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拍品專文
This delightful and lively figure is identified as a foreigner, not only by his clothes, but by his features. It may be that this figure is intended to represent one of the characters from the La Commedia dell'Arte (The Italian Comedy). The figure's clothing has elements of a stage costume in Venetian style, and his distinctive features, especially the large nose and bushy eyebrows, also somewhat resemble those associated of characters from La Commedia dell'Arte, which was particularly popular around AD 1720 and which provided inspiration for sets of Chinese porcelain figures of about the same period. The Chinese craftsman appears to have delighted in caricature giving the figure not only a large hooked nose and bushy eyebrows, but protruding eyes, curly hair and a mischievous smile. Notwithstanding his elaborate clothes, the figure has bare feet, which begs the question of whether he is supposed to represent one of the Commedia dell'Arte characters who comes from a poor background.
Interestingly, however, the figure is depicted with long ear-lobes, which are normally seen on Buddhist figures, but were also regarded as lucky in China. His ear-lobes are pierced in order to take hoop ear-rings. Another feature added by the Chinese craftsmen is the bowl, which the figure holds in his left hand, and which is shaped like a Chinese silver ingot, and suggests a wish for wealth.
There was a fascination at the 18th century Chinese court, especially in the reign of the Qianlong emperor, with all things European. This 'occidentalism' may be directly compared with the fascination with 'chinoiserie' that was sweeping Europe at approximately the same time. This interest in foreigners, their clothes, customs and belongings is reflected in a number of the arts of the period. Scrolls depicting tribute bearers from foreign lands were commissioned by the court, on which male and female figures from various countries were shown in their different costumes. On one such hand-scroll in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, the many of the figures are described as being from the West and the attributes of each couple are discussed in both Chinese and Manchu (see Splendors of a Flourishing Age, Macau, 1999, no. 42).
The interest in foreign dress can be seen in a series of album leaves entitled Album of the Yongzheng Emperor in Costumes in the Palace Museum Beijing, illustrated in Paintings by the Court artists of the Qing Court - The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong 1996, p.118, pl.18. These include one depiction of the emperor dressed as a European, including a curly wig, and another dressed in a central Asian costume of brightly striped material. Similar stripes can be seen on the fabric depicted around the lower legs and arms of the current figure. A similar depiction of striped material can be seen on a pair of cloisonna© and champleva© figures of foreigners, formerly in the Kitson Collection, which were sold in our Paris Rooms (13 June 2007, lot 27). These figures share a similar posture with the current figure, with the exception of the raised arm, which on the Kitson figures is somewhat higher, as if they were holding a tall vase.
A number of surviving examples of carved lacquer, jades and porcelain made for the imperial court in the 18th century with scenes showing western foreigners. A porcelain box in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, for example, is decorated in enamels in imitation of pudding stone, but the top of the box has a circular panel in which two Westerners are depicted (illustrated in see Splendors of a Flourishing Age, op. cit., no. 119). The current figure is, however, a particularly attractive example of a sculptural depiction of a Westerner interpreted by a Chinese craftsman.
Interestingly, however, the figure is depicted with long ear-lobes, which are normally seen on Buddhist figures, but were also regarded as lucky in China. His ear-lobes are pierced in order to take hoop ear-rings. Another feature added by the Chinese craftsmen is the bowl, which the figure holds in his left hand, and which is shaped like a Chinese silver ingot, and suggests a wish for wealth.
There was a fascination at the 18th century Chinese court, especially in the reign of the Qianlong emperor, with all things European. This 'occidentalism' may be directly compared with the fascination with 'chinoiserie' that was sweeping Europe at approximately the same time. This interest in foreigners, their clothes, customs and belongings is reflected in a number of the arts of the period. Scrolls depicting tribute bearers from foreign lands were commissioned by the court, on which male and female figures from various countries were shown in their different costumes. On one such hand-scroll in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, the many of the figures are described as being from the West and the attributes of each couple are discussed in both Chinese and Manchu (see Splendors of a Flourishing Age, Macau, 1999, no. 42).
The interest in foreign dress can be seen in a series of album leaves entitled Album of the Yongzheng Emperor in Costumes in the Palace Museum Beijing, illustrated in Paintings by the Court artists of the Qing Court - The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong 1996, p.118, pl.18. These include one depiction of the emperor dressed as a European, including a curly wig, and another dressed in a central Asian costume of brightly striped material. Similar stripes can be seen on the fabric depicted around the lower legs and arms of the current figure. A similar depiction of striped material can be seen on a pair of cloisonna© and champleva© figures of foreigners, formerly in the Kitson Collection, which were sold in our Paris Rooms (13 June 2007, lot 27). These figures share a similar posture with the current figure, with the exception of the raised arm, which on the Kitson figures is somewhat higher, as if they were holding a tall vase.
A number of surviving examples of carved lacquer, jades and porcelain made for the imperial court in the 18th century with scenes showing western foreigners. A porcelain box in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, for example, is decorated in enamels in imitation of pudding stone, but the top of the box has a circular panel in which two Westerners are depicted (illustrated in see Splendors of a Flourishing Age, op. cit., no. 119). The current figure is, however, a particularly attractive example of a sculptural depiction of a Westerner interpreted by a Chinese craftsman.