Page 42 - Liesurely Life Fine Objects Christies Hong Kong May 2018

fig. 2 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing fig. 3 Sold at Christie’s London,
圖二 北京故宮博物院藏品 12 May 2017, lot 316
圖三 倫敦佳士得 2017 年 5 月 12 日 拍品 316 號

2917 Continued

Qilin is one of the most auspicious beasts in Chinese mythology, a 本拍品具有極致的創意性與精神意境，採用仿照天然木根雕的工藝技
symbol of prosperity and good fortune. The representation of the 法，捨去刻板的線條，帶出天然隨形的意趣，就材而造，以抽象方式塑
current qilin is very similar to the depiction included in Qinggong
Shoupu, Catalogue of Animals Collected in the Qing Palace (fig. 1), 造神獸形象。雙目炯炯，神情憨然，毛髮彷彿隨形飄動，姿勢凜然，意
commissioned by the Qianlong emperor in 1750 and completed in 1761 態逼真，造形生動而立體，栩栩如生，回頭麒麟的氣勢油然而生。
to establish an illustrated archive of both fictional and non-fictional
beasts, along with other archives of marine creatures, birds, as a 麒麟乃中國最具代表性、最為福氣祥瑞的遠古神獸之一。麒麟的形象隨
cultural relics project. 著朝代更迭而漸漸產生變化，本拍品的麒麟形象，與清代乾隆皇帝於乾
隆十五年（1750）下令皇家畫師耗費 11 年時間編集而成的《清宮獸譜》
The current qilin convincingly demonstrates a sense of vitality and
dynamic movement through the fluidity of its carving. The style of 中第 1 冊第 1 號的麒麟形象非常相似（圖一）。《獸譜》圖文並茂，詳
carving is closely related to a series of wood furniture much treasured 細紀錄了一百八十種不論虛幻的獸的形象，與《海錯圖》、《鳥譜》等
by the Qing court, which is illustrated in the The Complete Collection 為乾隆年間的文史工程。
of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of the Ming and Qing
Dynasties (II), pp.286-292. 本拍品的工藝與清宮藏有的天然木家具系列異曲同工，參照《故宮博物
院藏文物珍品大系：明清家具（下）》，頁 286-292。可比較北京故宮
For other naturalistic wood carvings of animals, see a small figure of
ram and a large figure of recumbent lion (fig. 2) in the collection of 博物院藏清代天然木羊和清晚期的天然木雕子母獅（圖二），本拍品在
Palace Museum, Beijing, both dated to the Qing Dynasty. Given the 精湛工藝之上，更使用了絕頂珍貴的棋楠木製，如此重量，尊貴無比，
cost and rarity of aloeswood, it is very rare to find an aloeswood carving 實為上承之作。大型棋楠作品存世極為稀少，一個十九世紀的棋楠木製
of this enormous size. Compare to an exquisitely carved aloeswood 西洋鏡，2017 年 5 月 12 日拍賣於倫敦佳士得，拍品 316 號（圖三）。
mirror stand (79 cm. high) dated to the 19th century, sold at Christie’s
London, 12th May 2017, Lot 316 (fig. 3). 烏木疊石形底座為訂造的原底座，為麒麟的氣勢錦上添花。底部的描金
The gilt inscription on the underside of the original fitted ebony 「丙」字款，為清宮廷藏底座上的款識。根據《清宮內務府造辦處活計
stand, bing, represents grade III in the grading scale of Imperial 檔》，帶款識的底座乃由皇帝下旨造辦處的工匠打樣特製，並於雍正乾
stands commissioned by the Qing Emperors. Entries showing such 隆時期有大量紀錄。北京故宮藏有與本拍品同樣描金「丙」字款紫檀松
commissions have been extensively recorded in the Imperial archives
during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. See a zitan stand dated to 竹梅紋器座，載於《故宮博物院藏器座：卷五》，頁 70，編號 17。
mid-Qing dynasty bearing the same bing-character inscription on the
underside in the collection of Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The
Collection of Stands in the Palace Museum Part V, Beijing, 2016, p.70,
no. 17.

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