be sent to the Palace as tribute.
If the order for such a ware had been placed at that time in the way it is
done today in my commercial world, spelling out all of the product requirements, cost objectives and delivery schedule, it would have been a complex
and daunting order, one which only China was able to fill. The products would
have to be affordable. They would have to have the remarkable pure white
color with absolute consistency. They would have to be elegantly thin so that
they would appeal to the consumers’ taste for refinement, but relatively
unbreakable so as to ship well and arrive intact. And they would have to be
able to survive the abuses of regular domestic use over time. These dishes and bowls, boxes and vases, ewers and other accessories were made pri
-
marily for daily use at all levels of Chinese society, with the best designs and
most refined vessels reserved for use by the elite. Order filled!
My style of collecting is a combination of emotional response and careful
analysis. When I find a piece that is very beautiful on its own, outside any
academic or historical context, purely based on aesthetics, I am immediately
compelled to consider it for the collection. But first, I try to temper my enthu
-
siasm by asking myself the following questions: Is it rare enough to give the
collection some singularity? Does it exemplify one of the game-changing
innovations which impacted the evolution of white ware, such as an especially
thin wall, or translucency of the glaze? Is the form new? The cut-rim dishes,
for example, which I love, must have been quite popular at the time. There
are so many versions, several of which are represented in the collection.
What do the marks and inscriptions tell us? Finally, does the piece have an
interesting collection and exhibition provenance? If it is truly exemplary by
one or more of these criteria, then I take a deep breath and ask the price.
I only wish I could have been a member of the scholar-elite in China
during the Northern Song dynasty when these superb white wares were in
use at elegant banquets such as the one shown in Emperor Huizong’s famous
painting.
Ronald W. Longsdorf
Catalogue
01 / 隋 - 邢窑或巩县窑白瓷杯及高足托
A Cup and Pedestal Stand
Sui Dynasty (A.D. 581–618)
Xing or Gongxian kilns
the thinly potted deep bell-shaped cup resting on a small solid foot, the matching stand in the shape
of a stemdish with a raised collar to receive the cup in the center of the wide dish-shaped platform
on a tall trumpet-shaped foot, all made of cream-white stoneware and covered with a transparent
glossy glaze of pale greenish tint, the foot of the cup and underside of the pedestal unglazed.
Height overall 53⁄4 inches (14.6 cm)
Cup diameter 37⁄8 inches (8.7 cm);
height 3 inches (7.6 cm)
Stand diameter 53⁄8 inches (13.7 cm);
height 25⁄8 inches (7.4 cm)
Two Cups
Sui Dynasty (A.D. 581–618)
Xing or Gongxian kilns
each of well-potted deep bell shape resting on a small foot with splayed sides, covered inside and
out with a finely crackled transparent glossy glaze of pale greenish tint, the rounded base and solid
foot left unglazed revealing the cream-white body.
Diameter 33⁄8 and 37⁄16 inches (8.6 and 8.7 cm)
Height 31⁄16 and 31⁄8 inches (7.8 and 7.9 cm)
03 / 隋 - 邢窑或巩县窑白瓷大杯二只
Two Large Cups
Sui Dynasty (A.D. 581–618)
Xing or Gongxian kilns
each of well-potted deep bell shape resting on a small foot with slightly splayed sides, covered
inside and out with a glossy transparent glaze of pale greenish tint applied over chalk-white slip,
with three spur marks on the center of the interior, the glaze gathering in a line low on the exterior,
leaving the rounded base and solid foot unglazed.
Diameter 43⁄4 and 47⁄8 inches (12.2 and 12.5 cm)
Height 31⁄2 and 33⁄4 inches (9 and 9.3 cm)
04 / 唐 - 邢窑「盈」字款白瓷盖罐
Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618–907) of well-potted ovoid form with steeply rounded shoulders and short concave neck, the wide mouth
with rolled-out rim, the matching domed cover with flat brim and angular bud-form knop, covered
with a clear glaze on the exterior, the underside unglazed, the jar covered inside and out with
a lustrous clear glaze ending in a straight line just above the chamfered edge of the flat base
revealing the fine white porcelaneous body, incised at the center of the base with the character 盈
'ying’ (abundant). Height overall 101⁄8 inches (25.7 cm)Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618–907) of almost spherical form with short neck, the wide mouth with thick rolled-out rim, the cover of
shallow domed shape with small bud-form knop, covered inside and out with a glossy transparent
glaze, the glaze on the jar ending just above the crisply cut edge of the flat base, revealing the fine
white porcelaneous body.Height overall 51⁄2 inches (13.9 cm)An Ewer with Trumpet NeckLate Tang Dynasty, A.D. 9th–10th Century of slender tapered ovoid form with high rounded shoulders, short neck and wide trumpet mouth,
applied with a triple-strand handle tied with a band at the top and with a stud at the join to the
shoulder, the short spout rising at a sharp angle on the shoulder opposite the handle, covered
inside and out with a translucent glaze of very pale bluish tint and with a softly matte surface,
gathering in pale 'tears’ low on the sides, the flat base with slightly splayed sides, the underside
unglazed revealing the fine white porcelain body. Height 81⁄8 inches (20.7 cm)A Yu hu chun ping Vase With 'Marbled’ Glaze Jin Dynasty (A.D. 1115–1234) the pear-shaped body covered with a dramatic combination of dark chocolate-brown, cream-white
and orangey caramel-colored glazes swirled and mixed together in imitation of natural markings
on marble stone, the tall slender neck and trumpet mouth in cream-white above a double collar of
dark brown on the sloping shoulders, with a clear glossy glaze overall, the rounded base and wide
ring foot unglazed revealing the pale buff pottery body.Height 77⁄8 inches (20.1 cm)Late Tang Dynasty – Five Dynasties, A.D. 9th–10th Centurythe rounded ovoid vessel with tall slender cylindrical neck rising to a cup-shaped mouth with
crisply finished slightly flaring lip, covered inside and out with a glossy transparent glaze ending
unevenly around the edge of the solid circular foot, the flat base with very slightly recessed center
left unglazed revealing the dry white porcelain. Height 4 inches (10.2 cm)A Shallow Bowl on 'B i - Disc’ FootLate Tang Dynasty, A.D. 10th Centurywith steeply rounded sides flaring to a rolled-out lip and forming a continuous concave surface
on the interior, standing on a solid ring foot resembling a jade bi-disc, with a clear glaze of pale
greenish tint inside and out, showing a cluster of darker 'tear marks’ on the underside, the recessed
center of the foot also glazed and with a typical small thumbnail mark under the glaze on the
straight outer side of the foot, the knife-pared wide flat base of the foot unglazed revealing the pure
white porcelain body. Diameter 61⁄8 inches (15.5 cm)Northern Song Dynasty (A.D. 960–1127) with wide mouth, covered with a transparent glaze showing a very faint bluish tint where the glaze
pools at the inside of the galleried mouth rim, the sides tapering to a rimless foot with square-cut
edge, the recessed base left unglazed revealing the white porcelaneous body. Height 91⁄4 inches (23.5 cm) Liao Dynasty (A.D. 907–1125) of slender baluster form with long cylindrical neck rising to a wide flaring mouth with high galleried
rim, covered with a cream-white slip under a clear glossy glaze, the slightly splayed edge of the
foot left unglazed and the stoneware body showing a mottled brown color, the recessed base
encrusted with sand. Height 175⁄8 inches (44.8 cm)An Amphora with Dragon HandlesTang Dynasty, A.D. 7th Centurythe ovoid vessel surmounted by a slender neck flanked by studded double-stranded handles rising
from the high shoulders and ending in stylized horned dragon heads biting at the rounded rim of
the wide cup-shaped mouth, covered with a very finely crackled translucent glaze of pale greenish
tint ending in an uneven line below the median, the sides tapered down to a solid base with slightly
splayed edge, the exposed white stoneware showing pinkish coloration from firing.Height 131⁄8 inches (33.3 cm)A Trefoil Dish
Five Dynasties –Early Northern Song Dynasty, A.D. 10th Century
Ding kilns
with gently rounded flaring sides formed by three wide petal-shaped lobes rising from a plain
recessed medallion in the center, covered inside and out with a transparent glaze of pale ivory
tone, showing characteristic 'tear marks’ where the glaze pools on the underside, the glaze ending
unevenly short of the wide ring foot with shallow straight sides enclosing an inset flat base left
unglazed revealing the fine white porcelain. Diameter 43⁄4 inches (12 cm)A Quatrefoil Dish with Barbed Rim Five Dynasties – Early Northern Song Dynasty, A.D. 10th Centurywith thinly potted sides gently rounded and flaring out from the flat center to an angled rim neatly
pared to form four wide lotus-petal brackets, covered with a thin layer of white slip under a lustrous
clear glaze inside and out, showing 'tear marks’ on the underside where the glaze pools, the sides
of the high ring foot slightly splayed on the exterior and slightly canted in on the interior, the edge
of the foot and the recessed base unglazed, the exposed porcelain dressed in white slip. Diameter 69⁄16 inches (16.7 cm)A Quatrefoil Dish with Barbed Rim Five Dynasties – Early Northern Song Dynasty, A.D. 10th Century with shallow rounded sides flaring out from the slightly recessed plain central medallion and rising
to a lipless rim neatly pared into four wide lotus-petal brackets, covered with a lustrous clear
glaze inside and out, showing 'tear marks’ on the underside where the glaze pools and resting on
a square-cut low ring foot with chamfered edge, the flat base and foot rim with a casual streak of
glaze but largely unglazed, showing the fine white porcelain. Diameter 63⁄8 inches (16.2 cm)A Pentafoil Dish with Barbed Rim Late Tang Dynasty – Five Dynasties, A.D. 10th Century with shallow rounded sides flaring out from the plain central medallion and rising to a lipless rim
neatly pared into five wide lotus-petal brackets, covered with a lustrous clear glaze inside and
out, showing 'tear marks’ on the underside where the glaze shades to a yellowish-ivory tone, and
resting on a slightly splayed high ring foot of wedge-shaped cross section, the glaze ending low on
the sides, leaving the foot and base unglazed revealing the fine white porcelain. Diameter 61⁄4 inches (15.9 cm) Late Tang Dynasty – Five Dynasties, A.D. 10th Century with thinly potted, gently rounded shallow sides rising from a plain center to a flared lipless rim
crisply cut into five pairs of rounded petals, covered inside and out with a lustrous clear glaze
shading to a yellowish creamy tone on the underside where the glaze gathers in characteristic 'tear
marks’ and ends neatly around the border of a very shallow pared ledge above the low ring foot,
the foot and base unglazed, revealing the fine white porcelain. Diameter 63⁄8 inches (16.1 cm)Tang Dynasty – Five Dynasties, A.D. 10th Century with wide flaring sides rising from a broad plain central medallion to a knife-pared rim divided
into five unequal petal-lobes by shallow rounded notches above raised ribs on the interior and
corresponding indented grooves on the exterior, covered inside and out with a clear glaze of very
pale bluish tint which ends unevenly around the border of a shallow angled ridge on the underside,
the wide ring foot with squared sides and chamfered edge, the base and foot left unglazed revealing
the fine white porcelain. Diameter 83⁄8 inches (21.3 cm)A Conical Bowl with Five-Point Foliate Rim Late Tang Dynasty – Five Dynasties, A.D. 10th Century with very gently rounded flaring sides rising from a flat floor to a knife-cut rim divided into five
bracket-lobes each centered with a sharp point, showing long thin horizontal 'wheel marks’ on
the exterior, covered with a transparent glaze of pale yellowish-ivory tint extending to the edge
of the wide ring foot with slightly splayed narrow sides, the rim of the foot and the recessed base
unglazed, exposing the white porcelain body. Diameter 81⁄8 inches (20.7 cm)20 / 遼 - 邢窑或定窑「易定」款白瓷提梁雞冠壶Liao Dynasty (A.D. 907–1125) following the form of a leather canteen, with swelling sides gathered to a sharp ridge at the top
beneath the handle which rises in an elegant arc from the back of the flask to the short upright
cylindrical spout embellished with a raised collar and with small knobs imitating rivets, applied with
long straight fillets of clay on the narrow front and back and with two more raised fillets applied in
long arcs sweeping low on the wide sides, imitating sewn seams, covered with a transparent glaze
showing a pale bluish tint where it pools in the recesses, the glaze ending in an uneven line around
the border of the unglazed base, the exposed surface of the white porcelain burnt pale tan in the
firing, with two characters incised at the center of the base: 易定 (yi ding). Height 87⁄8 inches (22.5 cm)21 / 北宋初年 - 定窑「易定」墨款白瓷花口盤An Inscribed Flower-Shaped Dish Early Northern Song Dynasty, A.D. 10th Centurywith gently rounded sides flaring out from a slightly concave center to a knife-pared rim divided
into five simple petal-lobes by wide shallow notches, covered inside and out with an ivory-tinted
clear glaze showing slightly darker 'tear marks’ on the underside and ending unevenly around the
angle of the flat unglazed base, the exposed surface of the white porcelain burnt pale russet in
firing, with an inscription of thirty characters brush-written in black ink, including a poem in two
lines followed by a date and signature. Diameter 71⁄4 inches (18.5 cm)The inscription may be read as: 甌開易定凝霜雪 巧妝月色萬里雲 太平興國元年六月六日 建州府劉章
題。Northern Song Dynasty (A.D. 960–1127) thinly potted, with very gently curving flared sides rising at a wide angle from the chamfered edge
of the flat base to a lipless rim divided into six lobes by shallow notches, covered inside and out
and over the base with a transparent glaze of pale ivory tone, except for the edge of the mouth rim
which is unglazed, revealing the white porcelain body. Diameter 61⁄2 inches (16.5 cm)23 / 晚唐－五代 - 邢窑或定窑「官」字款白瓷斗笠形碗A Thinly Potted Conical Bowl Late Tang Dynasty – Five Dynasties, A.D. 10th Century with flat flaring sides rising from the concave rounded center to a well-finished lipless rim, standing
on a knife-pared ring foot with shallow straight sides and chamfered outer edge, covered inside
and out with a clear glossy glaze, showing a few 'tear marks’ on the underside, the slightly recessed
flat base also glazed, the well-trimmed edge of the foot unglazed exposing the fine white porcelain,
incised through the glaze on the base before firing with the character 官 'guan’ (official). Diameter 61⁄8 inches (15.6 cm)A Pair of Rounded Conical Bowls Five Dynasties – Early Northern Song, A.D. 10th Century each with gently rounded wide flaring sides rising from a slightly recessed central medallion defined
by a single incised line and resting on a shallow ring foot of wedge-shaped section, covered inside
and out with a lustrous clear glaze of distinctly bluish tone ending unevenly around the foot and
splashing over the foot rim, the flat recessed base unglazed revealing the white porcelain body
burnt pale tan at the center during the firing. Diameter 77⁄8 and 73⁄4 inches (20.1 and 19.6 cm)A Small Cylindrical Box and Cover Northern Song Dynasty (A.D. 960–1127) with flush-fitting straight sides, the base of the box rounded in to a countersunk foot, the cover
resting on a crisply cut ledge and held in place by an inner flange around the mouth of the box,
the top of the cover rounded up to a wide dome, echoing the form of the base, with a glossy
transparent glaze of pale ivory tone ending short of the foot on the exterior and liberally splashed
on the interior, the rims wiped clean of glaze exposing the white porcelain body. A Drum-Shaped Box and Cover Song – Jin Dynasty, A.D. 13th Century perhaps made to hold weiqi game counters, modelled after a barrel-drum with rounded sides
tapering down to a raised band above four stylized flowerheads in relief above the ring foot
enclosing a countersunk flat base, the close-fitting flat cover completing the shape and decorated
with matching flowerheads above a raised collar around the rim, covered inside and out with a
transparent glaze over chalk-white slip, except for a ring on the interior base, and the edges of the
foot rim and mouth rim, all left unglazed exposing the silvery-gray stoneware. Height 33⁄4 inches (9.5 cm)Northern Song Dynasty – Jin Dynasty, A.D. 12th Century resting on a flat foot encircled by a deftly pared shallow concave band slightly angled out to meet
the gently rounded base of the very slightly flaring flat sides rising to a thick narrow band around
the exterior of the very slightly rolled-out mouth, the flat floor on the interior with incised line
border, covered with a lustrous glaze of ivory tone all over, only the edge of the rim unglazed
exposing the fine white body unevenly burnt pale pinkish tan in the firing. Diameter 43⁄8 inches (11.1 cm)此次展览一共展出了27件器物，虽没有特别特殊且造型夸张的器物，但我们看到了两个热爱中国文化的外国人，是如何把自己喜欢的器物做成一个系列，并通过展览的形式呈现给我们的，白瓷的性格也许就是这样的内敛，含蓄，它就静静的在哪里，等一个可以真正读懂它的人。
