Page 164 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

3048 Continued

Stools of box-form, such as the present example, are extremely rare. ទᐽ৅⎏⢙ᦔἃᙹ޿߰ᅴ卿὞⩧୨⭯ௗ⏜卿㑷⛘໫Ꮴ᯵卿ᆨᎰӬٖ୨ᙹ
The form is distinguished by the simple elegance and refined geometry ᆨ❝झǯ❝झᅴ⢙ᦔ᚝㇦ᙻ ӽ⡕⎏ԋஇ卿ഌⲖࢷ⁒㱦⻦۔ἃែᛤ㰀
of its design. The feet stretchers are attached to the underside of the
legs instead of the side of the legs, creating a box-form structure which ጅԠ卻 卼Ƕഺट❟எǷ㧩࣍ԋᓼ⥾ԻӬᆌ❝झᅴᄍǯ㨸ᙻ❝झ
is similar to another form of base stretchers called tuoni ( Ꮴ᯵ ). This ᅴ⢙ᦔ⎏㊄⡿㈺㋏卿ࣻ㨙ऒᙱ౲ഏ厁ⰻݐⶬǶԋஇⱤ᢬།ݰஎ⩠Ƿ卿ᚚ
box-form platform structure in furniture was seen in as early as 6th ទ卿 ჺ卿㮰 ǯ
-8th century China, as recorded in a painting attributed to Gu Kaizhi
(c. 344-406), The Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies ទᐽ৅⎏ཨ༿㖅ݱ௛ᙹ޿ഌ⡙ ჹᙹࣟ⟬卿㇦ទᐽ㐈ԋ⎏ ⽚ᐽ
in the British Museum collection. For a discussion of the box-platform ৅Ӭཌݱ௛⎏㿩Ɽ᢬ᙹ޿ǯൈ᫉ഌ⎏㵲㞔卿ஶӳᛞ㫐⭯㛢जսᘞஙஶ㬷
structure, see Gustav Ecke, Chinese Domestic Furniture, p. 3-12. ӳ卿Ꮀ㒍㑽ஶ卿㊯ᚺទᐽ৅ᝳज⬒ἃᏢஶ⩧ײ⊇⎏ஶݰǯ৿ջ⊺།ឪ⏻
The size of the present pair of stools is significantly larger (approximately 卻᰻㔮ᙻ ჺ ჺ卼ᙻǶӶ⚁㞖ࠈ۬Ƿԋᓼ⥾৿༗㵶ۿǮ഍झ໵
20 square centimetres larger) than the typical square stools, (such as ▭ჇӶ⚁ᙻ❝झᅴஶݰӳᏢஶ卻ॲː卼卿㖊ᙻǶᘒ㚣ल⊺༾㦶Ƿ卿ែ՗卿
lot 3049 in the present sale). The exceptionally large size suggests that ჺǯ
the present pair of stools were made for a dedicated purpose such as
meditation, when the sitter’s legs could be raised and crossed on the ❝झᅴۊݰ⎏⢙ᦔ㞒ᇵἃᄓ㛑Ꮴ᯵ǯᏤ᯵ԛۊݰӳ㙄ᓞ㑷⛘⎏ᨕश⢙
seat in dhyanasana. A box-form meditation platform was depicted by ᦔ卿ײۊݰजս⏜ᓞ⊇ᙻ᯵஠ӳᇑսᐂᏤ卿Ӷֿಫᆎᙃ㵲⢙ᦔ⎏♵୻ሻ卿
Tang dynasty painter Li Zhen (785-805) in a portrait of Amoghavajra
or bukong, one of the most influential monks in history of Buddhism, ՔײԠᝤ⬒ᐘᔭ⩱ǯֿ⊐ᙻᏤ᯵⢙ᦔ㧩ឆ⏜ᓞᓞ㈬Ṋᷪ⎏᯵஠卿ظໄₕ
illustrated in Shina meiga hokan, The pageant of Chinese painting, ጔ㬳჎୷㫙卿Ὅ㋏֌׍♎㯸⎏ໄӽ৅㛢⊿჎☮ཐǯ㿰᭄⯠⻦Ӭᆌཨ༿⏟
Tokyo, 1936 (fig. 1). ཌ㖅ཎ⎏❝झᅴ㿩Ɽ᢬ᙹ޿卿ᐽ㐈ᙻ⡥⡙צ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ 卿
ᐽ৅ ⽚厎⯝Ԡऱ㯸௛׾卿㖊ᙻǶᘜℱྒྷᏑ⻦ᚺᅴ㿩Ɽ᢬།ݰ 厍◲
This type of structure has been difficult to preserve as the base
stretchers were in direct contact to the often damp floor and the ᣷⇂ᣅ߳Ƿ卿㲞ᳰ卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿எ‸ ⽚ǯ
resulting damage from moisture would be expected. The present pair
of stools is unique, no other pair of such large size appears to have
been published. Compare with a considerably smaller huanghuali box-
form stool from The Lai Family Collection sold at Christie’s New York,
17 September 2015, lot 914; and another smaller huanghuali example
illustrated in Chan Chair and Qing Bench: The Dr. S.Y. Yip Collection of
Classic Chinese Furniture II, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 70-1, pl. 6.

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