Page 64 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Eternal Music in Chinese art

(seal face)

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A PALE GREEN JADE ‘CHILONG’ SEAL A FINE WHITE JADE ‘FOUR SCHOLARLY This delicately-carved jade group depicts
18th/19th century ACCOMPLISHMENTS’ CARVING ‘The Four Scholarly Accomplishments’,
The chilong with finely incised mane, knobbly Qianlong siyi: the four main academic and artistic
spine and curling bifurcated tail standing on The smoothly polished stone deftly carved in accomplishments required of the aristocratic
a high rectangular seal, intertwined with an the form of a seven-stringed guqin within a Chinese scholar-gentleman, which comprised
arched handle, clasping in its jaws a sprig of brocade sash loosely tied with a ribbon and playing the seven-stringed zither qin, the
lingzhi fungus, the seal face carved in seal partially exposing the instrument, wrapped strategy game of qi, writing calligraphy or shu,
script with ‘qin shu ziyu’ (琴書自娛), which together with two scroll paintings on the and painting or hua.
may be translated as ‘playing the qin and side, a book on the front and a weiqi board
writing calligraphy to entertain oneself’, the on the reverse, finely incised on one side of The seven-stringed zither or qin was an
stone of pale grey tone with frosty-white the instrument with a qian trigram seal, the instrument which every scholar in Imperial
inclusions. semi-translucent white stone with faint russet China was expected to play. The board game
4cm (1 5/8in) high. inclusions. of weiqi was equally considered a pastime
7.2cm (2 3/4in) long. and an art form. Chinese calligraphy equally
HKD15,000 - 20,000 comprises a minimalist set of rules which
US$1,900 - 2,600 HKD200,000 - 300,000 facilitate a system of complexity and grandeur.
US$26,000 - 39,000 Calligraphy was highly regarded as an
Provenance: expression of the practitioner’s poetic nature
A European private collection, and thence by and a significant test of manual dexterity.
descent 清乾隆 白玉雕琴棋書畫把件 Finally, every scholar was expected to learn
The carefully-carved qian trigram flanked the art of brush painting, which was regarded
來源：歐洲私人收藏，後由家人保存迄今 by two chi-dragons on the present lot can as the greatest expression of individual
be also found on one of the personal seals creativity, through which a Chinese scholar
青白玉質，印鈕圓雕螭龍，螭龍背脊起伏凸 of the Qianlong emperor, of which the seal would demonstrate his mastery over the art
of line.
起，盤亙於印頂部，印面篆刻陽文「琴書自 impression is published in the Collections
娛」。 of the Palace Museum: Album of the
Seal Impressions of Qing Emperors and Compare with a related white jade ‘Four
The present lot reflects the retiring ideal of the Empresses, vol.6, Qianlong part II (Gugong Scholarly Accomplishments’ paperweight,
scholar, who wishes to retreat to his studio to bowuyuan cang: Qingdai Dihou Xiyinpu. Di 18th century, of slightly larger size, but without
enjoy playing the guqin and write calligraphy Liuce. Qianlong juan er), Beijing, 2005, p.127. the qian trigram, which was sold at Sotheby’s
for his private enjoyment. The guqin is a Hong Kong, 8 October 2010, lot 2196; and
subtle instrument, so much so in fact, that another pale green jade carving, 18th century,
some Ming dynasty manuals on playing the worked with a similar motif, which was sold at
instrument advise against playing it while it Christie’s London, 8 November 2011, lot 172.
is raining, which could muffle the sound. The
guqin was an instrument to be played and
enjoyed by oneself, or appreciated among a
small group of friends.
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