The types of porcelain furnaces fired in the Longquan kilns of the two Song Dynasties are extremely rich, especially during the southern Song Dynasty, the shape of the instrument is full of changes, the style is novel, and it is eclectic. This product is one example of it:
The furnace is small in size, only 9.5 cm high, 11 cm in diameter, the whole body is made of six diamond petals, the outer folding edge, short straight neck, flat drum abdomen, near the bottom arc, the lower three breast feet, the foot hollow, the inside left a ventilation hole, the outer wall of the foot molded with animal face pattern. Thick glaze throughout, the color is pink blue, light and soft, the texture is warm as jade, and the three-legged glaze pad is burned, showing a typical flint red.
This product cleverly integrates the shape of the bristle furnace of the imitation bronze style with the diamond petal pattern commonly found in gold and silverware, and the design is clever and unique. The tendons in the mane furnace are transformed into the ridges of the diamond petals; the inverted viewer is in a three-equal part, just like the crotch of the mane furnace; the mouth and abdomen are softly curved, connecting the straight short neck, and the upright three-legged is for the rigid and soft harmony; the animal face pattern is ancient and rough, as if to lay the antique tone, neutralizing the elegance of the diamond flower style. The shape of the whole instrument is regular and smooth, and the lines are beautiful and graceful. In addition, from the exposed tire on the sole of the foot, it can be seen that the tire soil is finely washed, the tire quality is delicate and white, the glaze is beautiful, and it is a masterpiece of the craftsman's technology. Although the size is small, it is a masterpiece of small utensils and a model with full charm.
Similarity examples:
The Chuzhou Celadon Museum has a height of 8 and a diameter of 9.5 centimeters
The furnace body is also made of petal type, the whole instrument is properly proportioned, the three feet are higher, the mouth edge is slightly raised, although the size is small, it looks tall and elegant, and the aesthetic sense is full. Unfortunately, the glaze color is gray, not positive burning.
Japanese private collection Caliber 14.5 cm
The size of the furnace is slightly larger, only the folded edge is six out of the sunflower petal type, although unique, the harmony with the body is not high, and the concave curvature of the sunflower petal is long, and the mouth edge is easy to appear thin and not full enough. With this as a reference, it can be seen that the diamond petal type and the bristle furnace fit better.
The imitation of gold and silver ware in the Longquan kiln may have initially only imitated its shape, and the above flower mouth furnace shows that some of the styling elements of gold and silverware are more widely used. Although the mane stove is a retro style product born from bronze, it does not exclude the innovation of integrating other fashion aesthetics. This flower mouth furnace is a representative work of the Southern Song Dynasty Longquan Celadon that is good at eclecticism and eclectic.
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