A MAGNIFICENT AND MASSIVE PAIR OF HUANGHUALI COMPOUND CABINETS AND HAT CHESTS, SIJIANGUI
A MAGNIFICENT AND MASSIVE PAIR OF HUANGHUALI COMPOUND CABINETS AND HAT CHESTS, SIJIANGUI
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Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… 顯示更多 A MONUMENTAL PAIR OF HUANGHUALI 'SINGLE-PANEL DOORS' COMPOUND CABINETSThis magnificent pair of compound cabinets, sijiangui, ‘four-part wardrobe’ or dingxiang ligui, ‘top cupboard and upright wardrobe’, represents the finest quality of 17th century Chinese cabinetry. Compound cabinets are generally made in pairs, each comprising a large square-corner cabinet below a slightly smaller upper cabinet, which is specifically designed this way to secure support at the bottom. These cabinets were most likely have been exclusively made for the wealthiest and the most prominent families to define their interior living spaces.This present pair is most desirable for their monumental single-panel doors. These single panels are cut from the same timber, and are matched in mirror opposites to achieve symmetrical balance. Wood materials of darker grain are deliberately utilised in the aprons, stretchers beneath the doors and frames, to create a sharp contrast against the lighter-grained door panels, highlighting the beauty of the huanghuali material. The formidable size of these cabinets, paired with a restrained design, create a subtle opulence that enhances their overall grandeur.Another quality that adds charm to the present cabinets is their elegant proportions. The sizes of the metal lock plates and hinges are carefully calculated to maintain balance and harmony. The upper cabinets measure about one third the height of the bottom cabinets, and are placed at the top so that ladders are required to reach them, and understandably would have been used to store out-of-season clothing or infrequently used items. Although the upper cabinets are of separate construction, their unfinished undersides suggest that they were an integral part of the design and were never meant to serve as independent pieces of furniture.Fig. 1 shows the top of one of the hat chests, covered by a lacquer surface with crackling that is characteristic of the period, partially revealing the linen and ash lining underneath.In ancient times, robes were never hung vertically, but were folded and laid flat in chests or shelves. It is not unusual to find cabinets constructed partially or entirely from camphor wood, for its ability to repel insects. Huanghuali wood also has a distinctive honey-like, mellifluous fragrant scent which acts as insect repellent. However its smell is notably more subtle and soothing than camphor. This feature may have provided an additional reason why this was so much more sought after by members of the upper echelons. The generous proportions of large huanghuali cabinets made them ideal for the storage of long scrolls, bolts of fabric, garments, and books.It was common practice to place the cabinets against opposite walls, such as the pair displayed in the Astor Garden Court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; or to place them side by side, separated in-between by a smaller piece of furniture, such as the pair of ornately carved compound cabinets displayed in the Palace Museum, illustrated in Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Shanghai, 2002, p. 296, pl. 249 (fig. 2).This extraordinary pair is the only example of this size and design that is luxuriously constructed with doors of single panels of huanghuali. A pair of huanghuali compound cabinets of almost identical design, but not of single-panel doors, from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection, is illustrated by R.H. Ellsworth et. al., Chinese Furniture: One Hundred Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection, Vol. 1, New York, 1996, p. 188, no. 73, and later sold at Christie’s New York, 19th-20 September 2013, lot 1566 (fig. 3). Another very similar pair from the collection of Madame Henri Vetch, also not of single-panel doors, was illustrated in Gustav Ecke’s Chinese Domestic Furniture, Hong Kong, 1978, pl. 101, p. 125.Compare with other pairs of cabinets decorated with plain aprons of various sizes and dating, such as a pair of cabinets with lock plates of similar design from the Frederic Mueller Collection, published by Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1970, pl. 130, (later sold at Christie’s New York, 27 November 1991, lot 237) (fig. 4); and a huanghuali-veneered pair, ibid., pl. 132. Also see two pairs of veneered cabinets from the Reverend Richard Fabian Collection, sold at Sotheby’s New York, 15 March 2016, lot 42; one pair previously in the Dr. S.Y. Yip Collection is illustrated in Grace Wu Bruce, Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and Romance with Huanghuali Wood: The Dr. S.Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1991, p.119, no. 46, and sold at Christie’s New York, 20 September 2002, lot 60.Related examples with more elaborate metal hardware and carved elements include a pair from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 19 September 1996, lot 30; and the aforementioned pair displayed in the Astor Garden Court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
晚明 黃花梨大四件櫃一對

LATE MING DYNASTY

細節
晚明 黃花梨大四件櫃一對
106 1/8 in. (271.5 cm.) high, 44 3/16 in. (112.3 cm.) wide, 22 7/16 in. (56.9 cm.) deep
來源
馬可樂,香港,購於1994 年
注意事項
Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory, tortoiseshell and crocodile. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

榮譽呈獻

Stephenie Tsoi
Stephenie Tsoi

拍品專文

無獨有偶降幽香
一對黃花梨獨板門大四件櫃

頂箱櫃由頂櫃及立櫃兩部分組成。兩櫃均為對開兩門,門板攢框打槽鑲獨板面心,中間有活動立栓。櫃內有抽屜架,安抽屜兩具。門下為櫃膛,櫃膛內有悶倉,悶倉上有活動倉板。方材直腿,邊框上安圓型銅活頁、面頁及長方型鏤空吊牌。

此櫃四件組成,俗稱四件櫃,又稱頂箱立櫃,為倉儲家具類中最大體型,亦是明代家具中最耗費名貴材料、工匠時間的重量級精品。櫃子一般成雙而造,頂箱尺寸比立櫃稍微小一點,以能夠平穩安放在上層。

此對櫃子體型碩大,用材大方,猶其採用獨板黃花梨做門板心,極盡奢華。門板心來自同一木材對開,紋理對稱,仿如木中山水,婉轉多變,氣勢磅薄;門框用上深色部分,為簡潔的線條添上如光影般的鮮明對比,把黃花梨木紋發揮的淋漓盡致,盡顯低調而高格調的品味。

設計四件櫃時,比例乃極為重要的考量之一。頂箱的高度大概為立櫃的三分之一,需要使用梯子開啟,因此適宜存放過季或不常使用的物品。頂箱的頂部,能看見具有年代特徵的披麻灰及漆的開片(圖一)。

銅配件的大小亦與尺寸比例有密切關係,活頁通常會比面頁較小。衣物從前並非像現代這般懸掛,而通常摺疊存放,所以四件櫃亦有通體或部分使用具有驅蟲功效香味的樟木製作。但是黃花梨木,學名降香黃檀,本身亦具有防蟲效果的幽香,比起濃烈的樟木香,更顯清新優雅,可能更受有條件花費的王公貴冑所追崇。

四件櫃的擺放方式,可以參照紐約大都會博物館的中國庭園Astor Garden,在空間的兩面牆相對擺放;亦可參考北京故宮養心殿後寢殿(圖二),著錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系,明清家具(下)》,上海,2002 年,圖版249 號,平行擺放而中間置小件傢具,美觀而莊重,富麗堂皇。相對故宮雕刻豐富的例子,本拍品的極簡線條亦能融入任何現代室內設計。

本拍品乃唯一一對在年代、造型、尺寸相近的四件櫃著錄例子當中,使用獨板黃花梨做門板心的櫃子。見一對極為相似,為洪氏舊藏,著錄於安思遠,尼古拉斯.葛瑞德雷,柯安霓合著,《洪氏所藏木器百圖》,第一冊,紐約,1996 年,頁188,73 號,拍賣於紐約佳士得,2013 年9 月19至20 日,拍品1566 號(圖三);另見Madame Henri Vetch 珍藏,著錄於古斯塔夫•艾克著《中國花梨家具圖考》,香港,1978 年,頁125,圖版101 號。以上兩對櫃子均使用光素面板及素直牙條製作,但其面板心均是拼板,而非像本拍品般使用獨板。

可比較其他造型相若但年代尺寸迥異的例子,見一對有相同銅吊牌設計的櫃子,為Frederic Mueller 舊藏,著錄於安思遠著《中國家具》,紐約,1970 年,圖版130 號,拍賣於紐約佳士得,1991 年11 月27 日,拍品237 號(圖四);另見安思遠,同上,圖版132 號的一對貼皮櫃子;還有兩對黃花梨貼皮四件櫃,一對為Richard Fabian神父舊藏,拍賣於紐約蘇富比,2016 年3 月15 日,拍品42 號;及葉承耀醫生攻玉山房舊藏一對,著錄於《楮壇室夢旅:攻玉山房藏明式黃花梨家具》,香港,1991 年,頁119,46 號,拍賣於紐約佳士得,2002 年9 月20 日,拍品60 號。其他有雕刻造型的櫃子,可參閱前加州古典家具博物館舊藏,拍賣於紐約佳士得,1996 年9 月19 日,拍品30 號,及紐約大都會博物館中國庭園Astor Garden。

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