Page 180 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London
P. 180
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A SPINACH-GREEN JADE BRUSHPOT, BITONG
Mid Qing Dynasty
Of cylindrical form inset with a circular base, the lustrous stone of rich
spinach-green tone with dark and white speckles.
17cm (6 6/8in) high.
£16,000 - 20,000
CNY140,000 - 180,000
清中期 碧玉筆筒
Provenance:
Grace Wu Bruce, Hong Kong, no.AJ 171 (label)
An important European private collection
來源:
香港古董商嘉木堂,編號AJ 171(標籤)荘
歐洲重要私人收藏
The vibrant green colour of the present brushpot evokes vegetation 碧玉琢製而成,取材大度,質地堅潤,色澤莊重古樸,紋路清晰自
and infuses the composition with a feeling of peace and tranquillity. 然,包漿淳樸溫和,渾然大氣。
Jade brushpots were precious objects placed on the desk of scholars 筆筒是我國傳統文房用具之一,在各類筆筒中,材料價值最高的當屬
and high-ranking officials. 玉質筆筒。筆筒的製作需要玉料相對較大,且不能有大的綹裂和太多
雜質。因為材料珍貴,玉質筆筒較竹木或瓷筆筒等少的多,多見於皇
The term bitong was first used in the Maoshi caomu niaoshou chongyu 室貴冑之家。
shu, a 3rd-century commentary on the Shijing, a Confucian classic
by Lu Ji, who lived in the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms 「筆筒」一詞最早出現在《毛詩草木鳥獸蟲魚疏》,這一三國吳人陸
period. At this time, the bitong consisted of ‘a brush case made of 璣為《詩經》中提到的動植物進行註解的著作之中。據揚之水考證,
two bamboo segments attached together and containing a pair of 彼時所稱之「筆筒」,應指收筆所用的筆套,類秦漢時期常見的兩根
brushes’. The Chuanxin shiyong fang, a recipe book compiled in 1180, 竹管連在一起而在其中置放一對毛筆的雙連式筒套,亦有單管之製。
mentions the use of bitong as a tool to feed liquid medicine, and the 這一形制的筆筒流行時間很久,宋醫方著作《傳信適用方》記載了服
Zhixu zazu, another Song dynasty text, mentions that ‘(Wang) Xianzhi 藥時「用筆筒灌在喉中」,此處筆筒亦應指筆套。宋代《致虛雜俎》
owned a bitong named qiuzhong (‘fur cup’) made of spotted bamboo’. 記載「(王)荘獻之有斑竹筆筒名裘鐘」,則為筆罩或曰筆帽之屬。而
Yang believes that both were brush cases rather than brushpots; 作為插筆之用的筆筒,或受竹刻製品之影響,流行於明清之際,沿用
see Yang Zhishui and Guo Xuelei, ‘Bitong shitong, xiangtong’, in 至今。見揚之水與郭學雷著,〈筆筒、詩筒、香筒〉,收錄於《收藏
Shoucangjia, 2006: vol.3. 家》,2006年第3期。
The relatively ample supply of raw nephrite jade, after the Qianlong 十八世紀後期,乾隆皇帝為捍衛西北邊防,平定回部,新疆正式歸入
emperor invaded Khotan and captured the nephrite jade sources, 清中央政府的直接管轄之下,優質的白玉及碧玉玉料源源不斷貢入宮
meant that the Court’s demand for jade desk items could be fully 廷。本例製作之時,玉料豐富,品種激增,同期可見碧玉、青白玉、
satisfied. The jade brushpots produced at the time include those made 和闐白玉、黃玉等所製筆筒。
from spinach-green, pale green, Khotan-green, and yellow jade, as
well as examples made from other semi-precious stones.
For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
178 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.