Page 187 - Bonhams Hong Kong The Skinner Moon Flasks

145
A FINE CARVED BAMBOO-ROOT ‘LINGZHI’ CUP
18th century
Deftly carved as a large hollowed lingzhi fungus
issuing three delicate bamboo branches, on an
openwork gnarled branch issuing further fifteen
smaller lingzhi fungi in high relief, the bamboo of
varying shades of light and darker brown tone,
fitted box.
16.8cm (6 5/8in) high (2).

HK$350,000 - 450,000
US$45,000 - 58,000

十八世紀 竹根雕靈芝杯

Provenance:
An important Asian private collection

來源：
重要亞洲私人收藏

The fungus or lingzhi (靈芝) is a symbol of longevity
for its medicinal properties, while the bamboo or zhu,
(竹) is a homophone for ‘expressing good wishes’ or
zhu (祝). Together they form the auspicious saying
‘birthday wishes’ or ‘wishing you longevity’, zhushou
(祝壽).

Bamboo carvers utilised the wood to create a variety
of auspicious flora such as pine, finger citron, gourd,
lotus and bitter melon. However, carvings as the
present lot in the form of a lingzhi are rare, possibly
due to the natural flared form of the fungi, which is
less suitable to the naturally cylindrical shape of the
bamboo.

See a carved bamboo-root ‘lotus’ cup, early Qing
dynasty, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei,
illustrated in Jiangxin Yu Xiangong: Ming Qing Diaoke
Zhan (Xiangya Xijiao Pian), Taipei, 2009, pp.53-56,
no.8. Similarly-shaped lingzhi vessels were also
produced in other media such as jade; compare two
such jade vases of a large lingzhi issuing smaller fungi
(and in the first example also pine), Qing dynasty,
illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the
Palace Museum: Jade 8 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011,
pls.171-172.

杯利用竹地下莖雕成，圓雕如意形花杯及靈芝杯架，
靈芝蜿蜒盤繞，自然成形，杯口花瓣外翻，杯內鏤雕
兩隻青竹，具有「靈仙祝壽」之意，杯口及杯內地作
如意形，整器結合圓雕、浮雕及鏤雕工藝，且器形較
大，為竹根雕大件難得一器。

嘉定竹雕在清代康熙、雍正、乾隆三朝進入全盛期，
此時的竹根圓雕器尤為多樣，大多為模仿實物之「象
生」雕刻。雖然這類圓雕件大多在形制上保留有功能
性設計，實際僅供案台賞玩，藝術性高。此時期的文
人竹雕是對文人風雅生活中相關器物的雅化及昇華。

清宮所藏竹根圓雕之例，見台北故宮博物院藏一件清
早期三松款竹根雕荷葉式水洗，著錄於《匠心與仙
工：明清雕刻展（象牙犀角篇）》，台北，2009年，
頁53-56，編號8。此式靈芝杯亦見玉雕者，見北京故
宮博物院清宮舊藏兩例，著錄於《故宮博物院藏品大
系：玉器編8》，北京，2011年，頁215及216，編號
171及172，玉質靈芝杯應該被作為花插所用。