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Lot Essay
AN IMPERIAL TREASURE – A RARE POLYCHROME QIANGJIN AND TIANQI ‘DRAGON’ LACQUER INCENSE STAND
(Abstract translation from the Chinese essay by Zhang Rong)
The current incense stand delicately combines the two lacquering techniques qiangjin (incised lines filled with gold) and caiqi (coloured lacquer). The qiangjin technique was developed as early as the Warring Sates period, widely adopted on lacquer wares from the Song dynasty, and was used on Imperial lacquer wares with dragon motifs during the Ming dynasty. The caiqi technique has an even longer history, and could be traced back to as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties. While the earliest time when these two techniques were first used together on lacquer wares was unknown, by the Jiajing period in the Ming dynasty, a large number of lacquer works were made utilising both the qiangjin and caiqi techniques.
There are in fact two types of caiqi techniques. The first is tianqi (filled-in coloured lacquer), and the second is miaoqi (painted coloured lacquer). When combined with qiangjin, the gold lines and polychrome lacquer would together create a glistening and colourful effect. From surviving examples, we can conclude that the combination of qiangjin and tianqi techniques was more commonly used.
A number of qiangjin and caiqi lacquer wares were made during the Jiajing and Wanli periods, in boxes and dishes of varying forms, such as a Jiajing-marked chrysanthemum-form dish decorated with dragon and hibiscus motifs (fig. 1), and a Wanli-marked prunus-form box decorated with dragons (fig. 2), both from the Palace Museum Collection. Towards the succeeding Tianqi and Chongzhen reigns, the qiangjin and tianqi caiqi techniques were further applied onto furniture, such as a Tianqi-marked incense stand in the collection of Östasiatiska museet, Stockholm, and a Chongzhen-marked luohan bed in the Palace Museum Collection.
The earliest known qiangjin and caiqi lacquer furniture and vessels from the Qing dynasty date to the Kangxi period. The Palace Museum has several Kangxi-marked qiangjin and caiqi works, including a dish with dragon motifs (fig. 3), and stands with cloud and dragon motifs of various forms, including square (fig. 4), conjoined circular, prunus and begonia (fig. 5). While these stands are similarly decorated, their sizes and forms vary considerably, possibly in relation to where they were placed and for what purpose they were used. Nevertheless, it is clear that they served as important furniture and display objects in the palaces during the Kangxi reign.
The current incense stand is notably larger than all known Kangxi-marked qiangjin and caiqi stands with dragon and cloud motifs from the Qing Court Collection. Such large size might have to do with the palace or temple hall in where it was originally placed. It is said that this incense stand was acquired in the 1920s in Beijing, reputedly from the Tanzhe Temple. It was later exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada, and was sold at Sotheby’s New York on 22 March 2011.
Tanzhe Temple is located in the Mentougou district in west of Beijing. It was first erected in A.D. 307 during the Western Jin dynasty, and was bestowed the name Xiuyun Temple by the Kangxi Emperor. However, it was commonly known as Tanzhe Temple for the pond (tan) and berry trees (zhe) in the temple’s surroundings. The Kangxi Emperor had paid visit to Tanzhe Temple twice, the first time in the 25th year of his reign (1686), during which he bestowed numerous gifts such as sutras, aloeswood, soapstone Guanyin and luohan figures, and even personally inscribed on the plaque above the temple. Since then, Tanzhe Temple had become an important Imperial Buddhist site in Beijing. The Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors also followed the footsteps of Kangxi and paid frequent visits to Tanzhe Temple. It is recorded that the Qianlong Emperor visited the temple for the first time in the ninth year of his reign (1744), and offered a number of gifts including silver taels, plaques, calligraphy and a five-piece enamel garniture set. The Emperor also composed a poem in the same year to commemorate his first visit to the temple, entitled ‘First Visit to Tanzhe Yunxiu Temple on the First Day of Second Month’, as recorded in juan 20 of Yuzhishi chuji (Collection of Imperial Poems by Emperor Gaozong).
So when was the current incense stand made? One possibility is Qianlong ninth year, together with the enamel garniture set gifted by the Emperor to the temple. However, if we examine the stand in person, one will notice the dragon motif is very similar to dragons depicted on Kangxi-period works, especially the rendition of the eyes, mouth, body and claws. On the other hand, the cloud scroll motifs on the stand are stylistically closer to clouds seen on Yongzheng textiles and lacquers, and differ from the ruyi-shaped cloud motifs more commonly seen on Kangxi art. Hence stylistically one can date this piece to the Kangxi to Yongzheng period. Taking palace records into account, we can deduce that the piece was probably made between 1686, when the Kangxi Emperor first visited Tanzhe Temple, and 1743, when the Qianlong Emperor gifted the temple with an enamel garniture set.
(Abstract translation from the Chinese essay by Zhang Rong)
The current incense stand delicately combines the two lacquering techniques qiangjin (incised lines filled with gold) and caiqi (coloured lacquer). The qiangjin technique was developed as early as the Warring Sates period, widely adopted on lacquer wares from the Song dynasty, and was used on Imperial lacquer wares with dragon motifs during the Ming dynasty. The caiqi technique has an even longer history, and could be traced back to as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties. While the earliest time when these two techniques were first used together on lacquer wares was unknown, by the Jiajing period in the Ming dynasty, a large number of lacquer works were made utilising both the qiangjin and caiqi techniques.
There are in fact two types of caiqi techniques. The first is tianqi (filled-in coloured lacquer), and the second is miaoqi (painted coloured lacquer). When combined with qiangjin, the gold lines and polychrome lacquer would together create a glistening and colourful effect. From surviving examples, we can conclude that the combination of qiangjin and tianqi techniques was more commonly used.
A number of qiangjin and caiqi lacquer wares were made during the Jiajing and Wanli periods, in boxes and dishes of varying forms, such as a Jiajing-marked chrysanthemum-form dish decorated with dragon and hibiscus motifs (fig. 1), and a Wanli-marked prunus-form box decorated with dragons (fig. 2), both from the Palace Museum Collection. Towards the succeeding Tianqi and Chongzhen reigns, the qiangjin and tianqi caiqi techniques were further applied onto furniture, such as a Tianqi-marked incense stand in the collection of Östasiatiska museet, Stockholm, and a Chongzhen-marked luohan bed in the Palace Museum Collection.
The earliest known qiangjin and caiqi lacquer furniture and vessels from the Qing dynasty date to the Kangxi period. The Palace Museum has several Kangxi-marked qiangjin and caiqi works, including a dish with dragon motifs (fig. 3), and stands with cloud and dragon motifs of various forms, including square (fig. 4), conjoined circular, prunus and begonia (fig. 5). While these stands are similarly decorated, their sizes and forms vary considerably, possibly in relation to where they were placed and for what purpose they were used. Nevertheless, it is clear that they served as important furniture and display objects in the palaces during the Kangxi reign.
The current incense stand is notably larger than all known Kangxi-marked qiangjin and caiqi stands with dragon and cloud motifs from the Qing Court Collection. Such large size might have to do with the palace or temple hall in where it was originally placed. It is said that this incense stand was acquired in the 1920s in Beijing, reputedly from the Tanzhe Temple. It was later exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada, and was sold at Sotheby’s New York on 22 March 2011.
Tanzhe Temple is located in the Mentougou district in west of Beijing. It was first erected in A.D. 307 during the Western Jin dynasty, and was bestowed the name Xiuyun Temple by the Kangxi Emperor. However, it was commonly known as Tanzhe Temple for the pond (tan) and berry trees (zhe) in the temple’s surroundings. The Kangxi Emperor had paid visit to Tanzhe Temple twice, the first time in the 25th year of his reign (1686), during which he bestowed numerous gifts such as sutras, aloeswood, soapstone Guanyin and luohan figures, and even personally inscribed on the plaque above the temple. Since then, Tanzhe Temple had become an important Imperial Buddhist site in Beijing. The Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors also followed the footsteps of Kangxi and paid frequent visits to Tanzhe Temple. It is recorded that the Qianlong Emperor visited the temple for the first time in the ninth year of his reign (1744), and offered a number of gifts including silver taels, plaques, calligraphy and a five-piece enamel garniture set. The Emperor also composed a poem in the same year to commemorate his first visit to the temple, entitled ‘First Visit to Tanzhe Yunxiu Temple on the First Day of Second Month’, as recorded in juan 20 of Yuzhishi chuji (Collection of Imperial Poems by Emperor Gaozong).
So when was the current incense stand made? One possibility is Qianlong ninth year, together with the enamel garniture set gifted by the Emperor to the temple. However, if we examine the stand in person, one will notice the dragon motif is very similar to dragons depicted on Kangxi-period works, especially the rendition of the eyes, mouth, body and claws. On the other hand, the cloud scroll motifs on the stand are stylistically closer to clouds seen on Yongzheng textiles and lacquers, and differ from the ruyi-shaped cloud motifs more commonly seen on Kangxi art. Hence stylistically one can date this piece to the Kangxi to Yongzheng period. Taking palace records into account, we can deduce that the piece was probably made between 1686, when the Kangxi Emperor first visited Tanzhe Temple, and 1743, when the Qianlong Emperor gifted the temple with an enamel garniture set.