Page 36 - Bonhams Hong Kong Fine Chinese Works of Art December 2 2021

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A RARE IMPERIAL GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE ‘CHILONG’ Robert de Semallé (1849-1936) served in the French Embassy in
SCROLL WEIGHT Beijing as a secretary after a competitive examination. During his time
Qianlong four-character mark and of the period in Beijing from 1880 to 1884, he collected numerous Chinese works
Well cast a chi-phoenix with five smaller chi-dragons climbing on her of art and wrote a book entitled Four Years in Peking in which he
body, the surface with liberal slashes of gold, the bronze patinated to recounted his missions in southern China and Vietnam.
a rich golden-brown colour, the surface with liberal splashes of gold,
near the phoenix tail incised with four-character mark reading Qianlong Robert de Semallé (1849-1936) 於1880年至1884年擔任法國駐北京
nianzhi. 大使館秘書，其間收藏大量中國藝術品并著有《北京四年記》一書，詳
12cm (4 3/4in) long. 細記述了他在中國南部和越南的諸多外交工作和生活見聞。

HKD200,000 - 300,000 This rare scroll-weight based on its relatively small size and the flat
US$26,000 - 39,000 body was probably part of a set of desk accessories that were made
for travelling and carried in a stationery box or duobao he (treasure
清乾隆 灑金銅螭鳳教子紙鎮 box). Compare with the small cloisonné enamel scroll-weights in
陰刻「乾隆年製」楷書款 a purple lacquer stationery box, Qianlong, in the Palace Museum,
Beijing, which is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of
Provenance: the Palace Museum: Small Refined Articles of the Study, Shanghai,
Robert de Semallé (1849-1936), France 2009, pl.6.

來源: 主體作螭鳳一隻，身上攀附五隻小型螭龍，寓意蒼鳳教子，局部灑金，
法國Robert de Semallé（1849-1936）舊藏 鳳尾處陰刻「乾隆年製」，銅質精實，鑄造精彩。

此器身形扁平，或屬於宮廷多寶盒或文具盒所盛成套小型文具之一。
可參考北京故宮藏一件清乾隆紫漆描金雙鶴紋文具盒中之小型掐絲
琺瑯紙鎮，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系：文玩》，上海，2009年，編
號6。

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