The moon-holding vase is also called the "Baoyue vase". Its shape originated from the pottery horse-hanging vase popular among ethnic minorities during the Song and Yuan Dynasties.
There are lines on the left and right sides of the bottle's shoulders for hanging on the side of the saddle, which is very characteristic of the nation.
During the Ming Dynasty, blue and white were mostly used for decoration. Combined with the unique charm of the moon bottle, the color and shape of the bottle were perfectly integrated, making it a utensil for display.
The moon-holding vase was the most famous during the Yongxuan period, among which the garlic-mouthed moon-holding vase was often imitated in the Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties.
Emperor Qianlong loved it even more, so the moon vase became one of the important porcelain furnishings of the Qianlong Dynasty in the Qing Dynasty.
There are a large number of official kilns and private kilns in existence, and their shapes and patterns are constantly innovative and varied, and they are colorful.
The moon-holding vase made by Chen Wenzhe is large in shape, good in color, and has classic distressing. Even if he were asked to examine it now, he could not find any flaws.
There was nothing he could do about it, because he dealt with every flaw he could think of.
Look at the olive bottle next to it. It’s a pastel olive bottle. There shouldn’t be many made, but it’s not none.
At the beginning, Chen Wenzhe did not act alone, but just made the only celadon porcelain.
It turns out that what he made most was celadon-glazed porcelain, and celadon-glazed olive bottles were naturally not difficult to make.
Of course, since he has done it and is trying his hand and practicing, he will naturally not just make a piece of Longquan celadon.
So what he made this time was porcelain with bean green glaze. He rarely made porcelain with this kind of glaze in the past.
This time I made a piece of porcelain with pea green glaze alone, which must have been a joy to me, and the olive bottle I made must be the pinnacle of the era.
There is nothing we can do about this. In every aspect, the Qing Dynasty reached the pinnacle of development in all dynasties.
Let's talk about celadon porcelain. The celadon glaze is made of iron as a colorant and fired in a reducing flame.
This traditional high-temperature glaze is the earliest glaze in the history of Chinese ceramics.
Moreover, celadon-glazed porcelain has always been the main product of Chinese porcelain, and it has gone through the Eastern Han, Six Dynasties, Tang, Song, Yuan, and up to the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The Jingzhen Kiln of the Ming and Qing Dynasties inherited the excellent level of Longquan celadon and produced various celadon-glazed porcelains of different shades.
But it was not until the Yongzheng period that the level of uniform and stable firing was achieved.
Qianlong celadon inherited the outstanding style of the Yongzheng period and became more sophisticated and stable, comparable to famous Song kiln products.
Therefore, this time is not so much an imitation of Qianlong celadon porcelain as it is a self-examination by Chen Wenzhe to see how his production level compares to Qianlong celadon porcelain.
Looking at the bean green glaze olive bottle in his hand, Chen Wenzhe was quite satisfied.
This bottle has a curled mouth, short neck, shoulders, neck drawn in, belly slightly bulging, and feet tilted outward.
The mouth and bottom are similar in size, and the body of the bottle is like an olive, hence the name.
Olive bottles were fired during the Qing Dynasty, and were most common during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. They have slightly changed in shape, with a slightly longer neck and a well-proportioned and beautiful appearance.
It can be divided into plain style and melon-edge style, which were popular in the Qing Dynasty.
This bottle is in the shape of a melon, which highlights the streamlined curve of the bottle, making it smooth and natural, adding to its beauty and elegance.
The celadon glaze is mellow in color, smooth and smooth, and as greasy as agar. From a visual and tactile perspective, it is almost as real as jade. This level of craftsmanship is unprecedented.
This kind of authentic jade texture is what Chen Wenzhe has always been pursuing.
Anyone who makes celadon will always want to make it look like this.
Of course, the artistic taste of this olive bottle is also very high. It not only highlights the pure beauty of the single-color glaze, but also the green glaze has different shades with the undulations of the melon edges, which enhances the sense of rhythm and is full of changes.
As long as this kind of porcelain enters the market, it will never be worth 10 or 20 million.
Gu Hao
After careful inspection little by little, no flaws were found, and Chen Wenzhe put it down with satisfaction.
After putting down this bottle, Chen Wenzhe immediately picked up another one. This one was even more special because it was a pastel olive bottle.
In order to make this bottle, Chen Wenzhe really worked hard.
And why make such a bottle? Is it simply because it is valuable?
No, compared to the bean green glaze olive bottle just now, this pastel olive bottle is obviously more beautiful and the craftsmanship is more exquisite.
But this is not the reason why Chen Wenzhe imitated this bottle. The reason why he imitated it was mainly because it is a legend.
However, this legend is not a work from the Qianlong period, but a classic from the Yongzheng period.
This bottle has a round mouth, a long neck, sloping shoulders, a bulging belly, and rounded feet.
The shape is similar to a salan, so it is also called an "olive lantern vase".
This is a pastel olive vase with bat and peach patterns. It was authentically produced at the official kiln in Jing Town, Yongzheng. It represents the superb production level of pastels throughout the Qing Dynasty.
Of course, these are not the point.
Official kiln masters of the Qing Dynasty invented pastels based on Kangxi's five-color porcelain.
It is said that Emperor Yongzheng had a special liking for pastel porcelain, so the craftsmen at that time were very particular about the shape, color and line of pastel porcelain, thus achieving the glory of "Yongzheng pastel".
The body of this vase is painted with eight peaches and two bats in pastel colors. The peach symbolizes "longevity" and the bat is a homophone for "blessing", which means good fortune and longevity.
And that authentic treasure vase is said to be used by emperors and concubines to celebrate their birthdays.
It is considered by many to be the only one in the world, and many well-known domestic experts directly claim: This is the only porcelain vase that exists in the world, and it is truly unique.
At the 2002 Hong Kong and Suzhou Fubi Spring Auction, its transaction price reached HK$41.5 million, the highest price in the Qing Dynasty porcelain market at that time.
You have to know that its condition is not very good because it has not been well preserved at all!
This piece of national treasure porcelain has been used as a table lamp for hundreds of years. How could it be in such good condition?
It is a miserable vase that was transformed into a desk lamp by foreigners!
Even so, twenty years later, there is no problem if the price of this only porcelain in the world has doubled or tripled.
In other words, this piece of porcelain can easily be sold for hundreds of millions.
There is nothing we can do about it, after all, pastel olive bottles are too rare.
Of course, in fact, not only olive bottles, but also bottles were very rare during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty.
It’s hard for you to think about it, isn’t it? Among the prestigious porcelains of the three dynasties of the Qing Dynasty, it is difficult to see bottles during the Yongzheng period?
Whether it is pastels or blue and white, they were very rare during the Yongzheng period, so every time one appeared, it was often sold for a sky-high price.
There are so many things that are unimaginable, and this is reality.
A hundred years ago, China experienced the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the war years of invasion by foreign enemies.
In the turbulent years, some precious porcelains were lost in wars, while others were scattered among the people or overseas.
Among them, very few pastel porcelains from the Yongzheng official kiln have been handed down to the world, and vase-type works are even more rare.
Therefore, before 2002, the pastel official kiln vases, known as the "culmination" of the Yongzheng period, became a missing link in the history of Chinese ceramics.
According to historical records, Jingzhen once produced "pastel olive bottles", but no one has ever seen them with their own eyes.