Page 98 - Sotheby's Asia Week March 2024 Chinee Art

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A RARE CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER AND 明末 剔紅八吉祥紋填漆八方几
‘TIANQI’ ‘PRECIOUS EMBLEMS’ OCTAGONAL
STAND, LATE MING DYNASTY 來源：
Width 13⅛ in., 33.2 cm Roger Keverne Ltd，倫敦
PROVENANCE
Roger Keverne Ltd, London.
This superb stand is an exceptional example of late Ming
lacquer, essentially combining two Chinese lacquering
techniques, carved cinnabar lacquer (tihong) and infilled-
lacquer (tianqi), exemplifying all the admired qualities of
the extraordinary late Ming lacquer craftsmanship. The
top is carved with a complex design of the ‘Eight Buddhist
Emblems’ depicted amidst various flower sprays rendered in
a meticulous and sensitive quality. The shape of this stand is
also elegantly constructed, supported on eight cabriole legs
springing from an intricately formed lobed apron executed in
the tianqi technique with intricate flower scrolls, creating an
exuberance and complex visual effect.
Carving lacquer wares is a laborious, time-consuming process
that can stretch over years. It requires the gradual build-up
of the lacquer coating by adding and preparing thin layers of
lacquer, each of which needs to dry before it can be polished
and the next one applied, and finally the carving of the design
and the smoothing out of all irregularities. In addition, the tianqi
method consists of filling outlined areas with different-colored
lacquer, thereby defining the detailed pattern. This technique
allowed craftsmen to achieve attractive shading effects in
vibrant colors within clearly defined forms.
Late Ming lacquer stands skillfully combining both methods
are very rare, as most stands were made using only the
tianqi technique, such as one of a rectangular form, sold in
our Paris rooms, 13th November 2018, lot 26; and another
one of larger size, previously on loan to the Royal Ontario
Museum, Toronto, sold twice in these rooms, 28th and 29th
September 1989, lot 398 and lot 23rd March 2011, lot 660.
⊖ $ 60,000-80,000

192 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11410 193