The Williams Collection of Far Eastern Ceramics: Tonnancour Section 9780932206756, 9781951538637

Table of contents :
Contents
Note of Acknowledgment
Preface
Foreword
Introduction
Major Chinese Dynasties and Reigns
Map of China
Map of Southeast Asia
Illustrations
Catalogue
Works Cited

Citation preview

The Williams Collection of Far Eastern Ceramics Tonnancour Section

Introduction and Catalogue by Kamer Aga-Oglu

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY ANN ARBOR

Cover: Three Water Droppers. Spotted Ch'ing-pai Ware. Yilan. Catalogue No. 64.

Design: Art Spinney, University of Michigan Public ations Office Typesetting and Printing: University of Michigan Printing Services © Copyright 1975, G. Mennen and Nancy Williams ISBN 978-0-932206-75-6 (paper) ISBN 978-1-951538-63-7 (ebook)

CONTENTS

Note of Acknowledgment ............... Preface ....................... . ... . ... Foreword Inlroduclion .......................... . Major Chinese Dynasties and Reigns Map of China ........................ . Map of Southeast Asia ................ . Illustrations .......................... . Catalogue ............................ . Works Cited ......................... .

v VII

IX

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7 9 II 13

125 181

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NOTE OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This Catalogue was produced through Mr. John R. Hamilton, editor, University of Michigan Publications Office, and the photographs of the objects illustrated were produced by Mr. Roger Wertenberger, the photographer. Both have repeated their skillful accomplishments of the previous catalogue devoted to The University of Michigan section of the Williams Collection of Far Eastern Ceramics. Nancy Williams

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PREFACE

My husband and I have always been interested in the historical backgrounds and artifacts wherever we happened to be. In our years in Washington, when my husband was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, we furnished our house with early American antiques, which have been passed on to various family members. In the African years, we became interested in the art and culture of Africa , particularly the wooden masks and statuettes, as well as bronzes and terra-cottas. From this interest emerged the collection of African art, now spread between the Detroit Institute of Arts, Oakland University, Flint Museum of Art, and our own home on Tonnancour Place. Following my husband's appointment as the Ambassador to the Philippines, we found that there was emerging a tremendous amount of early Chinese ceramics which had been long buried in the Islands. Much of our collection was actually dug up from burial sites. However, many of the Chinese pieces were bought from simple Philippine farmers who found them in their rice paddies. Consequently it was not always easy to correctly identify the place of the find. Included in the collection are also pieces of Sawankhalok and Sukhothai ceramics as well as Annamese found in the same areas as the Chinese pieces. About half of the collection was added from Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, and Jakarta, with a few items being purchased in Europe and the United States. Governor Williams financed the collection and I did the selecting. I knew nothing of Chinese ceramics at the start but learned a great deal in a short time by building a library, by handling the objects, and with the help of John Addis, the British Ambassador to the Philippines. Mostly I either upgraded, or bought what I liked or what I did not understand. With the latter, it often resulted in an intensive search to classify the objects, and much research is yet to be done on many items in the collection. My main interest was in the early objects ofT'ang, Sung, and early Ming periods. We added a few of the later Ch'ing pieces, just to round out the collection for teaching purposes. We hoped with our collections to bring to Michigan a teaching nucleus of both African art and Chinese ceramics, so we have shared the collections. The Chinese ceramics have also been given to the Detroit Institute of Arts, The University of Michigan, and the Flint Museum of Art, with a sizeable number remaining in our home which is the purpose of this catalogue. It has been a great pleasure to work with Kamer Aga-Oglu in preparing the catalogue. Her great love for Oriental ceramics is contagious and inspirational. Just knowing her has been a treat. Nancy Williams

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FOREWORD

The Museum of Anthropology at The University of Michigan is pleased to sponsor the publication of this descriptive catalogue of Chinese, Annamese, and Siamese ceramics in the collection of Justice and Mrs. G. Mennen Williams of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. In 1972 the Museum issued a catalogue of the Far Eastern ceramics presented to it by the Williamses from their original collection made in Southeast Asia during 1968-1969. The success of that catalogue prompted Justice Williams to suggest that Professor Kamer Aga-Oglu prepare as a present from him to his wife a catalogue of that section of their collection which the Williamses retained. Its publication as a companion volume to the earlier catalogue places on formal record the acquisition and present location of these excellent examples of Far Eastern art. The catalogue makes available to a wide audience knowledge of these superb ceramic specimens. Mrs. Aga-Oglu is a recognized authority in this field of scholarship and it is particularly pleasant to have this catalogue by her issued as one of her first retirement products. James B. Griffin Director Museum of Anthropology The University of Michigan

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INTRODUCTION

This catalogue is devoted to Far Eastern ceramics in the collection of Justice and Mrs. G. Mennen Williams. This is a section of a large collection, num bering over one thousand pieces of Chinese, Annamese, and Siamese ceramic wares, portions of which have been donated by the Williamses to the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Flint Museum of Art, and the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology.! The entire collection was carefully assembled by Mrs. Williams during 1968-1969, when her husband was the United States Ambassador to the Philippines. During their residence in Manila, Mrs. Williams became interested in the Chinese ceramic wares that were found in ancient burial sites of the islands of the Philippines and were being traded in Manila. Her interest in acquiring these wares lay primarily in their historical and educational value, an interest which was shared by her husband, who gave her support and encouragement in her project. Mrs. Williams's collecting was accompanied by serious study of the ceramics in various collections in Manila and reading literature on the subject. But it was, above all, her intuitive judgment and perceptive eye that guided her in bringing together a sizable collection of truly creative works of the Chinese potter. In addition to the Chinese ceramics acquired in Manila, there is a small group of Annamese and Siamese wares which had also been recovered from burial sites. The ceramics obtained in the Philippines make up about one half of the entire collection, the remaining portion of which was acquired in various parts of Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States. As the Chinese ceramics were of interest to Mrs. Williams, the native art of Africa held the interest of Justice Williams. During the years 1961-1966, when he was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, he acquired a fine collection of wood sculpture and bronze objects which are of great artistic value. Portions of the African collection were donated to the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Oakland University, and the Flint Museum of Art. These collections of Far Eastern and African art were formed by the Williamses with a sincere interest in their historical value and with the intent of sharing these representations of the art and culture of other civilizations with the educational institutions of the State of Michigan, of which G. Mennen Williams was the Governor for six terms, from 1949 to 1960. The remainder of both collections is handsomely arranged in the Williamses' home on Tonnancour Place in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. The private section of the Williams collection of Far Eastern ceramics, presented in this catalogue, is comprised of 279 pieces 2 which are predominantly of Chinese origin. The remaining portion consists of small groups of Annamese and Siamese (Thai) wares and two examples of native Philippine earthenware.

CHINESE WARES

The earliest Chinese wares in the collection are represented by two leadglazed jars of the Han period (nos. 1,2), of which noteworthy is the jar in no. I with a relief frieze of a hunting scene. Next are three pieces of the T' ang Dynasty (nos. 3-5), prominent among which is a fine example of a phoenixhead ewere with three-color glaze and relief medallions of a phoenix and a mounted archer (no. 4). But the strength of the collection is in the wares of the Sung, YUan, and Ming dynasties, which span a period of almost half a

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millenium of technical and artistic achievements of the Chinese potter. Contained in this section are various types of celadon, ch'ing-pai, shu-fu, white and cream-white porcelains, and the blue-and-white ware, The celadon is represented by types that range in date from the Sung to the Ming period (nos. 9-38), with several pieces illustrating well the innovations in shape and decoration that took place somewhere between the late Sung and early Yuan period which will be discussed later. The earliest example of the celadon is a ewer with a greenish-gray Yueh-type glaze which is an early Sung piece, dating perhaps from the tenth century (no. 9). Noteworthy among other pieces is the small, undecorated bowl with thinly potted body and blue-tinged soft green glaze which is one of the finest examples of Sung celadon (no. 10). The four dishes with underglaze decoration of molded fish inside and carved lotus petals outside (nos. 20-22) are of particular importance for identification and dating of this type of celadon, since they provide excellent means of comparison with the material found in the kiln sites of China itself. These dishes, particularly the small brush washer (no. 20, left), are in shape and decoration very much like a celadon brush washer which was excavated from the Southern Sung kiln sites of Chin Tz'un, near those of Tayao, in the district of Lung-ch'uan in Chekiang province. 3 Another equally important piece is the dish in no. 23 which is in every respect like the piece in no. 20, left, and is also quite similar to the dish found in Chin Tz'un, except that its decoration of molded fish is in unglazed biscuit. The striking similarity of this dish to the pieces of Sung origin prompts the assumption that it may be one of the earliest examples of celadon ware showing a new technique of decoration which, although assumed to be a Yuan innovation,. may well have started in the late Sung period and attained popularity in the following Yuan period. Since at present there is no positive proof of the beginnings of this technique in relief-biscuit decoration, examples like the dish ill no. 23 must serve as a clue to solving this problem until we have more valid information from China itself. Among the celadon of the YUan Dynasty, the pumpkinshaped tea pot (no. 17) and the jar with lotus-leaf shaped cover (no. IS) are notable for the excellence of quality and workmanship. The ch' ing-pai and shu-fu porcelain wares, dating from the Sung and Yuan periods, are represented by vessels of various shapes and by bird-feeders and fruit-shaped water droppers, all of which are most probably the products of the kilns of Ching-te Chen in Kiangsi province (nos. 39-63). Notable among the vessels is an exquisite saucer of a translucent, crisp porcelain body and a clear, whitish pale blue glaze, which is a perfect example of the Classic Sung ch'ing-pai (no. 39). Also noteworthy are the charming water droppers in the shape of a boy on a water buffalo (nos. 64-66). These figures bring to mind the theme of herd boy and buffalo, a favored motif symbolizing rural life, which has been used by Chinese landscape painters since the Sung period (figs. A,B).

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The collection includes several examples of white procelain ware which most probably originated from Ching-te Chen (nos. 74-77). Notable among these is a tea pot of pure white body and clear glaze (no. 75) and an exquisite bowl in the shape of an open chrysanthemum flower (no. 76). Next is a group of a distinct ware with a soft-looking, close-grained white porcelain body, a thin glaze that is mostly of cream-white color, and a decoration which is usually molded in a low cord like relief (nos. 78-96). The origin of this cream-white porcelain may be safely attributed to the kilns ofTe-hua and its neighborhood in Fukien province. Many pieces in this group, particularly those in nos. 78, 80, 90-93, show a remarkable similarity to the specimens excavated by Chinese archaeologists from the kiln sites of Te-hua.5 Furthermore, the three

bowls in nos. 9 I -93 are in shape and decoration almost exactly like the two bowls and large fragments of two others which were recovered by the late Malcolm Farley from Te-hua kiln sites. 6 During the YUan Dynasty, the Chinese potters mastered various techniques of decoration, among which were the use of iron oxide to produce spots in the glaze and the painting of porcelain with designs in cobalt-blue under the glaze. Both of these techniques of decoration were quite naturally used in the already existing porcelains, namely the ch'ing-pai and shu-fu, giving birth to new classes of wares such as the "spotted" shu-fu and ch'ing-pai and the blueand-white. But the blue-and-white outlived the other two, having attained a great popularity in China itself as well as abroad from its beginnings down to the end of the Ch'ing Dynasty. The "spotted" ch'ing-pai and shu-fu and the early blue-and-white ware of the YUan period are represented in this colJection by numerous examples (nos. 97-117), among which of greatest importance is the group of early blue-and-white ware (nos. 98, 104-110, 113- 117). In addition to this group, the collection also contains a considerable number of blue-and-white of the following Ming Dynasty, thus bringing together a body of valuable material which illustrates the evolution of this most renowned porcelain ware of China from its early stages in the YUan period to the maturity it attained during the Ming Dynasty. The Ming blue-and-white group (nos. 118-148) contains vessels of various shapes and decorations, some of which are of remarkable quality. Outstanding among them are the bottle and two bowls (121, right, 123, 124) which illustrate the skill of the artist-potter in the execution of the rather naturalistically rendered lotus flowers. Another notable piece is the bowl with its unusual decoration of "flying-fish-dragons" and winged fish (no. 12Sa,b). Our assumption regarding the place of origin of the blue-and-white is, as stated in the past,? that the early type of this ware seen in this collection, which is so closely related to ch 'ing-pai and shu-fu (nos. 97-110), must have been made along with them in the kiln center of Ching-te Chen. The Ming blueand-white group contains pieces that were most probably also made in Chingte Chen (nos. 118-130, 132). The remaining pieces (nos. 131, 133-148) may be the products of the kilns of Fukien province, perhaps Te-hua, or may even have originated from the kiln center of Ching-te Chen, where the blue-andwhite ware of various qualities was produced from its beginnings to the end of the Ch'ing Dynasty. However, at present our assumptions regarding the origin of various types of this ware are based on conjecture and may be verified only by findings of related material in China itself. The blue-and-white porcelain, as well as its predecessor, the celadon, enjoyed a great popularity in China itself and abroad and both were exported in large quantities to the islands of the Philippines and Indonesia, to Japan, and to the countries of the Near East, where they have been preserved in the Ottoman Collection of the Topkapi Sarayi MUzesi in Istanbul 8 and the Ardebil Collection housed in the Archaeological Museum in Tehran. 9 The popularity in the Philippines of the blue-and-white and celadon is well proved by the amount of these wares found in the ancient burial sites of that country. The remaining portion of the Chinese pottery in this collection includes a number of enameled and monochrome wares of the Ming and Ch'ing periods. In addition , there is a group of lead-glazed earthenware which may have originated from the kilns of Fukien province (nos. 170-174). The identification and dating of this ware is still a problem which can only be solved by a comparative study of related ceramics found in the kiln sites of China itself. At the present, the ware is regarded as a revival of the T'ang style lead-glazed earthenware, with most of its pieces assumed to date from the YUan period.lO

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ANNAMESE WARES In addition to the Chinese wares, the collection contains a number of fine examples of Annamese blue-and-white porcelain (nos. 179-186). Notable among these is the small, perfectly shaped globular jar with a freely executed pleasing decoration (no. 179) and the ewer with a delicately painted decoration of ladies in a landscape (no. 186). The blue-and-white ware of Annam was developed under the influence of the early Ming blue-and-white porcelain and many of its pieces show a close affinity to the Chinese prototypes. However, the dating of the individual pieces is still problematical, since no systematic classification of this ware, preserved in various collections in the Far East, Europe, and America, has yet been made. At present, most of the vessels are assigned to the fifteenth century because of analogies to the well-documented Annamese blue-and-white bottle in the Topkapi Sarayi MGzesi in Instanbul which bears a date corresponding to 1450 A.D.H The Annamese blue-andwhite and other wares as well were as much in demand in Southeast Asia as the ceramics of China and Siam, and were exported in considerable numbers to the islands of the Philippines and Indonesia.12

SIAMESE WARES The pottery of Siam (Thailand) is comprised of various Sawankhalok wares, such as celadon, brown-glazed, and types which are decorated with painted designs or with incised designs under a two-color glaze (nos. 189-199), and one example of Sukhothai ware (no. 200). Notable in this group are the fine celadon bottle (no. 189), two boxes (nos. 195, 196), and the unusual jar (no. 197), which represent the highest achievements of the Sawankhalok potter. The celadon of Sawankhalok, which evidently was the major product of the kilns, bears the influence of the famous celadon ware of China, as is evident in the glaze, shape, and technique of incised decoration of many of its pieces. The wares decorated with painted designs in brown pigment under a colorless glaze (no. 194) and those having incised designs under two-colored glaze (nos. 195-198), may have been stimulated by the Chinese blue-and-white and Tz'u-chou wares. The Siamese pottery, especially the celadon of Sawankhalok, became one of the favored trade goods of Siam and was exported in large quantities to various parts of Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and the Philippines.l3 The production of ceramic wares at the kiln center of Sawankhalok was evidently continued for about 150 years, extending from the early fourteenth to the mid-fifteenth century, when the activities of its kilns and those of neighboring Sukhothai came to an end due to wars and internal unrest. 14

PHILIPPINE EARTHENWARE

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The presence in this collection of examples of native Philippine pottery (nos. 201,202) is gratifying. Of particular interest is the jar (no. 201) which is one of the finest examples of the prehistoric or "Iron Age" pottery that has come from the ancient burial sites of the Philippines. A number of examples of this ware are preserved in private collections and museums in that country, but it is rarely found in a Western collection. It may be of interest to note that the ceramic wares in this collection that were obtained in Manila were brought there for trade from various parts of

the Philippines, where they were recovered by farmers and townspeople from their rice fields and plots which once were the sites of old burials. Therefore, most of the pieces have come from unrecorded sites, with a few being attributed to certain areas which have been recorded in the catalogue. The Chinese, Annamese, and Siamese wares presented in this catalogue form a comprehensive body of research material which is laden with manifold problems of attribution that concern the student of Far Eastern ceramics. This is the private section of an extensive collection of similar material built up by Mrs. Williams, portions of which she and her husband have donated to various educational institutions of the State of Michigan, as mentioned before. These institutions must forever be grateful to the donors for their gracious generosity in providing them with these representations of an important branch of Asiatic art. This material will always be a source of inspiration and research for the student and scholar, and the collector as well. In preparing this Catalogue I have been helped with the translation of the Chinese characters (nos. 45, 59, 128, 156) by Mr. Fischer F. Peng, research assistant, Chinese Palace Museum Photographic Archive, Department of the History of Art, The University of Michigan, to whom I acknowledge my debt. I am also indebted to Mr. Bret Waller, Director of the University of Michigan Museum of Art, for his kindness in permitting the use in the catalogue of the reproductions of two Chinese paintings. To Misses Cynthia Ridley and Beryl Simon go our thanks for the preparation of the maps. I wish particularly to thank Dr. James B. Griffin, Director of the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology, for his interest in my work on this catalogue and for valuable advice. Most of all, however, I am grateful to Justice and Mrs. Williams for their hospitality, kindness, and patience in facilitating my work in the preparation of the catalogue.

Kamer Aga-Oglu Curator Emeritus

Division of the Orient Museum of Anthropology Professor Emeritus

History of Art The University of Michigan

NOTES I. Aga-Oglu, The Williams Collection of For Eastern Ceramics. 2. Not included among these is a small number of miscellaneous pieces which are of the same types of wares presented in this catalogue. 3. Chu Po-ch'ien, "Report on the Excavation of Lung-Ch'iian Celadon Kiln-Sites in Chekiang," pI. IV, no. 12. For a Western work which provides valuable information on Lung-ch'iian celadon ware, see: Palmgren et of.. Sung Sherds. 4. Ayers, "Some Characteristic Wares of the Yiian Dynasty," p. 73; Lee, S.E. and W.K. Ho, Chinese Art Under the Mongols . .. , p. 15; and others. 5. Hng Hsien-ming, "Important Finds of Ancient Chinese Ceramics Since 1949," pI. Ill, nos. 18-23, pI. IV, no. II.

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6. Farley, "Fukien-China's Rich New Field for Archaeology," illustration page 640, top left. 7. Aga-Oglu, "The Relationship Between the Ying-Ch' ing, Shu-Fu and Ea rly Blue and White." 8. Zimmermann, Altchinesische Porzel/ane im Alten S erai; Pope, FourteenthCentury Blue-and- White: A Group of Chinese Porcelains in the Topkapu Sarayi Muzesi. Istan bul. 9. Bahrami, "Chinese Porcelains from Ardebil in the Teheran Museum"; Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine. 10. Addis, "Chinese Porcelain Found in the Philippines," p. 24. II. Hobson, "Chinese P orcelain at Constantinople", p. 13, pI. IV; International Exhibition of Chinese A rt, London, catalogue no. 1488. 12. Spinks, The Ceramic Wares of Siam, pp. 93, 95. 13. Spinks, op. cit. , pp. 89-95. 14 . Spinks, op. cit .. pp. 112-11 3, passim; Cheng, "The Study of Ceramic Wares in Southeast Asia," p. 5; see also Le May, " The Ceramic Wares of North-Central Siam, I- II, " p. 166.

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MAJOR CHINESE DYNASTIES AND REIGNS Shang-Ying

.................

Chou ........................

1523-1028 B.C. 1027-256 B.C.

Ch'in ......................... 221-206 B.C. Han ..................... 206 B.C.-A.D. 220 The Six Dynasties ................... 220-589 Sui ................................ 581-618 T'ang .............................. 618-906 The Five Dynasties .................. 907-960 Sung

............................. 960-1279

Northern Sung ............ 960-1127 Southern Sung ............ 1127-1279 YUan (Mongol)

................... 1280-1368

Ming ............................ 1368-1644 Hung-wu ........... . ..... 1368-1398 Chien-wen ................ 1399-1402 Yung-Io .................. 1403-1424 Hung-hsi ................. 1425 HsUan-te ................. 1426-1435 Cheng-t'ung .............. 1436-1449 Ching-t'ai ................ 1450-1457 T'ien-shun ................ 1457-1464 Ch'eng-hua ............... 1465-1487 Hung-chih ..... . .......... 1488-1505 Cheng-te ................. 1506-1521 Chia-ching ............... 1522-1566 Lung-ch'ing .............. 1567-1572 Wan-Ii ................... 1573-1619 T'ai-ch'ang ............... 1620 T'ien-ch'i ................ 1621-1627 Ch 'ung-cheng ............. 1628-1644 Ch'ing (Manchu) .................. 1644-1912 Shun-chih ................ 1644-1661 K'ang-hsi ................ 1662-1722 Yung-cheng .............. 1723-1735 Ch'ien-Iung ............... 1736-1795 Chia-ch ' ing ............... 1796-1820 Tao-kuang ............... 1821-1850 Hsien-feng ............... 1851-1861 T'ung-chih ............... 1862-1873 Kuang-hsU ............... 1874-1908 HsUan-t'ung .............. 1909-1912 Chinese Republic

...................... 1912-

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MAP OF CHINA

SHANSI KANSU

HUNAN

FORMOSA

MAP OF CHINA Showing Major Kiln Centers

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MAP OF SOUTHEAST ASIA CHINA

THAILAND

PHILIPPINES

&:::;

/~ BORNEO

MAP OF SOUTHEAST ASIA JAVA

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ILLUSTRATIONS

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I. Jar . Glazed earthenware. China; Han Dynasty . H . 9-3 / 8 in. (849)

2. Jar. Glazed eart henw a re. Chi na; Han Dynasty. H. 5 in . (855)

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4. Phoenix-Head Ewer. Earthenware with three-color glaze. China; rang Dynasty; First half of the 8th century . H . 12 in . (300)

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J . Figurc Of A \V ull1