Page 38 - Sotheby's Paris June 12, 2018 Asian Art

A partir des premières années du siècle dernier, et jusqu’aux
années 40, M. Serge Sandberg fut avec Charles Pathé un acteur
important de l’industrie du cinéma français et européen,
jusqu’en Russie. Généreux mécène très impliqué dans la vie
artistique de son temps, il fut également producteur de théâtre
et de concerts symphoniques. Sa remarquable collection
d’art asiatique comportait de nombreux objets, depuis les
époques archaïques jusqu’aux dynasties Ming et Qing, ainsi
que plusieurs meubles, dont le cabinet en zitan à décors de
dragons. Une partie de cette collection fut vendue à l’Hôtel
Drouot le 26 mars 1942 par Maître Marcel Walter, assisté de
l’expert André Portier pour l’art asiatique, mais le cabinet fut
conservé par M. Sandberg.
Portrait de Monsieur Serge Sandberg
(1879-1982)

144

ANCIENNE COLLECTION PARTICULIÈRE DE MONSIEUR Constructed with thick panels made entirely from zitan wood,
SERGE SANDBERG #1879!1982$
this large cabinet, originally the upper part of a compound
IMPORTANT CABINET EN ZITAN cabinet, has two front doors, each installed on either side with
DYNASTIE QING, ÉPOQUE QIANLONG gilt-bronze plates which are decorated with dragons amongst
clouds and waves. The doorpulls, on the other hand, are
rectangulaire, ouvrant à deux panneaux admirablement
decorated in low relief with bats and chimes. The two doors are
sculptés en plusieurs niveaux de reliefs de deux dragons à cinq deeply carved in relief with dragons writhing among scrolling
gri' es s’a' rontant pour la perle enß ammée, leur corps sinueux
clouds, all above various treasures further surrounded by
Þ nement détaillés d’écailles, le tout sur un dense fond de
waves and rugged rocks. Each door features two confronting
nuages stylisés vaporeux dessinant des ruyi, les charnières en
dragons playfully ß anking a ‘ß aming pearl’, surrounded by
bronze doré Þ nement ciselées de dragons sur fond de nuages, clouds, a motif known as er long xi zhu , two dragons playing
la ferrure centrale rectangulaire avec deux crampons décorés
with a pearl. The entire composition symbolises the emperor’s
de caractères shou stylisés et deux petites plaques mobiles
rule of the lands and oceans. Such imagery was historically
agrémentées de chauves-souris, le bois à la belle patine
popular among, and exclusive to, members of the imperial
sombre et brillante family, thus placing the present cabinet in the highest class of
102 x 104 x 55 cm, 40⅛ by 40⅞ by 21⅝ in.
Chinese furniture.
PROVENANCE Such decorative carvings usually feature large Þ ve-clawed
dragons on top and small four-clawed dragons at the bottom.
Acquired before 1942 (according to the collector’s
correspondance). This cabinet, however, features two Þ ve-clawed dragons on
Thence in the family by descent. each door. The style of the dragon and cloud carvings as
well as the dragons’ postures are characteristic of Qianlong
A rare and superbly carved zitan ‘dragon’ cabinet, Qing period dragons distinguished by their wide heads with multiple
Dynasty, Qianlong period protrusions, their paired horns, thick and dense hair over the
back of their heads, their large jaw with a short curled beard,
120 000-150 000 € noses shaped like the head of a ruyi sceptre or a lion’s nose,
1 150 000-1 430 000 HK$ 146 000-182 000 US$ their serpentine bodies with scales, and Þ ve large ferocious
claws reserved for objects and furniture at the Qianlong court.
૶৻ඤ ഓᏥථᎲᏕम७ʃᓞ
Zitan has a long history in China and appeared already in
records in the Jin and Tang dynasties. It was used as a material
Ը๕
for household objects and furniture during the Ming and Qing
ኽϽ੻׵1942ϋۃ
dynasties, but this practice gradually faded by the late-Qing
ܝ׵࢕ૄݴෂЇʦ period due to the scarcity of zitan.

36 SOTHEBY’S