An extremely rare white jade archaistic 'yingxiong' box and cover

Qianlong/Jiaqing

Footnotes

清乾隆/嘉慶 白玉雕仿古鷹熊如意八卦紋蓋盒

Provenance:
Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York.
Christie's New York, 16 September 2010, lot 1101

來源：
Ralph M. Chait Galleries，紐約
紐約佳士得，2010年9月16日，拍品編號1101

The present lot is striking in its outstanding and refined craftsmanship utilising the finest white jade stone, combined with the archaistic auspicious design of the eagle and bear, yingxiong and the Daoist Eight Trigrams. It exemplifies the Imperial taste of the Qianlong reign and is a testament to the technical virtuosity achieved by the jade ateliers during the height of the Qing dynasty.

The Qianlong Emperor proposed to 'restore ancient ways', suggesting that jade carvers turn to antiquity for models, which would enable them to imbue their designs with simplicity and honesty, and so achieve refinement and elegance. The 'ancient ways' referred to the intrinsic values of sincerity, simplicity, and happy exuberance; see Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1997, p.49.

The yingxiong motif takes its inspiration from archaic bronze 'champion' vases which first appeared during the Western Han dynasty, comprising double tubes conjoined by an eagle, ying, perching on a bear, xiong; see an outline drawing of a Tang dynasty bronze prototype illustrated in the Xiqing Gujian (Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities), 1751, illustrated by M.Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 2004, p.106, pl.107. The words ying and xiong form the pun 'champion' or 'hero', recalled in the phrase yingxiong duli 'solitary hero, alone in glory and nobility'; the representation of the eagle and bear has the additional symbolism by association of conjugal happiness as 'champion' vases are said to have been used since the Ming dynasty as ritual wine vessels during the wedding ceremony.

This motif was frequently represented during the Ming and Qing dynasties in a variety of materials including jade, cloisonné enamel, bronze, and rhinoceros horn; see for example a spinach-green jade double-tube vase, Qianlong mark and period, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by M.Wilson, ibid., p.105, pl.103; see also a white jade 'champion' vase, Qianlong fanggu mark and period, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2007, lot 1545.

The cover is carved with a Daoist design of the Eight Trigrams; these were believed to provide the means of assessing the present state of the world and a basis for decision-making for the future - both of great bearing to the emperor; see a white jade waterpot and cover, Ming dynasty, carved with the Eight Triagrams, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Classics of the Forbidden City: Scholar's Paraphernalia, Beijing, 2009, no.228.

白玉玉質，光澤細潤。蓋盒方形，子母口，方臥足，蓋面雕十字八卦紋，以繩紋為界，蓋四角各雕展翅雄鷹一隻，鷹頭微翹出尖，雙翅展開如雲。盒身四角對應各雕一熊，熊頭生雙角，雙目有神，高眉直鼻，其雙足力撐至盒身兩側，深沉肅穆，不怒自威。盒蓋、盒身上下呼應，諧「英雄」之音，工藝高超，設計精妙，煞費苦心。

乾隆帝慕古求新，一再強調「事不師古說聞匪」，認為古典器物樸素、精純、高雅、有意涵。因其嗜古如痴，特別諭旨梁詩正等人纂修《西清古鑑》，將清代宮廷所收藏商周至唐代青銅器過千件一一記錄，並交玉工作為製作新製玉器提時造型及紋飾的藍本，詳閱張麗端著《宮廷之雅：清代仿古及畫意玉器特展圖錄》，台北，1997年，頁49。

「英雄」紋飾取鷹、熊諧音，此設計最早出現在漢代青銅彝器上，如西漢中山王墓靖王之妻竇綰墓出土的青銅合卺杯即為一例。《西清古鑑》中亦有英雄合卺器的描線圖，見M.Wilson，《Chinese Jades》，倫敦，2004年，頁106，圖107。受乾隆皇帝崇尚慕古之風影響，鷹熊組合的紋飾後來大量出現在宮廷陳設器物上，包括玉器、銅器、掐絲琺瑯器、犀角雕件等等，見英國維多利亞及阿爾伯特博物館藏一件清乾隆碧玉英雄合卺杯，著錄於M.Wilson，同上著錄，頁105，圖103；另見香港佳士得曾售出一件白玉雕英雄合卺杯，2007年11月27日，拍品編號1545。

此盒蓋面雕八卦紋，八卦紋由短線符號組成，代表《周易》中的乾、兌、離、震、巽、坎、艮、坤八種圖形。玉匠八卦紋與十字紋及繩紋相結合，並輔以鷹熊紋，足可體現乾隆皇帝慕古而追新的藝術品味。同樣帶有八卦紋的玉器，見北京故宮博物院藏明代一例，《故宮經典：文房清供》，北京，2009年，編號228。