Page 94 - Christie's Chinese Works of Art March 24 and 25th, 2022 NYC

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
ⱷ763
A VERY RARE SILVER OCTAGONAL DISH offered prayers to Kuixing, the god of examinations, in front of the Kuixing
SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY (1127-1279) Pavilion. Another Southern Song gilt-silver dish decorated with comparable
figural scenes in relief, but of quatrilobed shape, is in the Jiangxi Provincial
The interior of the dish is decorated in repoussé with a scene of two figures
Museum. The Jiangxi Museum dish is inscribed in the center with an excerpt
at leisure and an attendant playing the qin in a courtyard flanked by pavilions.
from a poem entitled Ta Sha Xing, which describes the honored student's
The courtyard is centered by a lotus pond from which emits vapor supporting
return to his hometown after achieving the zhungyuan rank (first place). The
a writhing dragon, while a phoenix is shown descending to one side. The flat
news is delivered to his wife, who has been long waiting for him in the gazebo.
rim is decorated with leafy peony scroll on a ring-punched ground bordered by

beading along the outer edge.
Based on the Jiangxi Museum dish, it has been suggested that the scene
7 in. (17.7 cm.) wide
on the Shaowu Museum dish, and that on the present dish, may be related
thematically, and that the bowing figures may be in the act of praying to
$10,000-15,000 Kuixing for high marks on the examination. It has also been suggested that
they may represent a happy couple, the husband having already successfully
A virtually identical scene can be seen decorating a Southern Song gilt-silver passed the Imperial exam and the two living a prosperous life.
octagonal dish in the Shaowu Museum, Fujian province. According to Yu
Guoyun, a scholar of Song-dynasty history in Shanghai Normal University,
私́珍藏
the scene on the Shaowu dish depicts a student bidding goodbye to his
parents before he embarks on a journey to take the Imperial exam, after they 南宋ǎ銀́ḵ故̢圖魁星Ջ方盤

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION
762
私人珍藏
THREE RARE GOLD OFFERING COINS
NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY (AD 960-1127) 北宋 「淳化元寶」供養錢三枚
Each coin with a square aperture is cast on one side with two Buddhist 來源:
figures, and on the reverse with four characters reading Chunhua yuan bao
Galaxie Art (王炳權), 香港, 1984年
(Ingots of Chunhua). Each coin bears a number (either one yi, two er, or four si),
on the top edge.
√ in. (2.3 cm.) diam. each, cloth box (3)
$12,000-18,000
PROVENANCE:
Galaxie Art (B. K. Wong), Hong Kong, 1984.
Chunhua is the fourth nianhao (reign title) that Emperor Taizong of
Song used from 990-994 during the Northern Song dynasty. The four
characters, Chunhua yuan bao, are believed to be based on the Emperor’s
own calligraphy. It has been suggested that the Emperor commissioned
coins of this type as an offering when he visited Mount Wutai in Shandong
Province for Buddhist worshipping ceremonies. Although the identities of
the Buddhist deities on the reverse of the ‘coin’ are not documented, the
(reverse)
scene may represent “tongzi bai Guanyin”: Shancai tongzi (Child of wealth)
standing on the lotus base on the left offering prayers to Guanyin (Goddess
of compassion) seated in dhyanasana on the right.

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