Page 196 - Christie's IMPORTANT CHINESE Ceramics and Works of Art may 28 2021 hk

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN COLLECTION
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A MAGNIFICENT PAIR OF LARGE 清乾隆 掐絲琺琅甪端熏爐一對
CLOISONNE ENAMEL 'LUDUAN' CENSERS 來源
AND COVERS 倫敦蘇富比，1996 年 11 月 11 日，拍品 153 號

QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795) 美國私人珍藏
Each animal is powerfully cast standing foursquare on gilt-bronze 甪端為傳說中獨角獸，古代稱角端。《元史》卷一四六〈耶律楚材傳〉
clawed feet. The bodies are applied with cloisons emulating fur 記載：「甲申，帝至東印度，駐鐵門關，有一角獸，形如鹿而馬尾，其
and filled with bright enamels in shades of blue, turquoise, green, 色綠，作人言，謂侍衛者曰：『汝主宜早還。』帝以問楚材，對曰：『此
yellow and red. The faces have a ferocious expression with an 瑞獸也其名‘角端’，能言四方語，好生惡殺，此天降符以告陛下。陛
open snarl exposing the fangs and all surmounted by a gilt-bronze 下天之元子，天下之人，皆陛下之子，願承天心，以全民命。』帝即日
single horn forming the handle of the cover. The hindquarters are 班師。」到明清時代，甪端作為宮殿皇帝寶座兩側陳設，以增加威嚴氣
applied with a bushy tail picked out in bright tones of blue and 氛。
green.
20º in. (51.5 cm.) high (2) 北京故宮博物館太和殿、乾清宮、養心殿等多處均見甪端器物。清宮舊
藏明萬曆款掐絲琺瑯甪端二件，該二獸四足立於盤蛇之上，見 2011 年
HK$3,000,000-5,000,000 US$390,000-650,000 北京出版故宮博物院藏品大系《琺瑯器編 1：元明掐絲琺瑯》，圖版
102-103 號。本器兼用鏨胎及掐絲琺瑯工藝尤其珍貴，張宗憲珍藏一件
PROVENANCE
Sold at Sotheby’s London, 11 June 1996, lot 153 非常近似例子，見蘇州博物館 2007-2008 年舉辦《絢麗．華貴．至尊—
香港張宗憲先生珍藏御製宮廷掐絲琺瑯器特展》，圖錄 60 頁；該書第
Mythical beasts of this form are known as luduan, legendary creatures 40 頁另載一對掐絲琺瑯甪端；二例均定年乾隆。另見瀋陽故宮博物院收
capable of distinguishing between good and evil. Because of these
qualities, incense burners of this form were placed beside or in front of 藏數例，見 2007 年瀋陽出版《瀋陽故宮博物院藏文物精粹—琺瑯卷》，
the imperial throne to symbolise that the emperor, protected by these 90-95 頁，圖版 4-6 號。
animals, was a virtuous and intelligent ruler. In this function a pair of
cloisonne enamel incense burners of this form can be seen in situ in a
photograph of the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony illustrated in
Palaces of the Forbidden City, Hong Kong, 1986, pp. 66-7.
Luduan-form censers are seen as early as late Ming/early Qing. Two
Ming examples of this form with Wanli marks in the Qing Court
Collection are illustrated in Enamels 1: Cloisonne in the Yuan (1271-1368)
and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties, Compendium of Collection in the
Palace Museum, Beijing, 2011, pls. 102-103. These examples share with
later examples, whether made in bronze, jade or cloisonne enamel, the
same full round body, stiff legs, open mouth raised as if roaring and a
single horn, as well as flames rising from the haunches.
The combination of the cloisonné and champlevé techniques on the
present lot is rarer with only a few examples published. A closely
comparable example from the collection of Robert Chang was included
in the exhibition Colorful, Elegant, and Exquisite: A Special Exhibition
of Imperial Enamel Ware from Mr. Robert Chang's Collection, Suzhou
Museum, 2007-2008, Catalogue, p. 60; with another pair of the same
form on p. 40, all dated to the Qianlong period. Further examples in
cloisonné enamel are illustrated in The Enamel Volume, The Prime
Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum,
Shenyang, 2007, pp. 90-95, pls. 4-6. A very large pair of luduan was
sold at Christie's New York, 29 March 2006, lot 311.

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