Page 94 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Eternal Music in Chinese art

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A RARE PARTIALLY GILT-BRONZE, CHAMPLEVÉ-ENAMEL The elephant embodies strength, wisdom and intelligence and is held
AND JADE ‘ELEPHANT AND BOYS’ GROUP in high esteem in Buddhist beliefs. It is unusual to find an elephant
Qianlong group such as the present lot with attendant boys in procession.
The procession consisting of a finely cast caparisoned elephant Cloisonné and champlevé enamel elephants are more commonly
standing four-square led by three playful young boys, each wearing depicted in Chinese art supporting a vase on its back forming the
a bright polychrome enamelled robe and cap, one blowing a suona, rebus for ‘universal peace’, taiping you xiang. Compare with a
double-reeded horn, another playing a bolanggu, pellet drum, and related gilt-bronze, champlevé and cloisonné enamel elephant-form
a third carrying a dragon banner, all raised on a rectangular plinth candlestick, 18th century, which was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong,
supported by four ruyi-form feet, the imposing beast elaborately 4 April 2017, lot 198.
caparisoned, adorned with polychrome enamel and gilt-metal
trappings, the embellished and enamelled harness surmounted by Compare the cloisonné enamel boys with the small cloisonné enamel
a flaming pearl and the saddle fringed with bells, each side of the boy riding a hobby horse, late 17th century, from the collection of
saddlecloth with a gilt writhing dragon on a white ground, emerging Mr and Mrs R.H.Palmer, illustrated by Sir H.Garner, Chinese and
from animal-masks joined to a ruffle-hemmed circular cloth, set below Japanese Cloisonné Enamels, London, 1962, pl.76. In this book,
the domed support reticulated with two phoenix in flight, all below a Garner writes that it is not common to find human figures in cloisonné
pavilion on each side with a reticulated jade roundel, the flaring roof with the earliest examples, such as this boy, dating to the 17th century.
surmounted with a bird finial.
38cm (14 3/4in) long x 21cm (8 1/4in) wide. The importance of elephants in Imperial processions is also
demonstrated by two elephants, one bearing a vase, depicted in a
HKD350,000 - 600,000 court painting, Ten Thousand Envoys come to Pay Tribute, 1761,
US$45,000 - 77,000 illustrated by C.Ho and B.Bronson, Splendors of China’s Forbidden
City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, London, 2004,
pp.75-77, figs.80-82.
清乾隆 銅胎鏨琺瑯嵌玉童子瑞象擺件

Provenance:
The Hon. Mrs. Nellie (1883-1962) and Basil (1884-1950) Ionides,
Buxted Park, Sussex, and thence by descent
A British private collection
Christie’s London, 7 November 2017, lot 107

Nellie Ionides was the daughter of Sir Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount
Bearsted (1853-1927), Chairman of Shell. In 1930 she married Basil
Ionides, a pioneering Art Deco designer. Both shared a love of the arts
and collecting including Meissen porcelain, English 18th century and
Regency furniture and Chinese porcelain. In her will she left Chinese
porcelain to the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum and
to the Brighton Pavilion.

來源：
英國蘇塞克斯郡Nellie（1883-1962）及Basil（1884-1950）Ionides伉
儷舊藏，後由家族傳承
英國私人舊藏
佳士得倫敦，2017年11月7日，拍品編號107

銅胎，一象三童立於銅臺之上，象身馱四檐閣樓，檐首作翹首龍頭， 琺瑯器中大象的形象常馱寶瓶，寓意太平有象，而馱寶閣的例子頗為
閣頂立鳳凰，俱鎏金, 亭瓦鏨刻團壽蝙蝠如意雲紋，再填藍彩， 閣内 少見，北京故宮所藏清代宮廷鐘錶中倒常見動物馱寶閣的例子，如一
開光嵌四塊鏤空白玉窗，分別雕人物及龍紋，亭台外沿起四柱圍欄， 件銅鎏金仙鶴馱寶閣座鐘，其寶閣内外兩層，和本件寶閣有異曲同工
鎏金鏨刻填藍彩，亭台之下承以鏤空鎏金雙鳳穿雲紋，象背披寶毯， 之妙，見《China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795》，倫敦，2005
毯分三層，頂層填紅彩，中層鏨刻鎏金卷草文填綠彩，底層緄邊綴鈴 年，圖版93，頁199; 另有一件銅鍍金象馱寶塔變花轉花鐘，十八世紀
鐺，鏨刻卷雲紋鎏金，填月白彩，象披搭鎏金鏨刻四爪降龍，填白地 英國製，亦可比較之，見故宮博物院編，《故宮經典：故宮鐘錶》，
紅邊，象身籠鎏金嵌寶石瓔珞，頭戴寶珠冠，象前立三童子，一童手 北京，2008年，圖版99，頁172。還可比較一件佳士得香港售出一件
擎鎏金鏨刻填紅地龍紋旗，頭戴角氈，底衫鏨刻鎏金卷草文，填月白 清十八世紀 鏨胎掐絲琺瑯嵌寶石太平有象燭台，2017年4月4日，拍
料，一童最前，頭戴平頂花沿帽，内填鵝黃料，手持圓鼓，作捶打 品編號198。由此或可猜想，象馱寶塔或閣樓的形象乃是西方眼中的
貌，身著鎏金鏨刻龍紋填多彩夾衣，一童立於象左，頭戴圓氈，手持 東方意趣，實則是太平有象題材的演繹。
嗩吶，身穿鎏金鏨刻花草紋短衫，填綠彩為地，花填月白及紅料，三
童著履皆鎏金。 舊藏者Nellie及Basil Inoides伉儷與中國文物淵源頗深，Inoides氏的收
藏側重清代及二十世紀的中國美術品。這一傳統沿襲子Nellie的父親—
童子身著無袖短衫，頭戴氈帽，手執扁骨及嗩吶，此類鼓吹玩耍的 Marcus Samuel（(1853-1927），第一代Bearsted侯爵，他創辦了荷
形象多出現於瓷器之嬰戲圖，參考一件北京故宮藏乾隆粉彩綠地嬰 蘭皇家殼牌公司，主要收藏繪畫和傢倶以裝飾埃特姆莫特莊園。Basil
戲圖瓶，其中有童子吹嗩吶及敲鼓形象可比較之，見《故宮博物院 的祖父Alexander Constantine Ionides (1810-1890)曾是英國藝術的主
藏文物珍品大系：琺瑯彩·粉彩》，香港，1999年，圖版121， 頁 要贊助人。Nellie和Basil伉儷對雕塑情有獨鐘，參見一組象牙畫琺瑯
138。 H.Garner爵士認為琺瑯器中人物形象十分收件，可參考一 童子跪像，見R. S. Jenyns著，《Chinese Art III》，紐約，1965年，
件R.H.Palmer伉儷舊藏之十七世紀晚期掐絲琺瑯童子騎馬像，見 圖版96。
H.Garner爵士著，《Chinese and Japanese Cloisonné Enamels》
（中日掐絲琺瑯），倫敦，1962年，圖版76。

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