Blue & White Porcelain Bottles

[richy88]

Hi Joey, Giovanni & all

Thanks for the links.

I will compose a summary of both when my computer is back.

Regards.


Richard

[Joey]

Dear Giovanni,

     Thank you.
Best,
Joey

 

[bambooforrest]

Richard, it will be a nice quick reference to have. Maybe you can figure out what is going on in this painting [70mm].

[bambooforrest]

Richard, thanks for looking for the meaning of the last post. This next bottle is finely painted with an unusual shape [79mm]. The woman on the horse is being observed by a crowd of people. Maybe Richard knows the background on the bottle.

[richy88]

Hi John

The subject of this bottle is related to one of your previous posts: the young warrior with the battle axe.

https://snuffbottle.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,1291.160.html #165.

Mu Guiying (穆桂英) is a legendary heroine from ancient China's Northern Song Dynasty and a prominent figure in the Generals of the Yang Family legends. She is the wife of Yang Zongbao.

Yang Zhongbao is the grandson of Yang Ye and the son of Yang Yangzhao. The legend of the Yang family started with Yang Ye (杨业) from the early Northern Song dynasty. The family is well known for their loyalty in defending the country against the Liao northern intruders at that time.

In the classical novel, Generals of the Yang Family, it records the story of how the four generations of the Yang family fought and sacrificed their lives for the country.

Yang Ye had seven sons and two daughters who were all well trained in martial arts.

On a mission to fight the enemy, he and his seven sons were ambushed. Yang Ye and four of his sons were killed in the battle.

The three survivors are his fourth, fifth, and sixth son.   

The fourth son was captured by the enemy and later married a foreign princess. The fifth son later became a monk at Mount Wutai.

The sixth son, Yang Yanzhao continued his father's ambition as the commander in chief and continued to fight the northern intruders.

His son, Yang Zongbao, the husband of Mu Guiying also joined his father to defend the country.

In a series of battles with the Northern tribes, the Yang’s army suffered many setbacks as they were unable to break thru their Heavenly Gate Formation.

Mu Guiying then came to their aid and managed to break their battle formation. With that, they finally won the war against the Northern tribes.

Brave, resolute, and loyal, Mu is the cultural symbol of a steadfast woman in Chinese history.

For your information.

Regards.


Richard

[bambooforrest]

Richard, again I am impressed at your knowledge of Chinese history. Would the painting on this bottle be a celebration for Mu Guiying after winning the battle?

[richy88]

Hi John

Personally, I think the event should be before the battle.

This scene is a show of military skills for the selection of the appropriate personnel to be enlisted to the frontline.

In this case, she is showing off her riding skill as well as her archery talent on horseback. You can see the pouch of arrows at her side near the saddle. With her hands clapped, she is celebrating her shot of hitting the bullseye.

For your reference.

Regards.


Richard

[bambooforrest]

Richard, now I see the pouch of arrows but I do not see the bow. What do you think of the mark?

[richy88]

Hi John

She is probably done with the shooting, so the bow may already be handed to an attendant.

The mark is Kangxi Nian Zhi but the calligraphy is not well executed.

Regards.


Richard

[bambooforrest]

Richard, thanks for the information. The next example is painted with the 4 noble professions and has a beige crackle glaze. I have several bottles with this type of glaze and I do not know if it has a specific name [72mm].

[rpfstoneman]

John, I believe that this glaze type would be categorized and would be referred to as a "Golden Thread".  Not the same as Ge or Ko ware which has a large matrix of black-iron crackle with an intra crackle matrix of finer gold color crackle (a double crackled glaze form).  Charll

[Joey]

Dear Charll,

    Interesting, but I don't like this type.
The coloured crackle looks 'dirty' to me.
I love regular 'Soft Paste' [which might not exist, pace Giovanni!].
Best,
Joey

[bambooforrest]

Charll, thanks for the clarification. I am more familiar with "G" ware. Another bottle with "Golden Thread" glaze painted with the same motif [80mm]. I found this at a small auction in 2007.

[Joey]

Beautiful painting, John.
As I expect from 'Soft Paste' B & Ws.
But I just don't like the stained cracks.
Best,
Joey

[rpfstoneman]

John,

This is another of your bottles that is to my taste and quality.  Love the varying degree of tonal use and intensity of the cobalt blue, and the clarity it provides in the design.

Though I agree with Joey, I would like it even more if it was a traditional soft-paste glaze.

Charll

[bambooforrest]

Joey and Charll, I do agree that the "Golden Thread" glaze is slightly distracting from the painting.

[Joey]

John,

    And I must admit that, other than the coloured crackling,
the bottle is really wonderfully painted in blue and the shading is
top rate.
Best,
Joey

[bambooforrest]

Joey, I do think the bottle is exceptionally painted. These next 2 bottles share the same motif. The man at the bottom of the picture looks like he is break dancing. Maybe Richard can figure this one out. [68mm]. I will post the copper red bottle in the other thread. Nice smooth flat bottom on this one.

[Joey]

Two very interesting bottles.
Joey

[richy88]

Hi John

The motif of these bottles is the story of Wu Song (武松), a major character in the Chinese classical novel, Water Margin (aka All Men Are Brothers).

In the story, Wu killed a tiger at Jingyang Ridge who had been hurting the villagers nearby. He was offered a job as the chief constable which he accepted. One day, he surprisingly runs into his long-separated brother Wu Dalang, Wu Dalang brings Wu Song home and introduces him to his wife Pan Jinlian (潘金蓮).

Wu Dalang, who is a dwarf selling flatbread for a living, is widely taunted by the locals as "Three-Inch Nail Tree Bark" (三寸丁谷樹皮) for his short stature. The harassment got worse after he married Pan, as he looks starkly incompatible with his young and attractive wife.

Later, Pan has an affair with a local rich merchant Ximen Qing (西門慶) and they murdered Wu Dalang by poisoning his medicine when Wu Song was away on duty.

Upon his return, Wu Song investigated and found out the truth. He then invites the neighbours to his brother's house for a belated wake for his brother. At the wake, he forces Pan Jinlian to make a full confession of the murder and then killed her in vengeance.

After that, he rushes to Lion Restaurant (獅子樓), where Ximen Qing is dining with his friends at the upper level of the restaurant and kills the man after a brief fight. Wu then goes to the county office to surrender himself.

These bottles depict the scene whereby Ximen Qing fell from the second storey of the restaurant after receiving a kick from Wu Song.

For your information.

Regards.


Richard