DATED TO THE WU XU YEAR OF THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR QIANLONG, CORRESPONDING TO 1778, AND OF THE PERIOD

Details

A VERY RARE IMPERIALLY INSCRIBED ZITAN STAND AND COVER
DATED TO THE WU XU YEAR OF THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR QIANLONG, CORRESPONDING TO 1778, AND OF THE PERIOD
The cover and stand very finely carved overall as a ribbon-tied, brocade-wrapped gift divided into quadrants by the ribbon which is superimposed atop the bow by a rectangular panel carved with the characters hu fu yan ('crouching tiger inkstone'), the quadrants carved with different scenes of birds in flight above waves from which rise various flowers and grasses, the interior of the cover with a carved and gilded imperial poem referring to the shape of the inkstone followed by the date and two seals, the top of the stand carved with a four-character inscription, Qianlong yuyong, (for the personal use of Qianlong), followed by a four-character seal, ji xia ling chi, ('a brief moment to practice calligraphy'); together with a flat clay inkstone of recumbent tiger outline, and a clay inkstone cover molded in the round as a crouching tiger, its recessed underside inscribed with the same dated Qianlong poem and seals as the cover of the zitan box, both inkstone and inkstone cover with mottled green patination
Zitan box 6 3/8 in. (16.3 cm.) long; inkstone 5¼ in. (13.3 cm.) long

Provenance

Formerly J.M. Hu Collection.

Brought to you by

Krystelle Sun

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

ksun@christies.com 212-636-2173

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

A clay inkstone and cover molded as a crouching tiger very similar to the present lot, of Qianlong date, are illustrated in Emperor Ch'ien-lung's Grand Cultural Enterprise, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2003, p. 113, no. III-4. One can see in the illustration that the example in the Imperial collection also has mottled green patination in imitation of the green encrustation found on ancient bronzes.
Also illustrated, ibid., are several boxes that were specially made for valued objects in the Imperial collection. Some have finely carved decoration, as well as gilt-filled inscriptions: I-20, a box for two Imperial jade seals; I-41, a curio box; and II-19, a box for a jade cup.

More from Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections

View All