Page 159 - 2019 OctoberSur Quo Wei Lee Collectim Important Chinese Art Hong Kong

This superbly carved luohan figure is rendered with an endearing 此青白玉羅漢面相慈藹，長眉佛耳，嘴角含笑，十指纖細，
expression and smile. His left hand holds a ruyi sceptre while his 左手執如意一柄，右手輕拈一束萬年青，裳衣飄逸，背繫斗
right hand carries a branch of evergreen. Heartfelt wishes for 笠，腳踏方頭鞋，神姿自然。
longevity are evident through the auspicious ruyi sceptre and
Chinese evergreen.
雖是佛門弟子，手執祥瑞之品，滿載延壽美意。如意自古已
Initially used as a scratcher, the ruyi sceptre was associated with 有，初為抓癢實用，其形又與佛教法器爪杖相近，故此關係
Buddhism. The shape of lingzhi fungus was later adapted as the 密切。杖首後更改取靈芝之形，寄語長壽如意。佛教繪畫、
head of the sceptre as a metaphor for blessings and wishes of
prolonged life. Ruyi motifs frequently appear in Buddhist drawings 造像中，常見如意之踪，例如台北故宮博物院藏元人畫〈第
and sculptures, with examples of two Yuan paintings featuring the 十六阿必達尊者〉及〈第十二畢那楂拉哈拔拉錣雜尊者〉二
twelfth and sixteenth arhats from the National Palace Museum, 軸，載於《故宮書畫圖錄》，卷5，頁325-326、333-334，
Taipei, published in Gugong shuhua tulu [Illustrated Catalog of 或清徐揚畫〈應真圖〉軸，卷13，頁325-326、339-340。
Chinese Painting in the National Palace Museum], vol. 5, pp. 325-
326, 333-334, or in Xu Yang’s paintings of arhats from the Qing 萬年青則乃常綠植物，寓意吉祥。又因其不畏風霜、堅韌耐
dynasty, vol. 13, and pp. 325-326, 339-340.
寒，明中葉肇始得文士垂青，置於案几作盆景，最宜幽室雅
Chinese evergreen is symbolic of auspiciousness because it 賞。遙想盛清當時，若獻此像予禮佛之士，順祝長生萬壽，
flourishes through the four seasons. Due to its resilient character
against adversity, evergreen was adored by literati after the 合宜不過。
mid-Ming period. Pots of evergreen were placed on tables to
cultivate a graceful interior. In the Qing dynasty, it must have 此像尺寸甚碩，卻不形粗拙，盡顯藝匠巧工，同類人物玉雕
been favourable to present a figure like this as a gift to a Buddhist 中僅見，彌足珍貴。北京故宮博物院藏兩尊羅漢玉雕，同樣
believer accompanied by good wishes for longevity. 手拈萬年青，置於胸前，可資參考，包括一尊清中葉和闐
There are two known examples of jade luohan holding evergreen 青玉像，略小，僅高18公分，載於《中國玉器全集》，河
in front of their chest, in the Palace Museum, Beijing: including a 北，2005年，編號335，以及清宮舊藏另一略大之青白玉
smaller celadon Khotan jade figure dated to the mid-Qing dynasty 羅漢像，也是左手持如意，右手執萬年青，但採端正直立之
(18 cm), illustrated in Zhongguo Yuqi Quanji [Complete Collection
of Chinese Jades], Hebei, 2005, no. 335; and a larger celadon 態，高23.7公分，載於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．玉器
jade standing figure (23.7 cm), also with a ruyi sceptre in the left （下）》，香港，1995年，圖版108。還有一英國舊藏青玉
hand and holding a sprig of evergreen on the right, illustrated in 羅漢例，僅高16.5公分，其臉相慈祥帶笑，左手托如意，右
The Complete Collections of Treasures of the Palace Museum. 手萬年青，長衣寬袖，下承染綠色牙座，近於2019年5月28
Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 108. Another example of a 日在香港邦瀚斯也拍出，編號152。
celadon jade luohan figure from a British collection (16.5 cm),
with ruyi sceptre in the left hand and evergreen in the right, was
recently sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 28th May 2019, lot 152. 另可參考尺寸接近之圓雕人物立像，如布倫戴奇舊藏壽老童
子瑞鹿像，高20.3公分，藏於三藩市亞洲美術館，曾展於
See also jade figures carved in the round of comparable sizes. 《Magic, Art and Order: Jade in Chinese Culture》，棕
A jade figure of Shoulao with a boy and a deer from the Avery
Brundage collection in the Asian Art Museum, San Francesco 櫚泉美術館，棕櫚泉，1990年，編號134。利國偉爵士舊藏
(20.3 cm), is included in Magic, Art, and Order: Jade in Chinese 也有一壽老圓雕，高22.5 公分，2018年10月3日在香港蘇富
Culture, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, 1990, cat. 比拍出，編號131。
no. 134. A large white jade ‘Shoulao and child’ group also from the
collection of Sir Quo-wei Lee (22.5 cm), was sold in these rooms,
3rd October 2018, lot 131.