Page 120 - Nov 28 Chinese Art Hong Kong

Qianlong marks and period; image courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
台北國立故宮博物院藏

The present pair of iron-red reading lamps is extremely rare and no 書燈分段燒造，大、中、小三層圓盤以中柱相串，分別是燈盞托盤，
other Imperial Daoguang reading lamps of such type appear to be 中層蠟盤和底層托盤。外壁以釉上礬紅裝飾，頂盤以簡單花瓣點綴。
recorded. The smaller, more intimate, size and form of the pair of 中盤折沿飾纏枝蓮紋，內心飾三朵纏枝蓮，並以描金壽字紋相間。底
lamps is similar to that of Qianlong-period ones, which are recorded to 層托盤亦飾對應的纏枝蓮紋大小兩圈，邊沿外壁則飾迴紋一周。中柱
have been especially made for use in the zhuzhai or Imperial reading 上柱繪連珠、卷草、蝙蝠，下柱繪仰覆蓮瓣、忍冬、朵花紋飾、近底
room and referred to as shudeng, reading lamps, rather than la tai 托處再以描金線勾勒，紋飾超過十餘層，紋樣繁縟，工藝考究。底部
or ‘wax lamp’. It is therefore very likely that the present candlesticks 飾綠松石釉，並以礬紅書「大清道光年製」篆書款。
or ‘reading lamps’ as they should be called, were likewise specially
commissioned for the use by the Daoguang Emperor in his Imperial 以礬紅為飾之書燈，傳世品中極為稀少，道光時期同式之例，目前尚
reading room or study. 未所見有其他著錄。此對書燈器形及紋飾繼承乾隆時期唐英奉旨督造
御題詩青花瓷燈，造型雖與五供之燭台相似，但用途截然不同，為清
Compare a blue and white pricket candlestick of similar size (13.5cm), 代宮廷文房器具，置於書齋作陳設之用。
Qianlong mark and period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei,
illustrated in Blue and White Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty: Book II, Hong 參看台北國立故宮博物院藏一件清乾隆青花御題詩番蓮書燈（13.5厘
Kong, 1968, p.66, pls.23-23B; and another in the Nanjing Museum, 米高），著錄於《故宮藏瓷：青花瓷二》，香港，1968年，頁66，
illustrated in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the 圖版23/23B；南京博物館亦藏乾隆青花一例，見《宮廷珍藏中國清
Chinse Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p.310; for a pair of famille rose 代官窯瓷器》，上海，2003年，頁310；另見台北故宮藏清乾隆磁胎
sgraffiato ruby-ground candlesticks, Qianlong marks and period, 1744, 洋彩書燈一對，著錄於廖寶秀主編，《華麗彩瓷：乾隆洋彩》，台
also made for use as reading lamps, in the National Palace Museum, 北，2008年，頁96-96，編號24。
Taipei, see Liao Pao Show, Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the
Ch’ien-Lung Reign, Taipei, 2008, pp.96-98, no.24. 另見張宗憲先生舊藏嘉慶一例，著錄於Rosemary Scott，《雲海閣藏
瓷》，倫敦，1993年，頁214-125，編號102。
For an unmarked pair dated to the Jiaqing period, see R.Scott, An
Exhibition of Important Chinese Porcelains from the Robert Chang
Collection, London, 1993, pp.214-215, no.102.

118 | BONHAMS