Page 79 - Bonhams Scholars Art and Instruments Hong Kong December 2, 2021

The ‘Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove’ was a group of 3rd-century 全身黑髹，長方形檯面起擋水, 嵌錢紋錦地一周，錦地內開光嵌飾連枝
scholars who were disappointed with the political situation and 卷花紋，面心以螺鈿細片嵌竹林七賢雅集圖，竹林之中有高士二人捉棋
rejected official entitlements, and often gathered in a bamboo grove 二人圍觀，二童子在侍，右邊有一高士與童子攜琴前驅，左邊竹林掩映
to drink wine, to play qin and to discuss and compose literature. The 樓台一角，樓台住上飾有童子擎蓮紋樣，樓前二高士展卷觀畫，高束腰，
theme was widely adopted by later artists as the subject matter for 四柱嵌花卉，四面開光，各內嵌雙獅、雙鹿及雙馬，四周牙板以菱花紋錦
paintings, carvings, porcelain, with variations of some characters 地，四面開光飾綬帶鳥及喜鵲戲於海棠及梅花之間，三彎足底部捲成如
in different times, but remaining the basic composition of seven 意雲頭形，底面亦髹黑漆，漆面漫發冰裂紋。
gentlemen and in a bamboo grove.
竹林七賢的典故最早出現在劉義慶（403-444）的《世說新語》之《任誕》
Compare with a related black lacquered mother-of-pearl inlaid display 篇：「陳留阮籍，譙國嵇康，河內山濤，三人年皆相比，康年少亞之。預
stand, Yuan Dynasty, in the Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, Tokyo, which is 此契者：沛國劉伶，陳留阮咸，河內向秀，琅邪王戎。七人常集于竹林之
illustrated in The Colors and Forms of Song and Yuan China: Featuring 下，肆意酣暢，故世謂『竹林七賢』」。目前可見最早的圖像記錄則是上
Lacquerwares, Ceramics, and Metalwares, Tokyo, 2004, pl.126. 世紀六十年代南京西善橋出土的六朝墓磚壁畫《竹林七賢與榮啟期》，
見張安治等編，《中國美術全集 繪畫編 1 原始社會至南 北朝繪畫》，北
京，1986 年，頁144。後世多以此典入詩入畫，竹木牙雕金石瓷玉皆有
用此作為裝飾者。

此桌所用螺鈿薄而細，再以刀陰刻紋飾細節，線條板塊細膩流暢。可與
之比較者參考日本根津美術館藏一件元代黑漆嵌螺鈿炕桌，桌面紋飾
為十八學士圖，與本件有異曲同工之妙，見《宋元の美—伝来の漆器を
中心に》，東京，2004年，圖版126。