Page 146 - Nov 29 2017 HK Important Chinese Ceramics

PROPERTY FROM THE RAYMOND HUNG COLLECTION
2955
A BURLWOOD CANTED SEAL CHEST 清十七 / 十八世紀 癭木盝頂官皮箱
QING DYNASTY, 17TH-18TH CENTURY
The domed top opens to reveal a single tray, and the single panel 展覽
doors open to reveal the interior fitted with drawers. The whole is 三藩市亞洲藝術博物館，《Essence of Style: Chinese Furniture
set into a base with a shaped apron. of the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties》，1998 年 1 月 17 日 -
18 Ω in. (47. cm.) high, 16 Ω in. (41.9 cm.) wide, 9月6日
13 Ω in. (34.3 cm.) deep
著錄
HK$600,000-800,000 US$78,000-100,000 安思遠，尼古拉斯．葛瑞德雷，柯安霓合著，《洪氏所藏木
EXHIBITED 器百圖》，上冊，紐約，1996 年，頁 218-219，編號 88
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Essence of Style: Chinese 安思遠著，《Essence of Style: Chinese Furniture of the Late Ming
Furniture of the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, 17 January - and Early Qing Dynasties》，三藩市亞洲藝術博物館，1998 年，
6 September 1998 頁 92-93，31 號
LITERATURE
R. Hatfield Ellsworth, N. Grindley and Anita Christy, Chinese
Furniture: One Hundred Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung
Collection, vol. 1, New York, 1996, pp. 218-219, no. 88
R. Hatfield Ellsworth, Essence of Style: Chinese Furniture of the
Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco, 1998, pp. 92-93, pl. 31
Burlwoods were commonly used for scholar’s objects and were chosen
for their richly textured surface. The simple and restrained form of the
brush pot, boxes, and seal chests, were the ideal objects to showcase
the highly patterned and variegated colours inherent to burl. The
present example is notable for its unusually large size and the its use
of material. Large sections of burl are difficult to source, as the tightly
knotted grain is susceptible to splits and breaks, making this elegant
seal chest even more rare.
Compare a smaller zitan seal chest (36 cm. high) of similar proportions
and also with a cover, illustrated in Feast by a Wine Table Reclining on a
Couch: The Dr. S.Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture III, Hong
Kong, 2007, pp. 192-3, pl. 70. See, also, a zitan seal chest with canted
top and metal fittings, formerly in the Lai Family Collection, sold at
Christie’s New York, 17 September 2015, lot 936.

144