陶瓷之谜第 15 课

Over the centuries many Chinese junks went down in the waters 数百年来
off southeast Asia, 无数中国帆船 沉没在东南亚外海
and when salvaged today their cargoes of blue and white porcelain fetch millions of dollars at auction houses around the world. 如今打捞上岸后 青花瓷在世界各地的拍卖会上往往喊价达数百万美元

These are pieces of Ming blue and white 这个明代的青花瓷
that were found in a 1 5th century... Chinese shipwreck near Ayuttayah, the ancient capital of Thailand. 是在15世纪的 中国沉船上发现的沉船地点在 泰国古都大城附近海域 Who knows, perhaps they were part of an order placed by the King of Siam that never made it to the palace. 或许这是暹逻王订购的只是它始终没能抵达泰国皇宫

When Mongol rule ended in 1368, 1368年元朝灭亡后
ceramic production increased dramatically, 陶瓷产量大幅扬升
and underglaze blue and red became increasingly popular exports. 青花釉里红成了 最受欢迎的外销品

Ming dynasty potters started painting enameled colors on top the glaze of an already fired porcelain. 明朝陶工在烧成的釉漆白瓷上 用珐琅彩描绘图案

They would then fire the piece a second time to set the enamels. 彩绘后二次烧成，以便固色
Overglaze, enameled ceramics like this magic square dish 类似这个方盘的珐琅釉彩瓷器
were exported to Islamic markets around the world. 则出口至全球的回教国家

The Magic Square was mathematical model used by 9th Century trologists in West Asia. “幻方”是第9世纪西亚占星家 所使用的一种数学模型
In Persia they were used as medicine bowls, 波斯人则以它为药钵
and have been found in India and Indonesia. 同样的文物 也在印度和印尼出土

In 1 494, the Ming emperor in the Forbidden city 1494年，紫禁城内的明朝皇帝
still imagined himself the center of the Universe. 仍自以为是宇宙中心
He could never have dreamed that the new world, including Asia, was being divided between Portugal and Spain for sea trade and colonization. 他作梦都没想到 葡萄牙和西班牙 为了海上贸易和殖民早已瓜分了亚洲在内的 整个新世界

At this time porcelain was still scarce in Europe 此时在欧洲 瓷器仍是稀世珍宝
because the only source of ceramics were those Arab and Italian middlemen importing small amounts from Africa and Middle East. 只能透过阿拉伯 和意大利的中间商由非洲和近东少量进口

Porcelain was so rare it was given as gifts by the Sultans of Egypt the Doges of Venice. 瓷器被视为稀世珍宝埃及苏丹甚至以瓷器 作为致赠威尼斯总督的礼物
Porcelain also appeared in paintings of the period, 瓷器也出现在当时的绘画中
where its rarity made it a fitting embellishment to scenes of the holy family. 稀世珍品的瓷器 也作为圣家庭的背景装饰图案