Page 49 - 2019 OctoberSur Quo Wei Lee Collectim Important Chinese Art Hong Kong

This charming box is delicately carved with
本蓋盒瑩白可人，蓋面淺雕麥穗叢中一對鵪鶉，
an auspicious motif of two quail among millet 寓意吉祥。雙鳥靈動翻飛，麥穗隨風搖擺，畫面
sprays. The frozen movement of the two birds, 右方素淨留白，安和靜逸。
the swaying millet sprays and the undecorated
background, successfully capture a sense of 紋飾為傳統花鳥畫佈局，此畫風最早可追溯至五
quiet stillness. 代時期。花鳥畫獨立成科，在宋代發展興盛，多
The composition follows in the tradition of 出自宮廷文人畫師之手。宋徽宗趙佶（1101-25
‘flower-and-bird’ paintings that can be traced 年在位）善鑑藏，雅好翰墨，尤工花鳥。後來宋
back to as early as the Five Dynasties period 室南渡，定都今浙江杭州，史稱南宋，花鳥畫依
(906-60 AD). A distinctive painting genre from 然蓬勃一時。本品雕刻呈不對稱構圖，景物偏安
the Song dynasty (960-1279) onwards, flower- 左下，得南宋花鳥畫神韻。
and-bird paintings were typically created by
academy painters working for the court and 本品的尺寸和圖案並不常見。對照一較小的喜
were a favourite subject of the great imperial
鵲石榴蓋盒，倫敦大英博物館藏，載於羅森，
connoisseur, collector and amateur painter, Zhao
《Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the
Ji, the Huizong Emperor (r. 1101-25 AD) himself.
Qing》，倫敦，1995年，圖版29:11，可能為
This genre continued to develop after the court
Geoffrey C. Hughes舊藏，原售於紐約佳士得
moved to Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, and
1991年11月27日，編號191。另有一桃樹蓋盒，
thereby established the Southern Song dynasty
(1127-1279). The asymmetrical composition 售於紐約蘇富比2005年3月31日至4月1日，編號
of the design, with the majority of pictorial 77。另見北京故宮博物院藏歲歲平安花鳥扁瓶，
elements on the lower left corner of the cover, is 載於《中國玉器全集》，卷6，石家莊，1993
reminiscent of flower-and-bird paintings of this 年，圖版217。再有一例藏於倫敦維多利亞與
period. 艾伯特博物館，見 Ming Wilson，《Chinese
Boxes of this size and carved with this motif are Jades》，倫敦，2004年，圖版50。
unusual. Compare a smaller box decorated with
magpies perched on a pomegranate branch, 如此圓形蓋盒多用作香盒，旁邊擺放香爐、香瓶
in the British Museum, London, illustrated in 各一尊，合稱爐瓶三事。北京故宮博物院珍藏兩
Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic 組玉爐瓶，其中香盒圖案與本品不同，見《故
to the Qing, London, 1995, pl. 29:11, possibly 宮博物院藏品大系・玉器編》，卷10：清，北
the same box from the collection of Geoffrey 京，2011年，圖版112及113。
C. Hughes, sold at Christie’s New York, 27th
November 1991, lot 191; and another carved with
a prunus branch, sold in our New York rooms,
31st March / 1st April 2005, lot 77. See also a
flattened jade vase, carved on the body with this
motif, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated
in Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete collection of
Chinese jades], vol. 6, Shijiazhuang, 1993, pl. 217;
and another in the Victoria and Albert Museum,
London, is published in Ming Wilson, Chinese
Jades, London, 2004, pl. 50.
Boxes of this circular form were used for holding
incense, and often displayed together with
an incense burner and a small vase. Two jade
garniture sets of this type, but the boxes carved
on the cover with different motifs, in the Palace
Museum, Beijing, are illustrated in Compendium
of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade,
vol. 10: Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pls 112 and
113.