Lot 138
An Imperial mother-of-pearl-inlaid zitan circular framed mirror Qianlong
1 December 2020, 15:30 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific PlaceHK$1,200,000 - HK$1,500,000
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An Imperial mother-of-pearl-inlaid zitan circular framed mirror
Qianlong
Imitating archaic bronze mirrors, the zitan disc embellished in mother-of-pearl with four characters reading Qian qiu bao jian, 'The Eternally Treasured Mirror', in seal script, reserved with roundels on a ground densely carved with stylised dragons in low relief, all surrounding a small raised knop decorated with mother-of-pearl, the knop pierced to suspend a tassel, the reverse mounted with a mirror, the finely-grained wood of a deep chestnut-brown tone, box. 21.3cm (8 3/8in) diam. (2).
Imitating archaic bronze mirrors, the zitan disc embellished in mother-of-pearl with four characters reading Qian qiu bao jian, 'The Eternally Treasured Mirror', in seal script, reserved with roundels on a ground densely carved with stylised dragons in low relief, all surrounding a small raised knop decorated with mother-of-pearl, the knop pierced to suspend a tassel, the reverse mounted with a mirror, the finely-grained wood of a deep chestnut-brown tone, box. 21.3cm (8 3/8in) diam. (2).
Footnotes
清乾隆 紫檀嵌螺鈿手鏡
Provenance:
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 2802
來源：
蘇富比香港，2011年4月8日，拍品編號2802
Traditional metal mirrors containing high levels of tin, with one side polished for reflection and the other side cast with moulded archaistic designs, were no longer commonly used by the mid Qing period. However, the Qianlong court appears to have sponsored the making of mirrors in bronze and various other materials for Daoist rituals.
Compare with a mirror of related form and design but cast in bronze included in the exhibition Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, Chicago, 2004, no.189; and a brass example, but lacking a reign mark, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by R.Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, pl.90. For a painting of a court lady holding a mirror of this type, see one from the set of twelve paintings 'Twelve Beauties at Leisure Painted for Prince Yuzhen', the Future Yongzheng Emperor (1709-23), published in China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005, no.173.
鏡背紫檀質，鏟地淺浮雕拐子螭龍紋四對，龍身打洼， 龍紋之間雕四圓形平面，其上分別嵌「千秋寶鑒」四螺鈿篆字，鏡鈕紫檀圓柱，上嵌螺鈿花紋，鏡身玻璃質。
「千秋寶鑒」實為唐代張九齡上書皇帝的《事鑒》，稱為《千秋寶鑒錄》，後世多以此為書名，有以史為鑒之意。《新唐書》之《張九齡傳》載：「千秋節，王公并獻寶鑒。九齡上《事鑒》十章，號『千秋寶鑒錄』，以伸諷喻。」
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