Page 25 - Imperial Sale Chinese Works of Art June 1 2016 HK

Treasure from the 皇六子遺珍 清宗室瑰寶
Imperial Court –
Legacy of Prince Kung 時丙申年三月十八日
羅隨祖草於京西寓舍
Luo Suizu
West Beijing
The Eighteenth day of the third month of Bingshen year

Aisin Gioro Yixin (1833-1898) was a legendary figure in the history 愛新覺羅．奕訢在清代275年的歷史中，是一位傳奇性的
of Qing Dynasty. He had bestowed upon him the title ‘Prince of the 重要人物。他被道光帝遺詔封「親王」，是咸豐、同治、
First Rank’ by the Daoguang Emperor in a posthumous edict, and was 光緒三朝的依國重臣，權傾朝野；也是「辛酉政變」的
one of the most important statesmen during the Xianfeng, Tongzhi 直接策劃者，被授予「議政王」之銜；他臨危受命簽訂
and Guangxu periods. Directly involved in instigating the Xinyou 《北京條 約》，爭得「同治中興」；同時 他 力薦 清 代 外
Coup in 1861, he was appointed Prince-Regent afterwards. He was 交變革，推動了「洋務運動」，被「清流派」譏為「鬼子
compelled to sign the Convention of Peking, which set the scene for 六」。而道光時期他與皇四子奕詝爭儲的故事，則最為
an era later known as the ‘Tongzhi Restoration’. Personally urging 人 津 津 樂 道，不 論 是清宮 檔 案 或 野史 筆 記，故 紙 叢中
the Qing Empire to reform its foreign diplomacy, he launched the 早已被好事者翻爛。而今，北海南岸的恭王府，遊人如
Self-Strengthening Movement, but was criticised by the conservative 織，成為很少保存完整面貌的王府之一。
Qing-liu school and ridiculed as ‘Devil Number Six’ (for Prince Kung
was the sixth son of the Daoguang Emperor). His contention for the 這樣一位重要的歷史人物，關乎他傳奇一生的一件重
throne against his half-brother Yizhu (who became the Xianfeng 要歷史遺珍，在將近150年後現身藝術品市場，這就是
Emperor) was a tale which fascinated people, who have painstakingly 一對田黃石印章「皇六子和碩恭親王」、「御賜為國藩
combed both the official Qing archive and apocryphal accounts for 輔」。這一對印章，有3.3公分見方，高約近9公分，分重
riveting details of palace intrigue. Today, as one of the few preserved 208及205克。其保存完好，載傳有序，所具有的學術、
imperial mansions, the Prince Kung Mansion on the south bank of 藝術及重要性價值，不言而喻。
Beihai receives throngs of tourists every day.
這一對田黃石印章，剖自同一塊帶皮的「田石」籽料，
A re-discovered treasure of this pivotal historical figure that recalls 其中一塊尚存試切下刀的痕跡，石質極佳，油潤光潔，
his extraordinary life has appeared on the art market after nearly 150 金燦奪目，其中「紅筋」及「蘿蔔絲紋」清晰可見。在過
years: Prince Kung’s ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ tianhuang seals.The pair of 去，極佳的石材，如田黃、雞血、紅白芙蓉之類，只有破
seals are 1¼ in. (3.3 cm.) square and nearly 9 cm high, each weighing 方雕鈕開成印章石料，才能獲取高估值。此印石料只做
just over 200 grams. They are very well preserved, have an illustrious 了儘量少的切方規正，做薄意雕的一面，皮色微存。兩
provenance and are unquestionably important in terms of their 石印面的一側上角，也因籽料的關係，略缺而保有斑駁
academic, artistic and historic value. 的石表。現代作品田黃多留皮，以表示這是「田石」，而
過去貴石在「留意不留皮」，就是儘量將皮去乾淨，只留
These tianhuang seals have been cut from a single rough boulder 其「意表」。這樣精心而藝術、恰到好處的處理，非雕琢
which would have been covered by a layer of outer skin, and signs of 高手、藝術巨匠不可能為之。
the preliminary cleaving marks can be seen on one of the seals. The
stone is of excellent quality, lustrous and unctuous with red fissures
and characteristic “radish veining” clearly visible. In the old days,
fine stones such as tianhuang, chicken-blood, hongfurong or baifurong
only commanded high prices if they could be cut into seals of square
section. A portion of each of the current seals has been fashioned
into a square section. Each finial has been decorated in ‘surface-relief ’
carving and still retains the natural colour pigmentation. One of the
corners of each seal face is canted owing to the natural formation of
the material, where the original outer skin can be seen.While modern
tianhuang carvings are often presented with their skin intact to indicate
that the boulder has been collected from the field, in the past stones
were prized for ‘indication without retention’ – that is the removal of
most of the skin, leaving only a subtle pointer to denote its presence.
The thoughtful and artistic treatment of the material seen on these
seals can only have been done by an experienced master carver.

23