拍品專文
In addition to their primary use as incense burners, stands such as the present lot were used to elevate smaller decorative objects such as scholar's rocks, potted plants or vases, and have played an important role in the presentation of both artistic and functional objects for centuries. Some of the finest examples, made from materials such as lacquer, jade and exotic woods, rivalled the works they were used to supplement.
The elegant form of the present lot relates closely to a Ming dynasty huanghuali incense stand preserved in the Palace Museum, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, p. 193, pl. 164 (fig. 1). Compare the nearly identical form of the lobed top, which is referred to by the Palace Museum as also being of lotus-leaf shape. This lotus-leaf shape is also seen on other lacquer wares of the period, such as the early 15th century carved red lacquer dish illustrated by Lee Yu-Kuan in Oriental Lacquer Art, New York, 1972, p. 177, no. 108. Also of note are the nearly identical bamboo-shaped struts on the waist and the closely related leaf-form feet, strongly suggesting that the two stands may have been constructed within a relatively similar time frame in the same region. However, it is interesting to note that the present stand is of more attractive proportions, and thus of a more delicate, scholarly aesthetic.
Compare, also, a black lacquer stand of similar shape but of smaller size, dated to the 15th century, in the Honolulu Academy of Arts, illustrated and discussed by S. Little and J. Jensen, Orientations, 'Chinese Furniture in the Honolulu Academy of Art, The Frederic Mueller Bequest', January, 1991, pp.72-3, fig.3, where it is noted that examples of this type were frequently used in Chinese interiors until the late 16th century, when more emphasis began to be placed on hardwood furniture.
The prototype for the form of the current lot may be seen in a Yuan dynasty black lacquer square stand of similar style in the C.L. Ma Collection, discussed and illustrated by C. Evarts, Orientations, 'New Directions in Chinese Furniture Connoisseurship: Early Traditional Furniture', January, 2000, p. 54, fig.7, where the author attributes the stand to Shanxi province. This highly successful and aesthetically pleasing form continued throughout the Yuan into the Ming dynasty, and was so popular that it continued to be emulated well into the Qing dynasty, as evidenced by two 17th/18th century cloisonne enamel examples from the Love collection, sold at Christie's New York, 20 October 2004, lots 703-4 (figs. 2 and 3).
The elegant form of the present lot relates closely to a Ming dynasty huanghuali incense stand preserved in the Palace Museum, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, p. 193, pl. 164 (fig. 1). Compare the nearly identical form of the lobed top, which is referred to by the Palace Museum as also being of lotus-leaf shape. This lotus-leaf shape is also seen on other lacquer wares of the period, such as the early 15th century carved red lacquer dish illustrated by Lee Yu-Kuan in Oriental Lacquer Art, New York, 1972, p. 177, no. 108. Also of note are the nearly identical bamboo-shaped struts on the waist and the closely related leaf-form feet, strongly suggesting that the two stands may have been constructed within a relatively similar time frame in the same region. However, it is interesting to note that the present stand is of more attractive proportions, and thus of a more delicate, scholarly aesthetic.
Compare, also, a black lacquer stand of similar shape but of smaller size, dated to the 15th century, in the Honolulu Academy of Arts, illustrated and discussed by S. Little and J. Jensen, Orientations, 'Chinese Furniture in the Honolulu Academy of Art, The Frederic Mueller Bequest', January, 1991, pp.72-3, fig.3, where it is noted that examples of this type were frequently used in Chinese interiors until the late 16th century, when more emphasis began to be placed on hardwood furniture.
The prototype for the form of the current lot may be seen in a Yuan dynasty black lacquer square stand of similar style in the C.L. Ma Collection, discussed and illustrated by C. Evarts, Orientations, 'New Directions in Chinese Furniture Connoisseurship: Early Traditional Furniture', January, 2000, p. 54, fig.7, where the author attributes the stand to Shanxi province. This highly successful and aesthetically pleasing form continued throughout the Yuan into the Ming dynasty, and was so popular that it continued to be emulated well into the Qing dynasty, as evidenced by two 17th/18th century cloisonne enamel examples from the Love collection, sold at Christie's New York, 20 October 2004, lots 703-4 (figs. 2 and 3).