傑·文化-故宮博物院藏明代珍品陶瓷器4 Kit.Culture- Ming Dynasty Ceramics Treasures from the Palace Museum Collection 4

香港故宮文化博物館（博物館）於2024年7月開幕兩周年之際，全新專題展覽「流光彰色--故宮博物院藏明代陶瓷珍品」於7月10日正式揭幕，展期兩年。展覽由香港故宮文化博物館與故宮博物院聯合主辦，透過故宮博物院新一批借展的106件陶瓷珍品，聯同香港故宮文化博物館7件藏品，展現明代陶瓷工藝的發展演變和傑出成就。
展出珍品之一是釉裏紅松竹梅圖玉壼春瓶，明朝洪武年間於景德鎮御窰燒製，高33.3厘米，口徑8.7厘米，足徑11.3厘米。
本瓶撇口(有破損) 、束頸、垂腹及圈足，瓶腹下半部隱約見接合痕跡。全瓶通體以釉裏紅繪畫紋飾。由上而下的紋飾分别為: 撇口繪捲草紋、頸部四層紋飾由上而下為蕉葉紋、回紋、捲草紋及如意紋，紋飾間以雙行弦紋分隔。瓶腹分別繪畫簡樸的松樹、竹樹、梅花，再伴以山石、葵樹及花草，下腹底部繪蓮瓣雲珠紋，而圈足繪上捲草紋。整個瓶面紋飾及繪畫分佈均匀，錯落有致，清新雅致。
洪武年間繪畫釉裏紅紋飾的瓷器處於創燒階段，瓷器工匠對於有效控制窰爐温度以使作為著色劑的氧化銅穩定地轉化為豔麗紅色的技術還未能掌握，故此如本瓶發色均匀純正的佳品稀少及可遇而不可求。
釉裡紅的紅色在中國被稱為是唯一的「正紅」，然而故宮珍藏的「釉裡紅」卻多為黑色或灰綠色、褐色，非正紅色，究其原因是用以作為着色劑的氧化銅對窰爐內温度極端敏感，温度高於1200度，在瓷器上用以繪畫紋飾的氧化銅會蒸發掉，已繪紋飾不翼而飛，温度太高或太低又會使紋飾變色。所以釉裏紅瓷器燒造過程困難重重，影響成敗的因素實在太多，例如：釉藥配製、厚薄、氣候條件、窯內擺放的位置、疏密、高低、氧氣多少、溫度高低的控制等等，故成功的作品極為稀有。
釉裡紅誕生在元代景德鎮窯，是在瓷胎上先用銅紅料著彩，然後施透明釉，在高溫還原中一次燒成的釉下彩瓷器，因紅色在釉下，得名釉裡紅。銅作為陶瓷器所使用的釉料著色劑歷史悠久，早在漢代出土的鉛釉陶器上就已見身影，只因當時在低溫氧化過程中呈綠色。根據出土的陶瓷碎片可知，唐代長沙窯就已嘗試在高溫還原中燒製以銅為著色劑的瓷器，但是產量稀少，胎質粗劣，色彩暗淡。
來源: 綜合網上資料
On the occasion of the second anniversary of the opening of the Hong Kong Palace Museum (Museum) in July 2024, a new thematic exhibition "Brilliance - Ming Dynasty Ceramic Treasures from the Palace Museum" was officially unveiled on July 10 and will last for two years. The exhibition is jointly organized by the Hong Kong Palace Museum and the Palace Museum. It uses a new batch of 106 ceramic treasures on loan from the Palace Museum and seven collections from the Hong Kong Palace Museum to showcase the development, evolution and outstanding achievements of ceramic craftsmanship in the Ming Dynasty.
One of the treasures on display is a jade spring vase with red pine, bamboo and plum patterns under the glaze. It was fired at the imperial kiln in Jingdezhen during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It is 33.3 cm high, 8.7 cm in diameter and 11.3 cm in foot diameter.
This vase has a curled mouth (with damage), tied neck, hanging belly and circled feet. There are faint traces of joints on the lower half of the vase's belly. The entire bottle is decorated with underglaze red paintings. The patterns from top to bottom are: curly grass pattern on the mouth, and four layers of patterns on the neck. From top to bottom, they are banana leaf pattern, back pattern, curly grass pattern and Ruyi pattern. The patterns are separated by double rows of string patterns. The belly of the vase is painted with simple pine trees, bamboo trees, and plum blossoms, accompanied by rocks, sunflower trees, flowers and plants. The bottom of the lower belly is painted with lotus petals and cloud bead patterns, and the upper circle is painted with curly grass patterns. The decorations and paintings on the entire bottle surface are evenly distributed, well-proportioned, fresh and elegant.
The red color of underglaze red is known as the only "true red" in China. However, the "underglaze red" collected by the Forbidden City is mostly black, grey-green, or brown, not true red. The reason is that it is used as a colorant. Copper oxide is extremely sensitive to the temperature in the kiln. If the temperature is higher than 1200 degrees, the copper oxide used to paint patterns on porcelain will evaporate and the painted patterns will disappear. If the temperature is too high or too low, the patterns will change color. Therefore, the process of firing underglaze red porcelain is very difficult, and there are too many factors that affect success or failure, such as: glaze preparation, thickness, climate conditions, location in the kiln, density, height, amount of oxygen, temperature control, etc. etc., so successful works are extremely rare.
The red color of underglaze red is known as the only "true red" in China. However, the "underglaze red" collected by the Forbidden City is mostly black, grey-green, or brown, not true red. The reason is that it is used as a colorant. The copper oxide is extremely sensitive, and the firing process is very difficult. There are too many factors that affect success or failure, such as: glaze preparation, thickness, climate conditions, location in the kiln, density, height, amount of oxygen, temperature control, etc. etc., so successful works are extremely rare.
Underglaze red was born in the Jingdezhen kilns of the Yuan Dynasty. It is an underglaze colored porcelain that is first colored with copper red material on the porcelain body, and then applied with a transparent glaze. It is fired at once in a high-temperature reduction process. Because the red color is under the glaze, it is named glaze. The inside is red. Copper has a long history as a glaze colorant used in ceramics. It has been seen on lead-glazed pottery unearthed as early as the Han Dynasty, because it turned green during the low-temperature oxidation process. According to the unearthed ceramic fragments, Changsha Kiln in the Tang Dynasty had already tried firing porcelain using copper as a colorant in high-temperature reduction. However, the output was sparse, the quality of the porcelain was poor, and the color was dull.
Source: Comprehensive online information