Premium Recommendation -Xuande Moon Flask

*本次藏品：宣德抱月瓶 *

典藏尺寸：高：33.5cm足径：9.4cm

抱月瓶的形制，承载着一段跨越千年的文化交融史。其原型可追溯至宋元时期西夏的陶制马挂瓶—— 这种左右双系的扁平容器，是游牧民族悬挂于马鞍旁的储水或储酒工具，充满浓郁的西域风情。随着陆上丝绸之路的文化传播，这种实用器型逐渐进入中原视野。

明代永乐、宣德年间，景德镇御窑厂对其进行了艺术化改造：保留扁圆腹、绶带耳的核心特征，将材质从陶土改为瓷胎，功能从实用容器转变为宫廷陈设重器。正如这对抱月瓶所呈现的，蒜头形口、束颈、扁圆腹、双绶带耳的造型，既延续了马挂瓶的便携基因，又通过瓷质的温润与彩饰的华丽，赋予其皇家艺术品的身份。

宣德时期的抱月瓶尺寸趋于精巧，更适合御书房或宫殿的陈设需求。这种 “小器大样” 的设计，体现了宣德帝朱瞻基对器物美学 “于细微处见宏阔” 的追求 —— 即便体量适中，仍通过饱满的器型比例与繁复的纹饰，营造出强烈的视觉冲击力。

The form of the Moon Flask carries a history of cultural integration spanning over a thousand years. Its prototype can be traced back to the pottery "horse-hung bottles" of the Western Xia Dynasty (during the Song and Yuan Dynasties). These flat containers with double loops on both sides were practical tools used by nomadic peoples to store water or wine, hung beside horse saddles, and were imbued with a strong Western Regions style. With the cultural dissemination along the overland Silk Road, this functional vessel design gradually came into the view of the Central Plains.

During the Yongle and Xuande reigns of the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Kiln in Jingdezhen carried out artistic transformations on it: while retaining the core features of the flat, round belly and ribbon-shaped ears, the material was changed from clay to porcelain body, and its function shifted from a practical container to an important decorative piece for imperial courts. As shown in this pair of Moon Flasks, the shape—with a garlic-shaped mouth, a constricted neck, a flat, round belly, and double ribbon ears—not only inherits the portable nature of the horse-hung bottles but also endows it with the status of a royal artwork through the 温润 (gentle smoothness) of the porcelain and the splendor of its colored decorations.

Moon Flasks produced during the Xuande period tended to be more delicate in size, making them more suitable for display in imperial studies or palaces. This design concept of "small vessel with grand presence" reflected Emperor Xuande (Zhu Zhanji)'s pursuit of "seeing grandeur in subtlety" in the aesthetics of artifacts. Even with a moderate size, it still creates a strong visual impact through its well-proportioned, full-bodied shape and intricate decorative patterns.

*本次藏品：宣德抱月瓶 *

典藏尺寸：高：33.5cm足径：9.4cm

宣德官窑的胎质素有 “糯米胎” 之称，这对抱月瓶的胎体便是典型例证。其瓷土经过反复淘洗与陈腐，质地细腻坚致，上手分量感十足。这种胎质的优势在于：高温烧制时不易变形，能完美支撑扁圆腹的复杂造型；同时为彩釉提供了致密的附着基底，确保数百年后彩料仍不易脱落。

釉面则呈现 **“橘皮纹”** 的典型特征 —— 这是由于釉浆在高温下自然流淌不均形成的细微凹凸，在光照下如橘皮般温润柔和。釉色白中泛青，为五彩纹饰铺垫了素雅而不失华贵的底色，与后世成化五彩的 “甜白釉” 形成鲜明区别，更显宣德瓷器的雄浑气度。

这对抱月瓶采用的 “青花五彩” 工艺 ，是宣德彩瓷的技术突破。其制作流程极为复杂：

釉下青花勾勒：先以进口 “苏麻离青” 钴料绘制纹饰轮廓与局部细节（如缠枝莲的茎蔓、叶片的脉络），入窑经 1300℃高温烧成；

釉上彩料填绘：在青花轮廓内填施红、黄、绿、蓝等彩料（其中红彩为矾红，黄彩为锑黄，绿彩为铜绿），再入窑以 800℃低温焙烧。

这种 “二次烧成” 工艺对温度控制要求极高，稍有偏差便会导致彩料爆裂或脱落。而宣德工匠凭借精湛技艺，使这件抱月瓶的五彩历经六百年仍鲜亮夺目，足见当时御窑厂的技术水准。

从彩料特征看，宣德五彩具有 浓艳堆垛” 的特点：红彩如枣皮般深沉，黄彩似蜜蜡般明丽，绿彩若嫩柳般清翠，蓝彩（青花）则因苏麻离青料的晕散效果，呈现出蓝宝石般的深邃感。这种色彩的强烈对比与和谐交融，正是宣德五彩区别于成化 “淡雅”、嘉靖 “浓俗” 的独特审美。

瓶身满绘的缠枝花卉纹，是明代官窑的经典题材。画面以莲花、牡丹、秋葵等花卉为主体，通过连绵不绝的枝蔓相互缠绕，形成 “生生不息” 的视觉韵律。这种纹饰不仅具有极高的装饰性，更暗含 “富贵连绵”“盛世长春” 的吉祥寓意，契合宣德朝对政权稳固、民生富足的祈愿。

纹饰的绘制技法堪称 “工笔重彩”：花朵的花瓣层次通过彩料浓淡晕染表现，叶片的向背关系以绿彩深浅区分，枝蔓的卷曲弧度则充满自然张力。尤为难得的是，两幅瓶身的花卉纹饰虽对称布局，却在细节上略有差异，体现了手工绘制的灵动性，而非机械的模板复制。

颈部与蒜头口的辅助纹饰（如小朵花卉、卷草纹）则起到了 “承上启下” 的作用，使整体构图疏密有致，从口沿到瓶底形成完整的视觉节奏。

瓶颈部的“大明宣德年制” 六字楷书款 ，是宣德官窑的身份标识，其书写特征堪称 “鉴定教科书”：

字体特征：采用明代 “台阁体” 楷书，相传由书法家沈度题写，笔画刚劲圆润，结构严谨端庄。其中 “德” 字 “心部” 无横画，是宣德款识的标志性特征；“年” 字第四笔多为平斜点，第五笔左高右低，笔法灵动；

青花发色：款识的青花因苏麻离青料的特性，呈现出浓淡不一的色泽，局部可见 “铁锈斑”—— 这是钴料中高铁元素在高温下形成的自然结晶，为后世仿品难以复制；

款识位置：宣德款识常 “遍器身”，此瓶将款识置于颈部，既符合观赏习惯，又与纹饰布局相得益彰，体现了宫廷制瓷的规范与审美统一。

这种款识不仅是工艺的一部分，更是皇权权威的象征 —— 宣德帝通过在御窑瓷器上题写年款，强化了官窑器的 “正统性”，使其成为王朝礼制与艺术品味的双重载体。

抱月瓶的器型源于西域马挂瓶，纹饰却采用中国传统的缠枝花卉，这种 “西形中韵” 的融合，是明代中外文化交流的生动缩影。宣德时期，郑和下西洋带来的异域文化与技术，深刻影响了宫廷审美 —— 抱月瓶的绶带耳、扁圆腹是对伊斯兰金属器的借鉴，而五彩纹饰与款识则是中国陶瓷艺术的自我表达。

这种文化交融，使宣德瓷器成为 “海上丝绸之路” 的物质见证，也让这件抱月瓶超越了普通艺术品的范畴，成为研究明代中外关系的重要实物资料。

The body clay of official Xuande porcelain has long been known as "glutinous rice clay," and the body of this pair of Moon Flasks serves as a typical example. The porcelain clay was repeatedly washed and aged, resulting in a fine, dense texture that feels substantial when held. This type of body clay offers two key advantages: it resists deformation during high-temperature firing, perfectly supporting the complex shape of the flat, round belly; at the same time, it provides a dense base for colored glazes, ensuring the pigments remain intact even after hundreds of years.

The glaze surface exhibits the classic "orange-peel texture"—a result of slight unevenness formed by the natural flow of glaze slurry under high temperatures. Under light, it exudes a warm, soft glow reminiscent of an orange peel. The glaze color is white with a subtle cyan tint, laying a simple yet elegant base for the polychrome patterns—strikingly different from the "sweet white glaze" used in Chenghua-era five-color porcelain (later in the Ming Dynasty) and further highlighting the majestic aura of Xuande porcelain.

The "blue-and-white five-color" technique employed on this pair of Moon Flasks represents a technical breakthrough in Xuande colored porcelain. Its production process is extremely complex:

Underglaze blue outline: First, imported "Sumaliqing" cobalt pigment was used to draw the outlines of patterns and fine details (such as the vines of interlocking lotus flowers and the veins of leaves). The vessel was then fired in a kiln at a high temperature of 1300°C.

Overglaze color filling: Inside the blue-and-white outlines, colored pigments—including red (iron red), yellow (antimony yellow), and green (copper green)—were applied. The vessel was then fired again in a kiln at a low temperature of 800°C.

This "double-firing" process demanded precise temperature control; even a slight deviation could cause the pigments to crack or peel off. However, Xuande craftsmen, with their exquisite skills, ensured the five colors of these Moon Flasks remained bright and vivid for 600 years—a testament to the technical prowess of the imperial kiln at that time.

In terms of pigment characteristics, Xuande five-color porcelain is known for its "rich, layered hues": the red pigment is as deep as jujube skin, the yellow as bright as beeswax, the green as fresh as tender willow leaves, and the blue (from blue-and-white) exhibits a sapphire-like depth due to the spreading effect of Sumaliqing pigment. This striking yet harmonious contrast of colors defines Xuande five-color porcelain’s unique aesthetic, distinguishing it from the "elegant subtlety" of Chenghua five-color and the "excessive vividness" of Jiajing five-color (later Ming periods).

The entire surface of the bottles is adorned with interlocking floral patterns, a classic motif in Ming Dynasty imperial porcelain. The design centers on flowers such as lotus, peonies, and okra, with endless vines winding around them to create a visual rhythm symbolizing "eternal vitality." Beyond its decorative value, this pattern carries auspicious meanings—"enduring prosperity" and "everlasting peace in a flourishing age"—aligning with the Xuande court’s aspirations for stable governance and prosperous livelihoods.

The painting technique of the patterns can be described as "meticulous brushwork with heavy colors": the layers of flower petals are rendered through gradient shading of pigments, the front and back of leaves are distinguished by varying depths of green, and the curved vines exude natural dynamism. What is particularly remarkable is that while the floral patterns on the two bottles are symmetrically arranged, there are slight differences in details—reflecting the flexibility of hand painting rather than rigid template replication.

The auxiliary patterns on the neck and garlic-shaped mouth (such as small flowers and scrollwork) play a "connecting role," balancing the density of the overall composition and creating a coherent visual rhythm from the rim to the base of the bottles.

The six-character regular-script mark "Made in the Xuande Reign of the Great Ming Dynasty" on the bottle neck is the hallmark of official Xuande porcelain, and its calligraphic features are considered a "textbook for authentication":

Calligraphic style: It adopts the "Tai Ge Ti" (Palace Style) regular script of the Ming Dynasty, traditionally attributed to the calligrapher Shen Du. The strokes are firm yet rounded, with a rigorous and dignified structure. A signature trait is that the character "德" (de, meaning "virtue") lacks a horizontal stroke in its "heart" radical; the fourth stroke of "年" (nian, meaning "year") is often a flat-slanted dot, and the fifth stroke slopes downward from left to right, giving the calligraphy a lively touch.

Blue-and-white tone: Due to the properties of Sumaliqing pigment, the blue of the mark varies in depth, with visible "iron rust spots" in some areas—natural crystals formed by high iron content in the cobalt pigment under high temperatures, a feature that later imitations could hardly replicate.

Mark placement: Xuande marks were often placed "all over the vessel body." On this pair of bottles, the mark is positioned on the neck, which not only conforms to viewing habits but also complements the pattern layout—embodying the standards and unified aesthetics of imperial porcelain production.

This mark is more than just a craft detail; it is a symbol of imperial authority. By inscribing the reign mark on imperial porcelain, the Xuande Emperor reinforced the "legitimacy" of official kiln wares, turning them into carriers of both dynastic rituals and artistic taste.

The shape of the Moon Flask originated from the horse-hung bottles of the Western Regions, while its patterns draw on traditional Chinese interlocking floral motifs. This integration of "Western form with Chinese charm" vividly epitomizes cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries during the Ming Dynasty. During the Xuande period, the exotic cultures and technologies brought back by Zheng He’s maritime expeditions profoundly influenced court aesthetics: the ribbon ears and flat, round belly of the Moon Flask borrowed from Islamic metalwork, while the five-color patterns and reign mark represented the self-expression of Chinese ceramic art.

This cultural fusion made Xuande porcelain a material testament to the "Maritime Silk Road," elevating this pair of Moon Flasks beyond ordinary works of art to become important tangible evidence for studying Sino-foreign relations in the Ming Dynasty.

*本次藏品：宣德抱月瓶 *

典藏尺寸：高：33.5cm足径：9.4cm

以上藏品相关信息请与：四川尚亿拍卖有限公司联系。 

For information about the above collections, please contact: Sichuan Jun Zailai Auction Group Co.