Page 59 - Chinese Works of Art and Buddhist sculpture, June 18, 2018 Galerie Zacke

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A CARVED 17 CENTURY IVORY FIGURE OF A
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RECLINING WOMAN
Ivory, sparse remains of paintwork. Rosewood base
(dating to the Qing Dynasty)
China, 17 century
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This masterly carved ivory figure displays natural patina
ranging from light honey to dark amber hues. There are 51
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remains of red paint at the shoes and collar as well as AN 18 CENTURY CARVED CORAL MANCHU HAT SPHERE FINIAL ⋩ℓᶾ䲨䍲䐂晽㶭㛅⭀ⷥ枪䎈
brown staining to hair. Depicted is a nude female in a Angel hair coral, smooth surface polish ⣑ἧ䍲䐂炻堐朊⃱㹹
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reclining posture, her head resting on her propped up left China, 18 century ᷕ⚳炻 ⋩ℓᶾ䲨
hand. Her hair is tied up in a beautiful knot with a little
flower and she wears a leaf collar as well as bangles at This delicately carved coral bead shows chrysanthemums, peonies and a 忁㝂䍲䐂枪䎈ᶲ⎗夳卲剙␴ᶨ⎒⮷圜圞⼊ㆸ㲊㴒䉨⚾㟰ˤ⽖⽖㨊⚻⼊⍲✪
the arms. Her tiny feet are tied as was customary at the little butterfly amidst a wave-like pattern. The slightly ovoid shape and 䚜搥⫼⎗ẍ䡢⭂⬫㚦䴻㗗ᶨ㝂㺧㶭⭀ⷥ枪䎈ˤ㺧㶭Ḵ⑩⭀⒉䥖ⷥᶲ㚦ἧ䓐
period. The voluptuous body and the inviting face clearly vertical channel identify it as a hat finial button, worn in the Manchu court. 䍲䐂枪䎈ˤ
mark this carving as an erotic sculpture, which were high Pure coral was used by courtiers of the second rank.
in demand in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and 斄㕤ᷕ⚳㺧㕷⭀ⷥⷥ⫸枪䎈䘬夷⭂⎗ẍ徥㹗⇘1636⸜ˤ㺧㕷Ṣ娵䇚ㅱ娚
are very hard to find nowadays. Laws for hat insignia, worn by the Manchu in China, date back to 1636. 㚜≈⭡㖻䘬⍣彐⇍䫱䳂 - 䃉婾㗗䘯⭌ㆸ⒉ˣ屜㕷怬㗗⭀⒉ˤ忁ὫㆸḮ䘯
⋩ᶫᶾ䲨尉䈁墠⤛再⁷ The Manchu felt very strongly about having an easily visible means of ⭌␴ᷕ⚳屜㕷䶐个叿墅夷⭂ˤ⬫⮯䴙㱣昶䳂␴㓧⹄⭀⒉⽆㘖忂㮹䛦⋨↮攳
This fine ivory carving was possibly made in one of 尉䈁炻⯨悐㚱ἁ⼑炻剙㡐㛐⸽⹏炷ㅱ䇚㶭ẋ炸 identification – whether it be for the Imperial family or, Chinese nobles Ἦˤ⭀ⷥ塓娵䁢㗗䫱䳂⽥䪈炻㍍ᶳἮ䘬⸦ᾳᶾ䲨塷㭷ᶨ㛅䘯ⷅ悥⮵⭀ⷥ⇞
the ivory workshops in Zhangzhou, Fujian province, ᷕ⚳炻 ⋩ᶫᶾ䲨 and officials. This prompted a dress regulation that codified dress for the ⹎忚埴Ḯᾖ妪ˤ⇘Ḯ1727⸜炻晵㬋䘯ⷅ㍐↢Ḯ“㻊Ṣ枪䎈”炻ḇ塓䧙䁢ⷥ
where carvings of small figures of deities, immortals or 忁ẞ晽⇣䱦伶䘬尉䈁晽⁷⣑䃞䘬⎌戭刚炻⽆㶉囄⇘㶙䏍䍨刚ˤ 朳⫸␴柀⫸ᶲ怬怢䔁䲭刚䘬 Imperial family and Chinese aristocrats. It distinguished the ruling elite ⫸䎫ˤṾᾹ⶚塓䓐Ἦ嬀⇍⑩䳂ˤ䘯ⷅ㇜叿䲭䴚丑㈕㚚䘬㕳憽炻侴屜㕷␴⭀
auspicious images were in vogue and in great demand by 㺮⼑炻㡽刚䘬柕檖ˤ 塓㍷丒䘬㗗ᶨỵ幢叿䘬墠橼⤛⿏炻⤡䘬ⶎㇳ㐸叿柕悐ˤ檖檣ᶲ㚱ᶨ㛝 and government from the general population. Hats were believed to be ⒉㇜叿㚜䯉╖䘬枪䎈ˤ㟡㒂⁛䴙炻㚱ḅᾳ⭀借炻㭷ᾳ⑩䳂悥ẍᶵ⎴䘬枪䎈
both domestic and foreign traders. ⮷剙炻⤡㇜叿叱⫸柀炻ㇳ兪ᶲ㇜叿ㇳ揚炻⮷儛㊱䄏恋㗪䘬丷嵛佺ㄋ朆ⷠ⮷ⶏˤṢỻ⼊⾩晽 䏊 more conspicuous than rank badges and for the next century hat laws 柷刚⋨↮ˤ
䱦㸃炻㭼ἳ⋷宫炻乧㜉Ề伶炻ᷘ㺉⚮㵎炻⃭↮⯽䣢Ḯ䍘ẋ᷄㕡⤛⿏䘬Ṣỻ伶ˤ㖶㛓㶭⇅忁 㧋 would amend from emperor to emperor. By 1727, the Yongzheng Emperor
Shape: Figural shape. The rosewood base is carved in the 䘬尉䈁晽⁷暨㯪慷⼰⣏炻䎦⛐⼰暋㈦⇘ˤ 忁䧖䱦䶣䘬墠⤛尉䈁⎗傥㗗Ἦ冒䤷⺢㻛ⶆ尉䈁ⶍ introduced “Mandarin buttons” also known as hat spheres. They were to ⚻⼊炻䔍栗㨊⚻⼊
shape of a Ming-style Chinese daybed ⛲ˤ㻛ⶆ䘬尉䈁䤆⁷ㆾ⎱䤍⚾⁷䘬晽⇣桐 㟤䚃埴炻᷎⍿⇘⚳ℏ⢾屧㖻⓮䘬⣏慷暨㯪ˤ be worn on less formal occasions and were easier to identify than former ⯢⮠烉檀2,5 cm炻攟 1,8 cm
Dimensions: 13,5 cm (length of the sculpture alone), 4 晐⼊侴晽 hat insignia. The emperor wore a twisted knob of red silk cord while ⑩䚠列⤥炻⊭㻧䳘兑炻ᶨ㡅⣑䃞塪䲳
cm (height of the sculpture alone) 剙㡐㛐⸽⹏䁢㖶ẋ㖍㥣⼊ noblemen and officials wore a simpler hat sphere. There were nine official ⤏⛘⇑䥩Ṣ㓞啷
Condition: Excellent condition with natural patina ⯢⮠烉13,5 (晽⁷攟)炻4 cm (晽⁷檀) ranks according to tradition, each distinguished by a different color. 㔯䌣⍫侫: ᶨ䭯斄㕤㺧㶭⭀ⷥ⑩䳂䘬㔯䪈夳烉Amanda Girgis, ˪ᷕ⚳⭀ⷥ
Provenance: Austrian Private collection ⑩䚠烉⑩䚠㤝⤥炻冒䃞⊭㻧 枪䎈˫炷Chinese Hat Spheres炸炻 䘯⭞⬱⣏䔍⌂䈑棐, 2014⸜4㚰
⤏⛘⇑䥩Ṣ㓞啷 Shape: Round, slightly ovoid shape
Literature comparison: For a carved ivory figure of a 㔯䌣⍫侫: ᶨẞ㖶㛓㶭⇅尉䈁晽岊⢓⛸⁷⸦᷶⎗ẍ㕟⭂Ἦ冒ᶨᾳⶍ⛲⎗夳喯⭴㭼˪㯜㜦䞛 Dimensions: 2,5 cm (height), 1,8 cm (length) Estimate EUR 300,-
seated sage of comparable quality, dating to the same Ⱉ㇧啷䍵䍑⮰⟜ ₺晭㶭喲炷ᶱ炸˫炻2013⸜4㚰8㖍炻楁㷗炻126嘇㉵⑩ Condition: Good condition with fine hand patina, one natural fissure Starting price EUR 150,-
period, and most certainly originating from the same Provenance: Austrian Private collection
workshop see Sotheby’s, WATER, PINE AND STONE
RETREAT COLLECTION, SCHOLARLY ART III, 08 APRIL Estimate EUR 2.000,- Literature comparison: For an interesting article on Manchu hat finial ranks
2013, HONG KONG, lot 126. Starting price EUR 1.000,- see: Amanda Girgis, “Chinese Hat Spheres”, Royal Ontario Museum, April
2014.

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