Page 48 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art June 2015 Hong Kong

Chen Rong, Nine Dragons (detail); image courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
陳容，《九龍圖卷》（局部），美國波士頓博物館藏

VARIOUS OWNERS
各方藏家

21 The style developed under the Qianlong emperor’s direction is
A SUPERB BAMBOO ‘DRAGON’ BRUSHPOT, BITONG recognisable for its opulence combined with precision of knifework.
Qianlong The present brushpot displays a high level of craftsmanship with the
Superbly decorated around the exterior with a continuous scene of sharply precise and vigorous carving of the dragon. A great sense
a large powerful scaly five-clawed dragon, detailed with a snarling, of depth is also emphasised by the varying degrees of carved relief
fierce expression, its body and tail half emerging from the crested and used to depict the forceful rolling waves. It is extremely rare to find
tumultuous waves carved in various degrees of relief, with later silver a bamboo brushpot of such unrivalled quality. However, this special
mount to the rims. genre does exist in other mediums. For an example of a porcelain
15cm (5 7/8in) high brushpot painted with a dragon and inscribed with a poem in sepia
enamel, signed by Tang Ying (1682-1756), the supervisor of the
HK$200,000 - 300,000 imperial kiln during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, see P.Y.Lam,
US$26,000 - 39,000 ed., Elegant Vessels for the Lofty Pavilion: the Zande Lou Gift of
Porcelain with Studio Marks, Hong Kong, 1993, pl.14.
清乾隆 竹雕海水龍紋筆筒

The present lot is exceptionally rare for its rendering in the bamboo 龍是中國書畫傳統中典型的題材。著名以墨龍入畫的畫家有宋代陳容
medium of the theme inspired by the celebrated Southern Song （活躍於1235-1258年），號所翁，福建長樂人。他擅詩文，善用水
painting Nine Dragons by the prominent poet, calligrapher and 墨，以畫龍名重一時，現藏於美國波士頓博物館的《九龍圖卷》便
artist Chen Rong (active 1235-1258), which is now preserved in the 是一例，見T.Wu著，《Tales from the Land of Dragons:1000 years of
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (accession number 17.1697), and is Chinese painting》，波士頓，1997年，頁197至201。後來多見此題
illustrated by T.Wu, Tales from the Land of Dragons: 1000 Years of 材出現在瓷器、鼻煙壺、其他畫作等，但是以竹雕為材料的例子甚為
Chinese Painting, Boston, 1997, pp.197-201. 少見，此筆筒為難得一件的上乘之作。

The Qianlong emperor recorded his personal admiration for Chen’s 此器所表現出的刀法精密細膩，線條婉轉流暢，富有豐富的層次，完
painting of the Nine Dragons hand scroll by adding an inscription and 美地體現了乾隆一朝達至頂峰的藝術成就。眾所周知，乾隆皇帝十分
several imperial seals. Apart from praising Chen Rong’s painting, he 欣賞陳容的《九龍圖卷》，除了卷上有乾隆帝的題跋及璽印，他也命
also ordered a court painter to produce a copy of the hand scroll. 宮廷畫師仿製此畫，因此本器很有可能出自宮廷工匠之手，為乾隆帝
Given the emperor’s esteem for the artist as well as the five-clawed 之用。
dragon as an imperial symbol, it is very likely that the brushpot would
have been made for the imperial court, and possibly for the personal 此一構圖也有繪於其他器物之上，如著名清代督陶官唐英（1682-
use of the emperor. 1756年）監製的墨彩龍紋筆筒便是一例，現為香港中文大學文物
館藏品，見林業強編，《臺閣佳器：暫得樓捐贈堂名款瓷器》，香
港，1993年，圖版14。

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