Page 136 - Nov 28 Chinese Art Hong Kong

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A RARE CHENXIANG-WOOD BRUSH AND COVER and ‘thunderbolt’) sceptres were ritual objects used in Himalayan
Mid-Qing Dynasty Buddhist liturgy to symbolise the properties of both the diamond for
The slender handle expertly carved in openwork with designs of its indestructibility, and thunderbolt for its powerful force. Following
ruyi between the upper portion carved with upright plantain-leaves the Qing Empire’s expansion of its rule to Tibet in 1720, the Manchu
and beaded lappets around the baluster lower portion terminating rulers sought to strengthen their legitimacy through religious ties with
with a lotus bud, the cover similarly decorated with beaded lappets the Dalai Lama, resulting in a flourishing of Tibetan Buddhism - and
and crowned by a lotus-bud finial, the richly-grained wood of dark- Tibetan Buddhist ritual objects - at the Qing Court. Compare a yellow
chocolate brown tone, Japanese box and cover. jade pestle, Qing dynasty, of related form, illustrated in Compendium
17.6cm (6 7/8in) long. (4). of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 9 Qing Dynasty, Beijing,
2011, p.267, no.270.
HK$200,000 - 300,000
US$26,000 - 38,000 The use of precious Chenxiangmu (lignaloes), which is a rare and
fragrant wood, also serves to show that this would have been a
particularly treasured object made for a high ranking official or a
清中期 沉香木雕如意蓮瓣紋管毫筆 member of the Qing Court.

The brush, used by the literati for both writing calligraphy and painting, 筆、墨、紙、硯被稱為「文房四寶」，是中國獨特的文書用具。筆作
was considered one of the ‘four treasures of the scholarly studio’ 為主要的書寫、繪畫工具，在中國古代社會生活中具有不可缺的重要
together with ink, inkstone and paper. This fundamental tool was the 作用，以筆代耕更是文人墨客謀生手段之一。中國製筆有悠久歷史，
means by which the literati survived and was vital for their livelihoods 明清時期製筆工藝達到高峰，其製作數量及質量都超過前朝，在製
as much as the hoe or plough was to the farmer; a fact encapsulated 筆、選料、筆管質地以及裝飾工藝上都出現很大發展。
by the literati themselves when they often described their work as
‘farming with the brush’ (bi geng 筆耕). As the most important tool 木管筆大多都以貴重木料製成，以沉香木製作者更為少見。此筆裝飾
of the literati, the brush joined the ranks of ceramics, jades, bamboo 工藝特殊，以浮雕及鏤雕技法於筆管雕雕蓮瓣、蕉葉、瓔珞等紋飾，
and carved lacquer, to become works of art in their own right for 形制類似於藏傳佛教之金剛杵。清朝自1720年後開始在西藏駐軍，並
appreciation and collecting. 設置駐藏大臣以統治西藏地區，到十八世紀末清朝在西藏的權威達到
頂峰。皇帝亦通過宗教信仰以鞏固其權威，因此宮廷中出現眾多與佛
The form of the present lot, however, is extremely rare as it is not 法祭祀有關的用具，如北京故宮博物院藏一件黃玉杵，形制於此筆管
typical of the literati style of the Jiangnan area, but rather relates 類似，見《故宮博物院藏品大系：玉器編9清代玉器》，北京，2011
much closely in style to the Tibetan vajra, encapsulating the multi- 年，頁267，編號270。
cultural nature of the vast Qing empire. Vajra (Sanskrit for ‘diamond’

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