登录
China, 1736-1795. Comprising two rectangular plaques, each finely carved in relief with a mountainous landscape.
One plaque depicts a pair of cranes, one perched upon a rocky outcrop gazing upward toward the other shown in flight beside a cascading waterfall, surrounded by scattered clusters of lingzhi fungus, a pine tree, and willow branches emerging from behind the rocks.
The companion plaque portrays two deer grazing beneath a gnarled wutong tree, framed by imposing rock formations and lingzhi, with drifting misty clouds above.
The opaque stones are both of a vibrant blue color with minute mica flakes and few creamy white and silvery veins.
The reverse of both plaques are inscribed with poetic texts, finely highlighted in gilt.
Inscriptions:
Imperial Poem on Deer
In the spiritual realm, nothing is without, Elusive and graceful, they roam.
Their hides, sought after for ceremonial rites,
Their antlers, symbols marking them out among the herd.
They are not meant for the kitchens, Nor to be pursued with arrows.
Forget the pursuit, be with them closely, alone, like the solitary sea gull.
Imperial Poem on Cranes
Spreading wings, they listen to the call to fly, They love the mountains so return once more.
Never expecting rewards of rice and grain, They always accompany the islets and shores.
Their cries to the moon hold no resentment, They comb the wind with leisurely thoughts.
Though lacking in lofty aspirations, Are they really so different from the recluse?
御製鹿詩
靈囿無不有，伊尼特牣焉。
革希領子出，角解異群跧。
未是供庖候，因非挾矢前。
忘機近左右，寧獨海鷗然。
御製鶴詩
放翅聽飛去，愛山仍復還。
那期稻粱報，常伴渚洲間。
唳月聲非怨，梳風意自閒。
使無清介格，亦豈異乎鷴。
Provenance: The private collection of Jules Speelman, London. Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 2 October 2018, lot 3409, mid-estimate HKD 1,350,000 or approx. EUR 173,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Each stand with a label from the Sotheby’s sale. Jules Speelman is a world-leading dealer and collector of East Asian art with 60 years of experience. In 1964 he joined his late father, Alfred, in the family business which already stretched back three generations to 19th century Holland and expanded into England around the turn of the century. Originally, A & J Speelman dealt with antiques, from European ceramics, silver, tapestries, and furniture to Chinese porcelain, and works of art. With his father, Jules gradually shifted the focus towards Asia and under Jules Speelman's skilled direction, A & J Speelman is now considered amongst the foremost dealers in Asian antiques, with a particular emphasis on figurative sculpture and works of art from the past 2000 years.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and few tiny nibbles and nicks. The stands with minor repairs and tiny chips.
Weight: 1,384 g and 1,262 g (the tablets), 783 g (both stands)
Dimensions: Height 22.8 x 15.6 cm (each excl. stand), 33.5 cm (each incl. stand)
Each with the original, matching, and perfectly fitted Huanghuali wood stand dating from the same period. (4)
The revered lapis lazuli stone was imported into China from Afghanistan, adding to its rarity and value. Because of its mysterious indigo hue, reminiscent of the celestial realm, lapis lazuli was often used for ceremonial objects and ornaments. Due to the soft nature of the stone, lapis lazuli could be worked more easily than jade often with exquisite detailing. The deep undercutting and high-relief carving of the subjects on the present pair of plaques reflect the artistic quality found on 18th century jade carving. Unlike jade, lapis lazuli was a rarer material and fewer objects made from this stone were made. Among these is a related lapis-lazuli screen, carved with landscape and figures, similarly inscribed with an Imperial poem, illustrated in Qingdai yudiao yishu, Taipei, 1994, p.53.
There is little doubt that lapis lazuli was highly prized during the Qianlong period, as evidenced by numerous objects and carvings dyed to imitate the natural stone, such as an 18th-century carved stone table screen dyed to mimic lapis lazuli, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number B60J13+, published in Michael Knight et al., Later Chinese Jades, Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, 2007, no. 102. In fact, the craftsmen even went to the lengths of inserting small bits of metal to simulate the pyrite inclusions in the natural mineral.
The deer, pine, crane, and lingzhi fungus form one of the most enduring visual expressions of longevity and auspicious blessing. The deer (lu) symbolizes long life, prosperity, and official success through its homophonic association with emolument and rank, while the evergreen pine represents endurance, resilience, and immortality. The crane, traditionally believed to live for centuries, is an emblem of longevity and transcendence, often associated with Daoist immortals. The lingzhi fungus, revered as the “fungus of immortality,” conveys wishes for health, spiritual attainment, and eternal life. Together, these motifs create a powerful rebus expressing hopes for enduring vitality, prosperity, and blessed longevity.
The longevity theme is further echoed in the imperial poems inscribed on the reverse of each panel. The two poems originate from the Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji (Anthology of Imperial Qianlong poems and proses), Yuzhi shi si ji (Imperial poems) vol. 4, juan 14.
The poems are characteristically incised in intaglio and highlighted with gilt, a decorative technique widely employed in the 18th century. The absence of a cyclical date accompanying the poems would suggest that the pair, instead of being works created directly by the Imperial Workshops, may be tribute items sent to the court by high-ranking regional officials. For a similar lapis lazuli boulder with comparable imperial poem without a cyclical date, see the literature comparison below.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related inscribed mountain carved from lapis lazuli of similar stone quality and color, rendered with comparable landscape scenes with cascade rocks, waterfall and trees, and similarly inscribed with an imperial poem without a cyclical date, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, reference number 故00105408.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 21 May 2009, lot 1110
Mid-Estimate: HKD 415,000 or approx. EUR 70,000 (for one) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An inscribed lapis lazuli table screen, Qing dynasty, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, stone, manner of carving, imperial poem, and size (22.2 cm).
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