Page 208 - Bonhams May 16, 2019 London Asian Art

The Property of a Lady 女士藏品
Lots 235 - 236
235
A VERY RARE AVENTURINE GLASS CARVING OF
ZHANG QIAN ON A RAFT
18th/19th century
Well carved as a raft hollowed from a gnarled tree trunk,
ferrying a seated figure at the centre holding a book in one
hand, leaning against three piles of books wrapped in cloth,
the glass of brilliant sparkling brown tone, wood stand.
22.6cm (9in) long (2).
£8,000 - 12,000
CNY70,000 - 110,000
十八/十九世紀 金星玻璃雕仙人乘槎擺件

Provenance: a distinguished European private collection,
acquired by the grandparents of the present owner, and thence
by descent

來源：顯赫歐洲私人收藏，由現藏家祖父母獲得，並由其家
族繼承

Aventurine glass was mainly carved as scholarly objects in
the Qing Court during the Qianlong reign. This can be seen
in a number of extant examples in the Qing Court Collection,
illustrated in Classics of the Forbidden City: Scholar’s
Paraphernalia, Beijing, 2009, nos.104-105, 196, and 238;
and by E.S.Rawski and J.Rawson, eds., China: The Three
Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005, no.299.

236
A VERY RARE QUARTZ CARVING OF THE HEHE ERXIAN
235 ON A ‘DRAGON’ BOAT
Qing Dynasty
The boat modelled in the form of a scaly dragon with the
powerful head as the prow and the upturned bushy tail as
the stern, the hull depicted with Hehe Erxian, one boy holding
a box and the other holding a lotus stalk, the third boy in a
kneeling position propelling the boat with an oar, each with a
jovial expression, all above swirling waves on the underside,
wood stand. 16.7cm (6 1/2in) long (2).
£8,000 - 12,000
CNY70,000 - 110,000

清 晶石雕仙童龍舟船形擺件

Provenance:
A distinguished European private collection, acquired by the
grandparents of the present owner and thence by descent

來源：
顯赫歐洲私人收藏，由現藏家祖父母獲得並由其家族繼承

The Hehe Erxian, known as the Two Immortals of Harmony and
Unity, were often represented carrying a lotus and a box. The
lotus (he 荷) is a homophone for the words for togetherness
(he 合) and harmony (he 和). The Dragon Boat Festival
traditionally occurs near the summer solstice, commemorating
fealty and filial duty. A boat race is held during the Festival as a
re-enactment of a legendary event that happened in Chinese
history when people in boats searched for the drowned body
of the patriotic statesman Qu Yuan (c.343-277 BC). The race
is held annually on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar
calendar to commemorate Qu’s death, and a loud noise of
drums and paddles splashing on water is made to ward evil
spirits away. Food is thrown into the water as an offering to
distract the fish from eating his body. See a jade dragon boat,
late 18th/ early 19th century, of similar size, which was sold at
Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3748.
236

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
206 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.