Page 44 - Bonhams May 2022 Arrow Vases

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A SMALL IMITATION REALGAR GLASS The practice of arrow vase emerged from 投壺起源於軍中宴飲，兩千多年投壺規則、
WINE CUP the drinking game in the military of Zhou 玩法變化多端，然而輸者罰酒的規則一直保
Incised Qianlong four-character mark and of dynasty. The loser who threw less arrows 留下來。元代出現蒸餾酒後，酒精度數變
the period to the vase would be punished by drinking 高，飲酒一般改用小杯，而雄黃杯用於飲
With deep rounded sides rising to a flared alcohol. No matter how the roles complicated 酒，則可辟邪崇。乾隆一朝玻璃技術精進，
rim and supported on a straight foot, the or how the ritual changed through thousands 能倣多重材質，可比較一對清乾隆雄黃瓶，
glass of bright variegated tones of crimson- years, drinking alcohol as the punishment 見E.S.Rawski and J.Rawson編，《China: The
red and brown swirled together to resemble remained the same, however, the alcohol has Three Emperors 1662-1795》，倫敦，2005
the realgar mineral, the base with the four- been innovated. Since steamed liquor was 年，頁304，編號234。
character mark within a square, box. introduced to China in the Yuan dynasty by
5.1cm (2in) diam. (2). Arabians, with higher alcohol degree, the size 另見香港佳士得曾售出一件清乾隆楷書刻款
of drinking cups trended to be smaller. The 仿雄黃料酒杯，2013年5月29日，拍品編號
HKD100,000 - 120,000 present lot, with its small size, should be used 2312。
US$13,000 - 15,000 for Chinese white liquor.

清乾隆 仿雄黃料小酒杯 The realgar mineral may have been one of
陰刻「乾隆年製」楷書款 the constituents used by Daoists in their
search for the Elixir of Immortality. It was so
prized that the yellow-orange arsenic sulfide
mineral was often imitated in glass, including
vessels made for the Imperial Court during
the celebrated Qianlong reign. See a pair of
imitation realgar glass vases, Qianlong four-
character seal marks and period, illustrated
by E.S.Rawski and J.Rawson, ed., China: The
Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005,
p.304, no.234.
See an imitation realgar glass wine cup,
Qianlong four-character mark and of the
period, which was sold at Christie's Hong
Kong, 29 May 2013, lot 2312.

42 | BONHAMS