Lot 31Y
A rare red coral carving of a phoenix amidst clouds Qing Dynasty
3 December 2015, 11:00 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific PlaceSold for HK$250,000 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
A rare red coral carving of a phoenix amidst clouds
Qing Dynasty
Intricately worked as a descending phoenix emerging from clouds, its head turned left and neck twisted backwards, its plumage carefully incised in life-likeness at the wings and tail feathers, the coral of a salmon pink tone with natural white inclusions, wood stand.
27cm (10 5/8) long (2).
Intricately worked as a descending phoenix emerging from clouds, its head turned left and neck twisted backwards, its plumage carefully incised in life-likeness at the wings and tail feathers, the coral of a salmon pink tone with natural white inclusions, wood stand.
27cm (10 5/8) long (2).
Footnotes
清 珊瑚雕鳳凰擺件
Provenance 來源:
A European private collection
歐洲私人收藏
Superbly carved, the coral carving of the phoenix flying amidst cloud scrolls is reminiscent in its quality of some of the finest jades carved during the mid-Qing dynasty. The masterful craftsmanship is evident in the finely detailed and naturalistic multi-layered carving rendered from an astonishing single large piece of coral. The exceptional quality of the carving, when combined with the deeply symbolic association of the phoenix with the empress, strongly indicates that this was probably made for the imperial court.
Compare a related red coral carving of a Buddhist lion, Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Treasures of Imperial Court, Hong Kong, 2004, pl.48.
此珊瑚雕工藝精湛，其雕琢手法與清中期玉雕風格類似，非平庸之輩能及。珊瑚材料極其珍貴，如此碩大的珊瑚加以精緻的鳳紋雕刻，很可能說明此擺件或為皇宮貴族所作。清宮舊藏一件清代珊瑚雕佛獅可資對比，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：宮廷珍寶》，香港，2004年，圖版48。
