Page 136 - Christies Alsdorf Collection Part 1 Sept 24 2020 NYC

崇聖御寶 - 詹姆斯及瑪麗蓮 ·阿爾斯多夫珍藏

819

A RARE CELADON-GLAZED CONCH-FORM WASHER 清乾隆 粉青釉螺形洗 四字篆書款
CHINA, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG FOUR-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE 海螺式，通體施粉青釉，底部見支釘痕五顆，質樸自然，氣
BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)
韻生動。
Molded in the form of a conch shell and covered overall with a pale bluish-green glaze,
來源:
the seal mark on the base encircled by five spur marks
詹姆斯及瑪麗蓮．阿爾斯多夫珍藏，芝加哥，於1990年前入藏。
4º in. (10.8 cm.) long
$20,000-30,000
早自金代，滿族人便以海螺吹出哨音，作為行軍用之號角。
在佛教文化中，海螺象徵佛法音聞四方，傳遍眾生，意象豐
PROVENANCE:
富，地位神聖，為備受敬崇的八吉祥圖案之一。清代帝皇俱
The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, acquired prior to 1990.
篤信佛教，海螺更是宮廷重要供器。是故海螺亦作寶螺、法
螺。
The conch was used by the Manchu clan for military purposes from the time of the
Jin dynasty (1115-1234), when it was blown as a signal to troops to advance or to halt. 故宮佛寺內供放海螺，用於法會集眾禮佛，亦可以之盛載聖
However, the conch shell is also an important emblem in Buddhism, symbolizing the 水，用途廣泛。乾隆皇帝篤信藏傳佛教，因此海螺不僅為神
voice of the Buddha and the transmission of his teachings, and by the Qing dynasty, the 聖法器，更是皇權象徵。西藏布達拉宮藏一寶螺，由乾隆皇
conch had become significant in religious rituals. 帝賜贈達賴喇嘛，極為珍貴，曾在上海博物館展出，詳見
《雪域藏珍: 西藏文物精華》，上海，2001年，編號56。
Conches were displayed in the Buddhist temples inside the Forbidden City, for use
not only as musical instruments but also as containers for holy water. The Qianlong 海螺盤旋曲折，形態奇特，要模塑其狀，絶非易事。作為帝
Emperor had a particular devotion to Tibetan Buddhism, and their presence attest 皇喜愛的吉祥聖物，海螺遂成匠師靈感來源，推陳出新，創
to the strong association of the conch as a symbol of both sacred ritual and imperial
製雅器，材質不拘一格，有玉製、掐絲琺瑯，也有瓷製。陳
power. See, for example, a conch shell from the Potala Palace Collection, catalogued
玉階先生舊藏一乾隆粉青釉海螺式水丞與本品甚似，見香港
as a “trumpet” and bestowed as a gift upon the Dalai Lama by the Qianlong Emperor,
佳士得，2013年5月29日，拍品編號1910。元代螺形瓷器一例
which was included in the catalogue for the exhibition Treasures from Snow Mountains,
載於J. T. Peralta著《Kayamanan—Pottery and Ceramics from
Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2001, no. 56.
the Arturo de Santos Collection》，馬尼拉，1982年，頁 112，
The fascination with the symbolism of the conch led to its imitation in other materials, 編號 49。
such as jade, cloisonné and porcelain, and its complex shape would have been particularly
challenging to model. A similar vessel from the collection of Y. C. Chen was sold at 尚有另一近似例收錄於《Exhibition of Chinese Arts》，盧芹
Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 May 2013, lot 1910. For earlier, Yuan dynasty examples 齋，紐約，1941年11月1日—1942年4月30日，編號 789。
of porcelain conch-form vessels, with underglaze-blue or underglaze-red decoration,
see J. T. Peralta, Kayamanan. Pottery and Ceramics from the Arturo de Santos Collection,
Manila, 1982, p. 112. no. 49.

A very similar or possibly the same conch-form water receptacle is illustrated in the
catalogue, Exhibition of Chinese Arts, C. T. Loo & Co., New York, 1 November 1941-
30 April 1942, no. 789.

134 PART I