Page 146 - Sotheby's Arts of Asia Paris, June 16, 2022

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PROPERTY FROM A FRENCH FAMILY COLLECTION, 清乾隆 紫檀框嵌雞翅木及黃楊木雕山
BRITTANY 水樓閣圖掛屏
A FINELY CARVED JICHIMU AND 來源 :
BOXWOOD INLAID, ZITAN-FRAMED 瓦訥市拍賣場，Ruellan拍賣行，2002年5月18日，
‘LANDSCAPE’ PANEL 編號235
QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD
depicting a vernacular mountainous landscape
composed of steep rocks from which pine
trees, paulownias and weeping willows grow,
the landscape animated by pagodas, palaces
and bridges, the background treated in a subtle
gradation going from deep blue, to white and
then to ochre-green, the back of the panel
lacquered in black, the zitan frame sculpted
with a frieze of ruyi
102.7 x 70.9 cm, 40⅜ in. by 27⅞ in.

PROVENANCE
Hôtel des ventes de Vannes, Etude Ruellan, 18th
May 2002, lot 235.
Important panneau impérial en bois de buis et
jichimu sculptés et incrustés dans un cadre en
zitan, dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong
◉ 60 000-80 000€

Hanging screens either carved from wood or The companion panel to this panel sold in these
inlaid in various materials became popular rooms, 11th December 2020, lot 90.
pieces of furniture in the early Qing dynasty. Compare also related composite wood inlaid
Often displayed in pairs or in sets, these panels panels preserved in the imperial summer
adorned many halls and rooms in the private retreat in Chengde as well as several other
quarters of the Forbidden City or preserved in related panels with a landscape preserved in the
the Imperial summer retreat in Chengde where Palace Museum, Beijing. For instance, accession
several great examples of these landscape no. 00210623. See also two table screens inlaid
decorative panels are preserved. Conceived as mainly in zitan, also in the Palace Museum,
highly engaging three-dimensional paintings, accession no. 00209206 and no. 00209215;
hanging screens began to be produced in the and a much larger throne screen illustrated
Kangxi reign, but peaked in popularity during in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the
the Qianlong period, when they were made Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing
in a variety of media. The most sophisticated Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 201.
examples were made in the Zaobanchu
(Imperial Palace Workshop), where skilled 掛屏嵌飾紫檀等浮雕，秀石蒼松，層次分明，靜
artisan often collaborated to create the most 中帶動，精緻入微，足見匠心獨運。嵌寶掛屏，
innovative works of art for the imperial court. 有見以各式材質製者，浮雕立體，栩栩如生，
The frame of finely carved zitan, the most 康熙始見，乾隆盛行，大多一雙或成套而造，
valued timber available to wood carvers and 紫禁城內廳堂房閣時有見之，當中又以造辦處
furniture makers, makes this panel particularly 御製為佳。
special. Zitan was the favoured timber of the 紫檀材稀，極為珍罕，此屏大量採之，尤顯其
Ming and Qing court, and its long growth period 貴。紫檀因其質地絲滑如玉，紋絡縝密，光澤含
and limited availability made it especially 蓄，深受明清宮廷所喜，但生長週期漫長，是以
valuable. Its silky texture and fine dense grain 可用之材有限。紫檀久置色深，黝黑泛紫，藝匠
made it ideal for intricate carving as it allowed 利用其色澤沉穩，交代遠山疊巒，與天藍色地，
craftsmen to successfully capture texture, 或黃楊木孤舟小橋、亭台樓閣的對比鮮明。
evident here in the rendering of distant hills and 相對紅木，以紫檀嵌飾的掛屏極為罕見。參考
rocks. The subtle and deep lustre of the wood 北京故宮藏嵌紅木掛屏（故 00210623），另可
and its characteristic chestnut colour, which 比較該院藏兩面嵌紫檀插屏（故 00209206、故
turns purplish-black after prolonged exposure 00209215），或一座尺寸碩大的屏風，收錄在《
to air, was fully exploited on this panel through 故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．明清家具》，香
its contrast with the lighter boxwood and 港，2002，圖版201。
coloured background.

144 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/PF2207 145