Page 49 - 2019 September 13th Christie's New York Important Chinese Works of Art

Salmony’s suggestion that dragon head fttings adorned “movable equipment” may be illustrated by a folding armchair with gilded
dragon-head terminals that belonged to the Qing-dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1736–1795), a type popular mainly due to its portability.
(Fig. 7) He was also seen on a painting seated in a folding chair with dragon-head terminals on the armrests, enjoying snow in the imperial
garden. That this trend predated the Qing period may be inferred from the design of Ming-dynasty wood dressing cabinets in the shape
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of miniature “throne-chairs,” as on an example in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (acc. no. 94.8, 96.12.1). Evidence closer in date to the
Junkunc jade dragon head might be found in the calligraphy handscroll of the Classics of Piety by the Southern Song Emperor Gaozong
(1127–1162) in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, with illustrations attributed to the 12th-century painter Ma Hezhi (active 1130-1170).
One scene in this handscroll shows the emperor seated in a high-back chair with dragon-head terminals; the shafts (yuan) extending from
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his horse-drawn carriage were also ftted with dragon head ornaments. (Fig. 8) Dragon head fttings are also seen at both ends of the shafts
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for a carriage on an early 11th century. Liao wall painting in Tomb 1 at Zhelimu coalition, Kulun Banner in Inner Mongolia.
Capping carriage shafts with imposing dragon head fttings began during the Bronze Age and persisted into the Qing period. The majority
of these fttings would have been made of metal or lacquered wood. The most prestigious would have been lavishly gilded or inlaid
with gold, silver, and glass, such as a magnifcent example in the Freer Gallery of Art. (Fig. 9) A long handscroll in the Palace Museum,
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Beijing painted to commemorate the Kangxi emperor’s 60th birthday shows rows of carriages belonging to dignitaries all decorated with
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sculptural fnials.
至於薩氏指龍首乃是「活動裝置」飾件之說，可參考一件清乾 惟以玉雕成同類構件，除文獻記錄之外，現今只有蔣氏及曲
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隆皇帝 (公元1736至1795年在位) 的御用交椅 (圖7)，其出頭扶 江池出土的例子。「玉輅最尊」之說，早見於晉代典故 ； 而
手飾以金漆龍首，此類交椅曾因便於攜帶而風行一時。在一 《舊唐書》(修撰於公元941至945年) 進一步記錄皇帝車輿有
幅御花園賞雪圖中，乾隆所坐交椅的扶手出頭處亦飾龍首。 「五輅」，分別為「玉輅、金輅、象輅、革輅、木輅」，並詳加區
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其實，入清之前這一式樣早已存在，可參見明尼阿波利斯藝術 分如下：
中心藏明代「寶座」式木妝櫃的設計 (館藏號94.8, 96.12.1)。至 玉輅，青質，以玉飾諸末。重輿，左青龍，右白虎，金鳳
於與蔣氏玉龍年代較近的例子，或可參考台北國立故宮博物 翅……。祭祀、納後則供之。
院藏《孝經圖冊》，其書法為宋高宗 (公元1127至1162年在位) 金輅，赤質，以金飾諸末，餘與玉輅同，駕赤駵。鄉射、祀
御筆，繪圖傳為十二世紀畫家馬和之 (活躍於公元1130至1170 還、飲至則供之。
年) 所作。長卷其中一景可見皇帝寶座高背出頭處以龍首為 象輅，黃質，以象飾諸末，餘與玉輅同，駕黃駵，行道則
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飾，其馬車轅末亦飾龍首 (圖8)。 內蒙古庫倫旗哲里木盟一 供之。
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號遼墓壁畫中馬車二轅末端亦配龍首飾 。 革輅，白質，輓之以革，餘與玉輅同，駕白駱，巡狩、臨兵
事則供之。
車轅末飾以威猛霸氣的龍首濫觴於青銅時代，並沿用至清。
木輅，黒質，漆之，餘與玉輅同，駕黑馬駵，畋獵則供之。
但一般構件以金屬或木胎髹漆者居多；其中又以鎏金或錯金
上文提到的五色 (即青、赤、黃、白、黑)，證明各材質與五行
銀、嵌玻璃者尤為珍貴，美國華盛頓弗利爾美術館藏有一例
之說有關，五色分別代表五個方位，東方謂之青，而青龍則代
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(圖9)。 北京故宮博物院藏《康熙六旬萬壽慶典圖卷》，畫中
表皇帝。
王孫貴冑雲集，其輿輦無不襯以圓雕轅端飾。
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Fig. 3 A greyish-green jade block from Hejiacun, Xi’an, Tang Fig. 4 A dark greenish jade eagle head from Daming Palace, Tang
dynasty (AD 618-907). Shaanxi History Museum Collection. dynasty (AD 618-907). Xi’an Museum Collection. Image courtesy
Image courtesy of Chongqing Publishing Group. Photographer of Chongqing Publishing Group. Photographer unknown.
unknown.
圖四 唐 青玉鷹首 發現於大明宮遺址 西安博物院藏
圖三 唐 璞玉 發現於西安何家村窖藏 陝西歷史博物館藏
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