Page 68 - Sotheby's Hong Kong Important Chinese Works of Art, Oct. 9, 2022

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PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 明萬曆
A 'QIANJIN' AND 'TIANQI' LACQUER LOBED 戧金填漆羲之愛鵝圖梅式盤
DISH, 《大明萬曆年製》款
MARK AND PERIOD OF WANLI
15.3 cm

HK$ 150,000-260,000
US$ 19,200-33,200

This lobed dish is executed in qiangjin and tianqi (‘gold- necks of geese, and his fondness for them is reflected in the
etched’ and ‘filled-in’) technique, which originated in the Song famous story where he copied the Daoist classic Daodejing
dynasty and matured in the Xuande period when it became for a priest in exchange for a white goose.
an imperial craft. It remained extremely rare, however, until An almost identical Wanli mark and period dish is included
the late Ming period, and was more frequently produced for in 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Oriental Ceramic Society
the court only in the Jiajing and Wanli reigns, as in the case of of Hong Kong and the Art Gallery, The Chinese University of
the present example. Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. 82, where the author
This idyllic scene illustrates the celebrated calligrapher Wang discusses the development of late Ming reign marks on
Xizhi (AD 303-361) leisurely sitting under a tree when an lacquerware and suggests that early Wanli pieces are often
attendant presents a goose to him. Wang found inspiration inscribed with six-character marks as seen on the present
for his calligraphy in natural forms, including the graceful example (p. 158).

Mark

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