Page 46 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of art

119
A FINE CARVED COCONUT-SHELL ‘CHI DRAGONS’
BOX AND COVER
Yongzheng
The circular cover exquisitely carved with three chi dragons playing
amidst floral scrolls on a cloud ground, the straight sides carved
around the exterior with two chi dragons chasing each other, the
interior black-lacquered and gilt decorated with lotus scrolls, the
similarly shaped box carved with four vignettes each of one chi dragon
crossing floral scrolls and reserved on a cloud ground, all within
profusely-carved floret diaper ground, the black-lacquered interior of
the box finely gilt with lotus and bats, all veneered in coconut shell
carved in imitation of ‘ice cracks’, the base lacquered black.
12.3cm (4 7/8in) diam. (2).

HKD250,000 - 350,000
US$32,000 - 45,000

清雍正 椰殼雕穿花螭龍紋蓋盒

Provenance:
Grogan & Company, Boston, 4 October 2009, lot 16

來源：
波士頓Grogan & Company，2009年10月4日，拍品編號16

Coconut shell, a material common in Guangdong and the far south but 盒蔗段形，木胎，胎身貼不規則幾何形椰殼片，接縫隱約可見如冰裂
rather rare in Northern China, was not a particularly familiar material 紋，蓋頂淺浮雕刻三條穿花螭龍，螭龍身如卷草，尾生蓮花，淺刻雲
to craftsmen in the Imperial Workshops in Beijing. The present box 紋為地，蓋緣刻水波紋一周，蓋壁鏟地雕兩條穿花螭龍首尾相逐，
therefore was most likely sent as tribute by officials from the south to 盒直壁，刻菱花錦地，四面委角開光，内淺浮雕一隻穿花螭龍，雲紋
the Qing court in the north. The gilt-decorated lacquer in the interior 為地，盒內盒底髹黑漆，盒內黑漆之上描金繪蝙蝠番蓮紋及折枝花草
was called yang qi (foreign lacquer) at the Qing court, and was 紋。
influenced by Japanese maki’e lacquer which was particularly favoured
by the Yongzheng emperor. 椰殼本是天南貢品，嶺南常見，非北方工匠所擅長之材料，故椰殼器
多為南方進貢至朝廷。而南方工匠所作椰殼器物，内裡多髹朱漆或者
The archives of the Imperial Workshops document the Yongzheng 嵌金屬内膽，本件椰殼盒内部黑漆描金則極可能為内務府漆作仿日
emperor’s direct involvement in artistic production: ‘On the seventeenth 本蒔繪為之，為雍正一朝之特色。雍正對日本漆器情有獨鐘，時稱洋
day of the fourth month, in the tenth year of Yongzheng’s reign [1732], 漆。造辦處史料記載：「（雍正十年）四月十七日首領薩木哈持出洋
the Chief Eunuch Samuha brought out two yang qi lacquer wrapped 漆包袱式盒二件，説宮殿監督領侍陳福傳旨：此盒樣式甚好，照樣將
boxes and the Court Supervisor Chen Fu gave the following order: 黑紅漆盒做些，畫花卉漆盒亦做些...欽此。于十一年五月初一日做得
‘The shape of this box is excellent. Some similar ones should be made 二件。」見朱家溍編，《養心殿造辦處史料輯覽：第一輯雍正》，北
in red and black lacquer, and also some painted with flowers. From the 京，2003年，頁234。此包袱漆盒北京故宮尚存，可比較其黑漆描
Emperor’. See J.J.Zhu, ed., Yangxindian zaobanchu shiliao jilan-dierji 金風格和本件頗似，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：清代漆器》，
Qianlong chao (Historical Materials Relating to the Imperial Workshop 香港，2006年，圖版106，頁147。
in Yangxing Dian: Part I Yongzheng), Beijing, 2003, p.234. The said
yang qi lacquer wrapped box is in the collection of the Beijing Palace 類似的椰殼蓋盒可比較一件北京故宮藏一清中期椰殼雕雙龍戲珠紋圓
Museum; compare the gilt decoration on the box illustrated in The 盒，蓋緣所刻螭龍紋與本件拍品之螭龍紋極似，見《故宮博物院藏文
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer 物珍品全集：竹木牙角雕刻》，香港，2002年，圖版88，頁96。
Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, p.96, pl.88.

Compare also with a coconut carved ‘double dragons’ box and cover,
mid Qing dynasty, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum-Bamboo, Wood,
Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings , Hong Kong, 2002, pl.88, p.96.

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