Page 77 - Sotheby's Part II Collection of Sir Joeseph Hotung Collection CHINESE ART , Oct. 9, 2022
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           ʩ   ࡜         A RARE CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER
               ߎ         'BIRD AND FLOWER' TRAY,
               ߈         YUAN DYNASTY

               ڀ         of circular form, the interior carved through layers of red lacquer to the ochre ground with a pair of birds soaring with outstretched
               ᕐ         wings amidst chrysanthemum blooms wreathed in profuse foliage, the underside carved with a floral scroll, the base lacquered black,
               ௢         wood stand and Japanese wood box
                         d. 26.3 cm
               ७
                         PROVENANCE                                      Ը๕j
               ᆵ         Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th April 2001, lot 629.  ࠰ಥԳɻ੻2001ϋ4˜30˚dᇜ໮629

                         HK$ 1,500,000-2,500,000
                         US$ 192,000-319,000

                         The present tray is remarkable for its deep carving in the powerful   Ϥᆵဒᄴێ݄dᎉՍଉࢡлໝd࢝ତʩ˾ဒᎉᖵҦfུʩ˾ݴБ
                         style characteristic of the Yuan period. Boldly rendered through   ʘᕐ௢ྡࣩd˥ອϓᕐdڀගജ࠭dፓձࣀͦf
                         the deep layers of cinnabar lacquer, the tray belongs to a group of
                         lacquer wares carved with the 'two-bird' motif that gained popularity   々ࡑ෥ტυπՇ΁ی҂࡜ဒԷdኽڦމ҂ཾࢱɿ଀1279ϋᙳЇ
                         in the Yuan dynasty.                            ˚͉ʘيdԨ׵1363ϋা፽ί̅d༉Ԉߒጫgിࣸ౶€John
                                                                         Figgessd”Ming and Pre-Ming Lacquer in the Japanese Tea
                         See two similar pieces from the Engaku-ji in Kamakura, illustrated   Ceremony•d؇˙ௗନኪึค̊‘d՜37d1967-69ϋdྡ
                         in  John  Figgess,  'Ming  and  Pre-Ming  Lacquer  in  the  Japanese   و64ae64bf
                         Tea Ceremony', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol.
                         37, 1967/69, pls 64a and 64b. Believed to have been brought to   ᆵʫᕐ௢ʿኜ̮ڀ̺̓ٙ҅eᎉՍdˈՉ݊௢Յڗ᎕e୥ϻ୚
                         Kamakura by the Chinese monk Xu Ziyuan in 1279, before being   ᇞeஹ،ڀ̓dࠬࣸѩၾ෥ტυᔛଷձᆵϞ΍ஷʘஈd͟Ϥપᓙ
                         recorded in the inventory in 1363, both pieces have been suggested   ϤᆵᏐɗႡ׵ʩ˾Ϙಂf
                         to have been made in as early as the Southern Song dynasty.
                                                                         ਞϽᖾ̀ݸ௹ي᎜ᔚᔛᆵdˉʂଫɽ€31.8ʮʱd໇˜เ߱
                         The treatment of birds on the interior and the floral scroll on the   ி™ಛdᆵ̮ᎉஹ،՜ণ७d2020ϋ10˜9˚ί࠰ಥᘽబˢש
                         exterior of the present tray bears similarities with the box and dish   ̈dᇜ໮43f
                         from the Engaku-ji, including the rendering of the elongated necks
                         of the birds, the detailed incision to pick out the plumage, and the
                         carving of the floral scroll, suggesting that the current tray was
                         possibly made in the early Yuan dynasty.

                         See a comparable example but of a larger size (31.8 cm) and carved
                         on the underside with ruyi scrolls and signed Yang Mao on the base,
                         sold in these rooms, 9th October 2020, lot 43, from the collection of
                         the Kaisendo Museum.























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