Lot 46Y
A rare chenxiang-wood brush and cover Mid-Qing Dynasty
Amended
28 November 2017, 14:00 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific PlaceSold for HK$250,000 inc. premium
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A rare chenxiang-wood brush and cover
Mid-Qing Dynasty
The slender handle expertly carved in openwork with designs of ruyi between the upper portion carved with upright plantain-leaves and beaded lappets around the baluster lower portion terminating with a lotus bud, the cover similarly decorated with beaded lappets and crowned by a lotus-bud finial, the richly-grained wood of dark-chocolate brown tone, Japanese box and cover. 17.6cm (6 7/8in) long. (4).
The slender handle expertly carved in openwork with designs of ruyi between the upper portion carved with upright plantain-leaves and beaded lappets around the baluster lower portion terminating with a lotus bud, the cover similarly decorated with beaded lappets and crowned by a lotus-bud finial, the richly-grained wood of dark-chocolate brown tone, Japanese box and cover. 17.6cm (6 7/8in) long. (4).
Footnotes
清中期 沉香木雕如意蓮瓣紋管毫筆
The brush, used by the literati for both writing calligraphy and painting, was considered one of the 'four treasures of the scholarly studio' together with ink, inkstone and paper. This fundamental tool was the means by which the literati survived and was vital for their livelihoods as much as the hoe or plough was to the farmer; a fact encapsulated by the literati themselves when they often described their work as 'farming with the brush' (bi geng 筆耕). As the most important tool of the literati, the brush joined the ranks of ceramics, jades, bamboo and carved lacquer, to become works of art in their own right for appreciation and collecting.
The form of the present lot, however, is extremely rare as it is not typical of the literati style of the Jiangnan area, but rather relates much closely in style to the Tibetan vajra, encapsulating the multi-cultural nature of the vast Qing empire. Vajra (Sanskrit for 'diamond' and 'thunderbolt') sceptres were ritual objects used in Himalayan Buddhist liturgy to symbolise the properties of both the diamond for its indestructibility, and thunderbolt for its powerful force. Following the Qing Empire's expansion of its rule to Tibet in 1720, the Manchu rulers sought to strengthen their legitimacy through religious ties with the Dalai Lama, resulting in a flourishing of Tibetan Buddhism - and Tibetan Buddhist ritual objects - at the Qing Court. Compare a yellow jade pestle, Qing dynasty, of related form, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 9 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, p.267, no.270.
The use of precious Chenxiangmu (lignaloes), which is a rare and fragrant wood, also serves to show that this would have been a particularly treasured object made for a high ranking official or a member of the Qing Court.
筆、墨、紙、硯被稱為「文房四寶」，是中國獨特的文書用具。筆作為主要的書寫、繪畫工具，在中國古代社會生活中具有不可缺的重要作用，以筆代耕更是文人墨客謀生手段之一。中國製筆有悠久歷史，明清時期製筆工藝達到高峰，其製作數量及質量都超過前朝，在製筆、選料、筆管質地以及裝飾工藝上都出現很大發展。
木管筆大多都以貴重木料製成，以沉香木製作者更為少見。此筆裝飾工藝特殊，以浮雕及鏤雕技法於筆管雕雕蓮瓣、蕉葉、瓔珞等紋飾，形制類似於藏傳佛教之金剛杵。清朝自1720年後開始在西藏駐軍，並設置駐藏大臣以統治西藏地區，到十八世紀末清朝在西藏的權威達到頂峰。皇帝亦通過宗教信仰以鞏固其權威，因此宮廷中出現眾多與佛法祭祀有關的用具，如北京故宮博物院藏一件黃玉杵，形制於此筆管類似，見《故宮博物院藏品大系：玉器編9清代玉器》，北京，2011年，頁267，編號270。
Saleroom notices
Please note this lot is made from Jichimu and not as described in the catalogue. 請留意：此拍品為雞翅木雕，並非如圖錄上所寫的沉香木。
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