Page 70 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Eternal Music in Chinese art

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A FINELY CARVED ‘ROMANCE OF THE
WESTERN CHAMBER’ BAMBOO PARFUMIER,
XIANGTONG
Mid Qing Dynasty
The exterior deftly carved in high relief and
openwork with a continuous scene depicting Zhang
Junbao playing the guqin flanked by a young
servant under pine trees in a fenced garden with
plantain, trees and Taihu rocks, overheard by Cui
Yingying and her maidservant Hongniang behind a
large Taihu rock, the base fitted with a hardwood
rim, the bamboo of an auburn-brown tone.
13.7cm (5 1/2in) high.

HKD60,000 - 80,000
US$7,700 - 10,000

清中期 竹雕鶯鶯聽琴香筒
(detail)
The present lot depicts scene 13 from the popular
13th century drama Xixiang Ji (西廂記), or ‘The
Romance of the Western Chamber’. The play narrates
a secret love affair between the young scholar Zhang
Sheng, and Cui Yingying, daughter of a chief minister.
Zhang Sheng plays the guqin attracting the attention
of the admiring Cui Yingying; this scene is regarded as
the highlight of the entire story.

Although scholar Zhang and Cui Yingying fell in
love with each other at a Buddhist monastery,
Cui Yingying’s mother disapproved of the match
because of Zhang’s low station. Yingying’s maid
Hongniang, however, took pity on them and
arranged to bring them together in a secret union.
When Yingying’s mother discovered what had
happened, she reluctantly agreed to a formal
marriage on the condition that Zhang must pass the
Civil Service examination. To the joy of the young
lovers, Zhang Sheng passes, is appointed to high
office, and the two are finally married.

Playing qin or listening to qin was a popular motif in
bamboo carvings in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Compare with a bamboo parfumier carved with a
sage playing in under pines, Qing dynasty, in the
Shanghai Museum, which is illustrated in the Literati
Spirit: Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving, Shanghai,
2012, p.102, pl.40; and with another bamboo
parfumier carved with a lady resting in a fenced
garden in the similar manner of Cui Yingying carved
in the present lot, Qianlong, in the Muwen Tang
collection, which is illustrated by S.Kwan, Ming and
Qing Bamboo, Hong Kong, 2012, p.340, no.97.

取竹節一段以鏤空浮雕刀法刻鶯鶯聽琴圖一卷，刻
張君寶樸頭長袍，撫琴於松石之前，童子侍立一
側，蕉石之後崔鶯鶯與紅娘側耳傾聽，有交耳之
態，神情畢肖，用刀深峻，人物神態靈動，山石樹
木流雲皆有畫意，皮發淡琥珀色，下配硬木底座。

彈琴聽琴場景為明清竹雕常見主題，參考上海博物
館藏一件清代竹雕竹林娛遊香筒，刻劃松下彈琴場
景，見《竹鏤文心竹刻珍品特集》，上海，2012
年，頁102，圖版40；亦可比較沐文堂收藏一件清
乾隆竹雕庭院仕女圖香筒，所雕侍女和本件之崔鶯
鶯風格類似，見關善明著，《 虛心傲節：明清竹刻
史話》，香港，2000年，頁340，編號97。