Page 111 - Important Chinese Art Sothebys March 2019

tianjin for currency by emperor puyi, known related to the empress Dowager. as soon the way the shou medallions on the present
as the Last emperor’ and ‘was returned to the as her son the tongzhi emperor came to cup are depicted on a silver ground evokes the
palace museum in 1951’, according to Secret the throne, she became actively involved decoration of a particular group of porcelains
World of the Forbidden City. Splendors from as a patron of court art. herself a keen Cixi had commissioned for the imperial wedding
China’s Imperial Palace, Beijing, 2000, p. 50. painter and calligrapher, she had many of her son, the tongzhi emperor. It concerns
works commissioned from the court artists a small category of wares within the so-called
In combination with jewel inlays, as on the for personal use or for gift giving. Cultural Dayazhai (‘abode of Great refinement’)
present piece, filigree was very fashionable patronage was for her a way to establish porcelains decorated with Wanshou wujiang
during the tongzhi (1862-74) and Guangxu
(1875-1908) periods. however, it was mostly authority and power, and exercising firm control (‘boundless longevity), medallions touched
applied to personal adornments such as of the imperial workshops was considered with gilt, between keyfret borders, painted
part of it. Cixi was artistically productive not
on a variously colored ground. Compare, for
jewelry or headdresses and rarely used for the only within the palace walls, but also, at the example, a pair of yellow cups and saucers
decoration of vessels. Indeed, metal vessels
with filigree are scarce and the present cup is imperial kilns. she had porcelain specially with this decoration and a changchun tongqing
one of the exceptions. With its particularly finely commissioned according to her personal (‘eternal spring and everlasting harmony’)
four-character mark, illustrated in ronald W.
tastes and had a penchant for multiple-color
executed filigree work, it is an outstanding schemes and decorative patterns inspired Longsdorf, “the tongzhi Imperial Wedding
example of this technique and its application to
luxury objects in the late Qing period. by the embroidered designs of her clothing. porcelain”, Chinese Ceramics. Selected articles
auspicious symbols and motifs of longevity from Orientations 1982-2003, hong Kong,
the cup is also one of the many artworks were among her favorites. 2004, pp. 364-373, fig. 25.

天潢御禮：光緒寶盃

本盃華貴精緻，矚目耀眼，細看之下，更 器卷》，北京，2004年，圖版298-300（圖 治十七年，即同治帝大婚之年。據述，溥
見雍容秀麗，所嵌寶石，名貴稀珍。本 一）。此金葫蘆底部帶「廉陞足金」款， 儀為求現款售賣此器予天津銀行，1951年
品造工精美，巧奪天工，善用多種金工 瓶身帶「丙申重陽皇太后賜臣榮祿」款， 歸還予故宮博物院，見《Secret World of
技法，材質珍貴，紋飾絕美，極有可能為 時值榮祿六十壽辰，升兵部尚書、協辦大 the Forbidden City. Splendors from China’s
宮廷御作所製御賜之禮。如本品飾工精絕 學士。底部「廉」字亦缺左撇「丿」，故 Imperial Palace》，北京，2000年，頁50。
者，現存應無其他作例可比。 此兩器應有緊密關連，由此可見均與慈禧
太后有關。 與慈禧太后相關之藝術品甚多，本品即屬
黃金、白銀、紅寶三色，豐麗奪目，創思 其一。同治登位後，慈禧開始關注宮廷工
盡見。以白銀地襯托鎏金壽字紋，更見明 榮祿乃滿清重臣，位高權重，為慈禧太 藝。慈禧本人喜愛書畫揮毫，下令宮廷藝
豔，盃身及盃耳作纍絲紋飾，製工繁縟， 后取得軍權而得寵，於義和團時期擔當 匠製作珍器無數，或供自用，或作贈禮，
鑲嵌紅寶，對比鮮明，巧奪天工。 要職。為感榮祿忠誠，慈禧允榮祿之女 廣揚文化以固其位。慈禧於紫禁城內外下
瓜爾佳氏為醇親王載灃之妻，後生宣統 令製作大量工藝品，按照個人品味製作御
纍絲技藝於唐代引入中土，將金銀加熱拉 帝溥儀。 瓷。慈禧喜愛色彩紛呈之器，並照衣物刺
成粗幼不一之細絲，盛於明朝，復興於 繡紋飾構思工藝紋飾，寓意吉祥多壽者，
清。本品纍絲嵌寶並用，此技流行於同治 本盃無相似例可比，唯可參考數件御器。 得其青睞尤深。
及光緒年間，極考藝匠造詣，成本高昂。 本品盃耳獨特，作鏤空壽字，其寓意可比
比各式朝廷珠寶，纍絲作器更顯皇家氣 一套金鏨花嵌珍珠杯盤，杯兩側作「萬壽 本品銀地團壽紋，令人聯想起慈禧太后為
派，多數用於飾物或冠飾，鮮見於器具紋 無疆」字，頂部嵌珍珠。據描述，該盃為 獨子同治大婚下令燒製之一組瓷器。概屬
飾。本品實屬罕例，製工精細入微，珍 皇帝御用酒具，供天子於壽辰品嚐佳釀， 大雅齋瓷之一類，飾萬壽無疆紋飾，鎏金
稀難得。 圖見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：宮廷 開光，環飾回紋，色地多樣，製作數量甚
珍寶》，香港，2004年，圖版216。另比 少。比較一對黃彩盃及小盤例，飾上述
本品盃底鏨「廉陞」二字款，甚為罕見。 一例，器型相同，據描述為祭器，夔龍 紋飾及「永慶長春」四字款，圖載 Ronald
廉陞，舊指官員經考察而提升。廉，通 耳，口沿回紋飾邊相近，盅下附盤，盤中 W. Longsdorf，《Chinese Ceramics. Selected
覝，察視也。本品廉字少左邊一撇「丿」 心鑄蓮瓣紋托，前述出處，圖版221。再 articles from Orientations 1982-2003》，香
，寫法異常，令本品更為珍罕。唯可比較 比一小茶盌例，風格及歷史與本品相關， 港，2004年，頁364-373，圖25。
一例，榮祿 （1836-1903年）墓出土金葫 帶相同團壽紋，並帶囍字紋，近足處回紋
蘆，現藏於北京首都博物館，圖見《金銀 飾邊及花葉紋相近，根據年款，可斷代同

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