Page 67 - Sotheby's Part II Collection of Sir Joeseph Hotung Collection CHINESE ART , Oct. 9, 2022

This superbly carved box is characteristic of the fine specimens of
ଷЪᇰݬόdɿ͎ɹdஷ᜗රဒ९ήᎉϡဒᚂ،ӫʗ७dଷႊࠦ
early Yongle lacquer before their production was standardised under ᎉɧϢၛ׳ӫʗdᄮߕ૧ဈfႊଷဒಀێࠠdڀ໢б҅፹ໝϞ
increased government control. The top of the box is masterfully ߧdᄴϣᒻ׼dڀ໢ྠᐨdബ࢝ІνfಾێٙဒᄴɪהᎉՍٙ
carved through the thickly built-up layers of lacquer with three large ७ཱིུတϾᄳྼdਗ਼ӫʗସකʘ۶˸ͭ᜗˓ج૸ဇးߧٙ࢝ତϾ
blooms of peony and three small budding flowers, all rendered ̈f
naturalistically with overlapping petals. Together with the dense
palmatifid foliage, with some leaves slightly curled at the tips, the ࣬ኽٝΤဒኜኪ٫ʿϗᔛ࢕ҽ຾ዣձߡ˰׹ٙ޼ӺdஷཀΐᑘԨ
scene successfully conveys a sense of three-dimensionality. ࿁ˢ58΁͑ᆀ܎ᗍʚԑл࿇ִٙᎉဒЪۜdપሞϤᗳᎉՍࠬࣸ੭
Ϟ͑ᆀϋಛٙဒЪא௴Ⴁ׵ݳ؛ϋගdԈ”Ming and Pre-Ming
Lee King-tsi and Hu Shih-chang studied the list of 58 carved lacquer Lacquer in the Japanese Tea Ceremony•dOriental Art‘
pieces from the Yongle Emperor to the Ashikaga Shogun in the d՜46dᇜ໮1d2001ϋdࠫ10-20dʿ՜55dᇜ໮3d2005-6
first year of the Yongle period (1403). Given the complexity and ϋdࠫ41-47dԨࠠ̊׵ᛌ੹j׬ɓᓈᔛʕ਷ဒኜ‘d࠰ಥʕ
yearlong timeframes involved in the lacquer production process, ˖ɽኪ˖ي᎜d2010ϋdࠫ171-190fҽ຾ዣeߡ˰׹ɚɛஷཀ
they concluded that many of the Yongle-marked superlative pieces ࿁ˢݳ؛e͑ᆀᎉဒࠬࣸdႩމݳ؛ဒኜ੬ᎉ̬ࣛڀ̓dϾ͑ᆀ
must be of Hongwu date as gifts of such quality could not have ኜۆεසུɓᗳdɦܸݳ؛ϋႡʘۜd̛ضܝՍ͑ᆀϋಛdϞй
been completed within months (‘Carved Lacquer of the Hongwu ׵Ϥଷʘ̸˙ϋಛf
Period’ and ‘Further Observations on Carved Lacquer of the
Hongwu Period’, Oriental Art, vol. XLVII, no. 1, 2001, pp. 10-20, and ୚ᝈϤႊଷהᎉՍڀ̓όᅵʿࠬࣸd̙ᓙ֛Չމ͑ᆀ͉ಃʘЪf
vol. LV, no. 3, 2005-6, pp. 41-47, both reprinted in Layered Beauty. Չႊɪڀ۶ᜳਗ߰ႀd੽ўᑜܙ׳dЇᄮ್ସၛdးᘾՉʕfՉ
The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, Art Museum, Institute ဒࠦ౺ᆦΈዣd͜ɠᖢࠠdഹྼdێᆗdՈϞ׼˾Ϙৎ࡜ߎ˜ᒯ
of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong ৎ෥๞dᔛቜ૶౸™ٙՊۨतᅄfӫʗڀ໢ߎᜮdৣ˸රဒ९
Kong, 2010, pp. 171-190). Lee and Hu deduced that Hongwu period ήdၾ७ུቃ࿊Җϓᒻ׼࿁ˢdˈމΥ֝f
floral lacquerwares tended to be adorned with flowers of the Four
Seasons and were later inscribed with a Yongle mark on the right- ਞ޶ʮӷ௹ي᎜ෂ˰ɧԷᗳЧШˉʂ೹ɽٙ͑ᆀಛ࡜ߎᚂ،ӫ
hand side of the base. On actual Yongle pieces, such as the present ʗ෥ႊଷjɓ΁ɝᔛ׵؇ԯ࣬ݵߕஔ᎜dԈ ੺ဒ‘dᅃʇ
box, the main motif consists of a single flower species, and the reign ߕஔ᎜ʿ࣬ݵߕஔ᎜dΤ̚܊ʿ؇ԯd1984ϋdᇜ໮87iୋ
mark appears on the left. ɚԷމ̺ࡐᏖփᔚᔛdତɝᔛ׵ɧᖴ̹ԭݲᖵஔ௹ي᎜dᇜ໮
B60M309.a-.biୋɧԷЗ׵̨݂̏ࢗ௹ي৫dԈձΈ࡜੹j
Considering the slightly capricious, vigorous carving style, the ݂ࢗᔛဒ‘d̨̏d2008ϋdᇜ໮11dΝഹ፽ʕ͵ϞՍ܁ᅃϋ
present box is likely to have been made early in the Yongle reign. ಛɓԷd࿁ˢϤଷՉӫʗ७ۆһᜑ͛೷f
The harmoniously balanced arrangement of the blooms displays
artistic freedom that contrasts sharply with the rigidness of items
from a slightly later date. By comparison, a comparatively larger area
of the ochre-yellow ground is revealed, and the margin of the main
decoration is less clearly defined, with the edges of the petals and
leaves occasionally touching the rim border.
Three larger Yongle-marked boxes show the three-peony design
in similar layouts: one in the collection of the Nezu Institute of Fine
Arts, Tokyo, and exhibited in Chōshitsu / Carved Lacquer, The
Tokugawa Art Museum and Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, Nagoya
and Tokyo, 1984, cat. no. 87; another, formerly in the collection
of Avery Brundage and now in the Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco, accession no. B60M309.a-.b; and a third from the Qing
Court collection in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included
in Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors: Treasured Lacquerware in
the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008, cat. no. 11, together with
a Xuande-marked box of a more structured composition of peonies,
cat. no. 12.
THE PERSONAL COLLECTION OF THE LATE SIR JOSEPH HOTUNG I 133