Page 147 - Christie's Leisurely Life May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

PROPERTY FROM THE WATER, PINE AND STONE RETREAT COLLECTION
3012

A SET OF FIVE IMPERIAL INK CAKES IN A ᪺̗㡳 ྽⽗ौ༇ᐸ㟰だ㢤㚚ગۣዠ㕺ྑᮀ㹪♄⯰↥
FITTED LACQUER ‘DRAGON’ BOX AND COVER Ǘ̗㡳ໞ⽗ǘ᜷ᕋګᢎ
QIANLONG MOULDED FOUR-CHARACTER MARKS AND OF THE
PERIOD (1736-1795) ᇙㅳಳݬՆ㢰卿ݥ㛑⫫㬷ߴಃ㞖Գ㪏ᇙ㯪㉼卿ݯԋ୨㢰ڬ㬷
㪈ᙔǸԳ㪏ჺㅳǹᥓᝧ᪪卿औӬڬߎߣᝧǸᙔ᳉㨌ಳǹǮǸᙔ
The set comprises five ink cakes of various shapes, including: a
ᴹ㨌ಳǹǮǸᙔᵒ㨌ಳǹǮǸᙔᰥ㨌ಳǹ卿Ӭ㬷᧘ࣇ՘झ᧊
musical chime, moulded on one narrow side with the inscription
Wensu ge mo ‘Origin of Culture Pavilion ink’; a halved handscroll, 㨌எǯԋ㧿஋ᆨಳӬ㬷ԋ㧿ᝧಃ㞖Ǹᇙㅳǹ❨ᝧ᪪卿औӬ㬷
inscribed Wenjin ge mo ‘Cultural Heritage Pavilion ink’; an oval, ࣇ㇛ᰑ㦈ࣿࢦՀ⊂⫅⡠㱈ǯ㜩ࣥㅛ㿳ᶜ⏁ǯ⏁⸌ս㞖⡚ᶜ⥾
inscribed Wenyuan ge mo ‘Source of Culture Pavilion ink’; and a ⯯‣㴛䂆ᐦⅸஎǯ
fan, inscribed Wenjin ge mo ‘Traces of Culture Pavilion ink’, each
ϝᬝ
moulded on one side with pictorial depiction of the respective
pavilions noted, the other side with gilt dedicatory poems and 㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚
moulded on another narrow side with the reign mark Qianlong ⇱㿃ࣿⴃᜊࢷⅧ⻦
nianzhi ‘made in the Qianlong period’; together with a circular ink 㲞ᳰ⼖༛ᬘ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚
cake inscribed in the centre in gilt with the characters yuzhi ‘by ᭢៏⒢ྒྷᏑⅧ⻦
Imperial command’ and moulded on the reverse with a western
clock encircled by animals of the Chinese zodiac. The set is ᫉ഩᇙಳヿ→⎏卿ᛓᘘ㏛Ƕ୨ᄣݥᝧǷ⎏୨ᄣᙔ㨌ǯԳ㪏ჺ㧿卿
contained within a black lacquer box, the cover painted in gold ងᅡউ⡕ᚭἃ㲛卿⢑⥫⤔㫀ഌ௛ऐᝧǶ୨ᄣݥᝧǷ卿Ꮀᝧᇌᅤ
and red lacquer depicting a ferocious five-clawed dragon in pursuit 㙁ࢶ࢈Ӯᄠᝧ㨌㏛⻦卿ಳӳᏒᝧ⎏ᙔ᳉㨌Ǯᙔᴹ㨌Ǯᙔᵒ㨌Ǯ
of a flaming peral amidst flames and cloud scrolls, the interior is ᙔᰥ㨌卿࣊ἃ࢈୨㨌ǯ࢈՗ᘢ༈ᝳӬഩӬ᧙⎏୨ᄣᙔ㨌㉼㫀㢶
lined with brocade underneath Imperial yellow silk. ಳ卿ऱ᧙Ն㢰卿ዂᏒ㜩࢑ຽӶӬ᧙卿ἃ⡵㿳ᶜ⏁卿⏁⸌ᝧǸᇙ
Lacquer box:13 ¡ x 11 ¬ in. (34.6 x 29.6 cm.), box
ㅳ୨ᄣᙔ㨌㉼ಳǹ卿ⶬ㢙ᙻᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦ᙔ⁒Ⅷ৅ݥ㫀ǶᙔᏑ
HK$500,000-700,000 US$65,000-90,000 ୨༾厁✖ಳǷ卿㲞ᳰ卿 ჺ卿எ‸ ⽚卻ވˏ卼ǯ

PROVENANCE ՔᝳݯձԳ㪏ᇙಳࣿᶜ࢑׾ຽ卿ज㏱ࣻ⩠卿ࡺᑐԳ㪏Ӳࢦჺᇙ
Sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 16 January 1989, lot 344 ㅳᣃⱤஎ㉼ಳӳ߇Ӭഩݨ㢰卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑ
The Mary and George Bloch Collection ᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚厎Ӭഩ⻦࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴卿ⶬ㢙ᙻǶԋஇ
Sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 23 October 2005, lot 11 ᙔᏑ୨༾ݥ㫀厍ಳǷ卿✄ ݺ卿࢈՗卿 ჺ卿 㮰卿⤔⽚
The inscriptions and depictions found on the current set of ǯ
Imperial ink cakes suggest they represent ‘The Four Literary
Pavilions’. During the Qianlong reign, under the leadership of
scholar-official Ji Xiaolan, the compilation of Siku Quanshu (The
Imperial Manuscript Library) which includes all major Chinese
classics, was completed. Seven pavilions were constructed
to house copies of the Siku Qianshu. The current ink cakes
represent four of these important pavilions.
There is an identical set of ink cakes in the Palace Museum
Collection, also in its original box similarly lined with yellow
silk, but of black lacquer with a title inlaid with mother-of-
pearl, illustrated in The Four Treasures of the Study – Inksticks
and Writing Brushes, The Complete Collection of Treasures of
the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2005, no. 99 (fig. 1). For other
examples of imperial ink cake sets in their original boxes, refer
to one set, dated to Qianlong thirtieth year, sold at Christie’s
Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3223; and another set
from the Qing Court Collection in the Beijing Palace Museum,
illustrated in Zhongguo wenfang sibao quanji (1): Mo, vol.1,
Beijing, 2007 , p. 164, no. 167.

fig. 1 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
எӬ ࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅

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