AN EXTREMELY RARE AND IMPORTANT CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER EMBELLISHED FAMILLE ROSE VASE
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HK$5,000,000 - HK$7,000,000
• ($647,117 - $905,963)

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Sale 2811
The Imperial Sale Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
31 May 2010
Hong Kong Buy Catalog

AN EXTREMELY RARE AND IMPORTANT CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER EMBELLISHED FAMILLE ROSE VASE
JIAQING SIX-CHARACTER SEALMARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1796-1820)

The globular body decorated with the large gnarled branches of a flowing pomegranate tree heavily laden with fruit, above a ruyi-form band enclosing classic lotus scroll against a yellow ground, the foot with a scrolling floral band, and below a band of pendent ruyi heads enclosing florets against a yellow ground at the shoulder, the neck covered in red lacquer and similarly carved with ruyi and classic lotus scroll and flanked by a pair of openwork C-shaped handles in gilt, the interior of the neck and the base surrounding the iron-red reign mark in turquoise enamel
10 in. (25.3 cm.) high

清嘉慶 粉彩嵌剔紅榴開百子圖雙銅耳瓶 六字篆書款

瓶撇口，束頸，球形腹，圈足。口至頸部銅胎，飾剔紅蓮紋，頸兩側對稱飾銅耳。腹部白地粉彩繪石榴樹，枝葉舒展，花開嬌艷，果實纍纍，露出漿果；頸肩處環飾如意雲頭，近足處繪意雲頭和朵花紋一周，足牆飾雛菊紋。底施松石綠釉，紅彩書「大清嘉慶年製」篆書款。

此器紋飾豐富獨特，設計新穎，製作精細，為嘉慶器中之精品。 古人稱石榴「千房同膜，千子如一」，視之為吉祥物，多子多福的象徵。

此器2007年12月7日於巴黎佳士得拍賣，拍品175號。
繼往開來：嘉慶粉彩嵌剔紅榴開百子瓶
蘇玫瑰 – 國際亞洲藝術部學術總監

此器品相卓絕，並糅合了爐火純青的釉上畫琺瑯及剔紅工藝。瓶身精繪花滿枝頭、果實累累的石榴樹及悄然綻放的牡丹，其色皓白如雪，與艷紅的石榴構成鮮明的對比。牡丹和石榴分別寄寓了榮華富貴、兒孫滿堂的美好願望，而肩脛的畫琺瑯如意雲頭則象徵「萬事如意」。剔紅紋飾底部精雕回紋，其上的如意雲頭大小相間，佈局與肩脛兩道紋飾相互呼應。雕漆部分連如意雲頭內的紋飾俱細意摹仿，可謂苦心孤詣。剔紅部分的朱漆亦與琺瑯彩 (尤其是石榴花的紅彩) 交相輝映。瓷器加漆素來備受推崇，但其數量卻如鳳毛麟角，這是因為在陶瓷器表施漆極為困難，不僅會令成本飆升，連製作時間也會大為增加。由於每層漆料極薄，而漆層要有一定的厚度方能雕琢如本拍品般的多層紋飾，故其工序極為耗時。瓷漆結合的作品少之又少，加上極易破損，所以完好無缺的傳世品屈指可數。

早於唐代，匠師已用漆藝裝飾貴重陶瓷。陝西省西安市法門寺地宮開啟後，考古學家終可得睹越窰青瓷之極品 — 「秘色瓷」的真貌，出土的地宮物賬碑 (公元874年) 亦羅列了各式秘色瓷器物。該地宮是唐懿宗 (公元860至873年) 和唐僖宗 (公元874至888年) 禮佛之地，出土的秘色越窰器應是皇室向法門寺釋迦牟尼真身舍利供奉的寶物，物賬碑對此記之甚詳。此外，兩件出土的上乘秘色窰瓷盌亦讓人讚嘆不已，其外壁均飾黑漆錯金銀圖紋，請參閱《法門寺考古發掘報告》卷二圖版CXCVII：1-2 (北京：2007)。由此可見，珍品瓷器髹漆錯金的工藝很可能始於唐代。

現存最早的白瓷髹漆藝術品之一是北京藝術博物館藏元代阿彌佗佛坐像。這尊造型優美的佛像曾於紐約佳士得2000年《Treasures from Ancient Beijing》專題展中亮相 (展品7)，並選載於圖錄封面。此佛衣袍髹漆，漆面紋飾描金，外觀華美端凝。在同類傳世品中，漆飾保存完好者極罕，後來者惟有清代良匠曾銳意將此工藝發揚光大。

在康熙皇帝大力推動之下，瓷器加漆的工藝再度興起，但這類傳世品寥寥可數，有一部分飾以黑漆嵌螺鈿。其中一例康熙筆筒於2004年6月8日經倫敦佳士得拍出 (拍品465號)，並於2010年3月25日紐約佳士得「普孟斐文房清玩珍藏」專拍中再度拍出 (拍品953號)。以是次拍賣的銅耳瓶而言，其漆層厚度足以雕琢多層紋飾，相形之下更為珍罕。另一例是北京故宮博物院藏康熙大型花觚，其紅黑相間的漆層細雕如意紋及壽字，風格接近較為常見的木胎或布胎剔犀作品，圖見《故宫博物院藏文物珍品全集46：清漆器》編號3 (香港：2006)。另外，Edward F. Strange所著《Chinese Lacquer》(倫敦：1926) 圖版XXI亦載錄了一件清乾隆 (公元1736至1795年) 剔紅瓷瓶。於2010年3月26日，紐約佳士得亦售出一件清道光 (公元1821至1850年) 畫琺瑯瓷瓶 (拍品1449號)，其瓶頸亦飾以剔紅圖案。

時至清代，能工巧匠開始嘗試製作其他胎質加漆的工藝品，白鑞髹漆便是一例，就此可參考Mrs. Walter Sedgwick舊藏康熙白鑞胎加漆嵌螺鈿茶壺，圖見R. Soame Jenyns及William Watson所著《Chinese Art - Gold, Silver, Later Bronze, Cloisonné, Cantonese Enamel, Lacquer, Furniture, Wood》修訂版圖版49 (牛津：1980)。是次春拍亦囊括了一件彌足珍貴的乾隆包漆玉器 (拍品1913號)。但相比之下，瓷胎雕漆無疑難度最大，如本銅耳瓶般在厚漆上滿雕紋飾者誠屬難得一見的重器。

I confirm that I have read this Important Notice and agree to its terms.

THE PROPERTY OF AN IMPORTANT AMERICAN PRIVATE COLLECTOR

Previously sold at Christie's Paris, 7 December 2007, lot 175

NOVELTY AND DEXTERITY - RE-INTERPRETATION OF TECHNIQUES
ROSEMARY SCOTT - INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC DIRECTOR, ASIAN ART

This exceptional vase combines well-painted overglaze enamel decoration with skilfully carved red lacquer. The body of the vase is richly painted with blossoming and fruiting pomegranate trees and blossoming peonies, whose white blooms contrast very effectively with the red flowers of the pomegranate. These plants combine to offer wishes for riches and honours and many sons to the recipient of the vase. The enamelled ruyi bands around the shoulder and base of the vase also suggest a hope for 'everything as you wish'. The alternating large and small ruyi in the painted enamel bands are mirrored in the band around the lower part of the lacquer, just above the finely carved squared-spiral band. The lacquer carver has even gone so far as to mirror the interior decoration of each ruyi head. The colour of the vermillion lacquer also complements the enamels, especially the red used for the pomegranate flowers. The use of lacquer on porcelain has traditionally been much admired, but is very rare, since the application of the lacquer to the surface of the porcelain requires great skill and would have added considerably not only to the original cost of the item so adorned, but also to the time required to make it. As lacquer can only be applied in very thin layers, it would have taken a considerable amount of time to build up sufficient thickness to allow the multi-layered carving on the current vase. It is also rather fragile, and it is likely that of the few examples of this type made, even fewer have survived into the present day.

As early as the Tang dynasty lacquer was applied to valuable ceramics. When the so-called 'underground palace' beneath the pagoda of the Famen Temple near Xi'an in Shaanxi province was opened, archaeologists were delighted to discover both fine examples of the much prized Yue type known as mise yao, or secret-coloured celadon wares, and an inventory, dated to AD 874, identifying them. This pagoda was patronized by two of the Tang emperors - Yizong (860-873) and Xizong (874-888). The mise Yue wares found in the crypt were part of imperial gifts to the Buddhas's sacred relics in the Famen Temple and are recorded on a stone stele. What is also remarkable is that two of these precious mise yao bowls were embellished on the exterior with black lacquer inlaid with decoration in gold and silver foil (illustrated Report of the Archaeological Excavation at Famen Temple, vol. II, Beijing, 2007, plate CXCVII: 1-2). This, therefore, may have marked the beginning of the use of black lacquer with gold decoration applied to fine ceramics.

One of the earliest extant examples of lacquer applied to white porcelain is the beautiful Yuan dynasty seated figure of the Buddha Amitabha in the collection of the Beijing Art Museum, which was displayed as exhibit no. 7 in Treasures from Ancient Beijing, held at Christie's New York in 2000, and which also appeared on the cover of the exhibition catalogue. The robe of the figure is lacquered, and gilded decoration has been applied to the surface of the lacquer, producing an elegant and opulent effect. Such pieces with surviving lacquer are extremely rare, and it appears that only in the Qing dynasty were serious attempts made to revive the technique.

It was under the aegis of the Kangxi emperor (1662-1722) that there was renewed interest in the lacquering of porcelain, but very few of these have survived. A small number of porcelains with black lacquer coating inlaid with mother-of-pearl are extant. One such Kangxi piece is a brush pot formerly sold in our London rooms on 8 June 2004, lot 465, which was recently among the items from the Robert H, Blumenfield Collection sold by Christie's New York on 25 March 2010, lot 953. Even more rare are porcelains, like the current vase, on which lacquer had been applied in sufficient depth to allow carving. One such vessel is a large Kangxi beaker vase in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, which has alternating layers of red and black lacquer which have been carved with designs of ruyi and shou characters in the style of tixi lacquer more usually made with wooden or cloth bases (illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum 46 Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, no. 3. A porcelain bottle vase covered with carved red lacquer, dated to the Qianlong reign (1736-95), is illustrated by Edward F. Strange in Chinese Lacquer, London, 1926, pl. XXI. An enamelled porcelain vase, from the Daoguang reign (1821-50), the neck of which had been covered with carved red lacquer, was recently sold at Christie's New York, 26 March 2010, lot 1449.

The Qing dynasty also saw experimentation with other material used as a base for lacquer decoration. Some pewter vessels were lacquered, as in the case of the Kangxi pewter teapot covered with lacquer and inlaid mother-of-pearl, which was formerly in the collection of Mrs. Walter Sedgwick (illustrated by R. Soame Jenyns and William Watson in Chinese Art - Gold, Silver, Later Bronze, Cloisonné, Cantonese Enamel, Lacquer, Furniture, Wood, Oxford, Revised Edition, 1980, pl. 49). A very rare example of a lacquered jade vessel of the Qianlong reign is included in the current sale, lot 1913. Nevertheless the lacquering of porcelain, especially the application of sufficient layers to allow the kind of fine carving seen on the current handsome vessel, must have been the most challenging of all.

• Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art

• 19th Century
• flowers & plants
• All other categories of objects
• vases
• lacquer/japanned
• porcelain
• China
• Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

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