Page 378 - Bonhams Chinese Art London May 2013
P. 378
fig.1 A painted enamel abstinence plaque, Qing Dy-
nasty; image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.
344 † ≈ Small abstinence plaques, inscribed with the characters zhai jie in
Mandarin on one side and in Manchu on the other side, were a physical
An Imperial gold precious-stone-inlaid painted enamel sign of the ceremonial requirement for abstinence before worship of
‘abstinence’ plaque ancestors, the Heavens or other deities. The required abstinence involved
Qianlong refraining from eating meat and fragrant herbs such as onions, chives
The gold and enamel plaque expertly decorated with the characters and garlic, consuming alcohol, and from any intimate acts, and usually
Zhai jie on one side and Manchu script on the other, the characters lasted for three days.
in the centre surrounded by a pair of confronted chilong depicted in
shades of famille rose with wide-gaping mouths and bodies shaped as Devotional in origin, the small plaque would have functioned as a private
square scrolls and inlaid with a sapphire above and below, the plaque aide-memoire to the wearer to abstain from earthly pleasures, but
surrounded by a delicate reticulated border containing a single flower became in itself a thing of beauty to be admired publicly and to enhance
at the top and bottom coloured with bright kingfisher blue between the status of the wearer. The present lot is particularly remarkable for its
sapphires and rubies alternating with fire scrolls and cloud scrolls also delicate craftsmanship, closely related to the style of Qing jewellery and
inlaid with blue kingfisher feathers, all suspended on a tassel with a headdresses, with the fine filigree surround inset with precious stones,
large pearl above and below. and the carefully inlaid kingfisher feathers to provide a flash of glistening
The plaque including the gilt setting 8cm (3 1/8in) high blue as the wearer moves. Compare the gilt filigree inlaid with pearls
£20,000 - 30,000 and small sections of kingfisher feather on two small reticulated pouches
HK$240,000 - 350,000 CNY190,000 - 280,000 in the collections of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Jewelry
and Accessories of the Royal Consorts of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Hong
清乾隆 御製金鏤空嵌百寶畫琺瑯齋戒牌 Kong, 1992, nos. 311 and 312.
For a related painted enamel abstinence plaque, painted with bats and
cloud scrolls of a very similar quality to the present lot, but without the
filigree and precious stone mount, see the Compendium of Collections in
the Palace Museum: Enamels 5, Beijing, 2011, no.262 (see fig.1 above).
374 | Bonhams
