A RARE PALE GREEN AND RUSSET JADE 'MYTHICAL BIRD' SCROLL WEIGHT
Tianji Wenbao incised four-character mark, 18th centuryThe domed weight finely carved as a mythical bird with a single crest and pointed beak, on a circular base with its wings outstretched as if ready for flight, the slightly-flared wings flanking a bulbous body, the long tail feathers elegantly curled in various directions, all meticulously incised with well-defined feathers suggesting vivid movement, the base incised with a four-character 'Tianji Wenbao' mark within a dense ground of C-scrolls, the smoothly-polished stone of pale-green tone with beige and russet inclusions. 6.1cm (2 3/8in) diam.
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十八世紀 朱雀玉鎮「天雞文寶」刻款Provenance: an important European private collection來源:歐洲重要私人收藏The present lot is an outstanding example inspired by an earlier design dating to the Han dynasty. This rhythmically-carved bird is remarkable for its intricate relief decoration in various depths, displaying exceptional technique in carving the naturalistic and three-dimensional rendering of the jade bird. During the Han dynasty, weights of similar shape to the present example were made of precious materials such as jade or gilt-bronze and likely made for use by high-ranking members of society. In this context, these weights were usually produced in sets of four, each in the shape of a human figure or a mythical animal or bird representing one of the four Directions of the Universe. The Red Bird depicted on the present lot represented South and would have been used in conjunction with the White Tiger symbolising West, the Green Dragon of the East and the Black Tortoise of the North. Sitting at the centre of a cosmic diagram signified being the pivot and recipient of all the forces of the universe, symbolic of the Chinese emperors. The present lot is closely related to a line drawing of a bronze weight in the shape of a mythical bird, Han dynasty, published in the 'Catalogue of Ancient Ritual Bronzes' Xiqing Gujian Xiqing gujian, vol.38, p.46. This collection of drawings served as a source of inspiration for the production of contemporary objects, underscoring the emperor's wish to reinstate what he believed to be the intrinsic qualities of simplicity, sincerity and happy exuberance found in the ancient past; see Chang Li-Tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pp.49-50. The inscription incised on the underside of the present lot, Tianji Wenbao, reflects the 18th century trend of paying homage to the historical past, as it literally translates as 'Mythical Bird Cultural Treasure'. A gilt-bronze weight similarly shaped as a mythical bird curling above a circular base is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, acc.no. 000333N. Compare with a related exceptionally rare jade mythical-bird scroll weight, Han dynasty, illustrated by T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong, 2011, pl.74, which was later sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 30 May 2017, lot 54.青玉圓雕一朱雀鳥呈振翅待飛姿勢,留皮巧雕出雀鳥頭部及羽翼。雀鳥眼眶以陰刻方式表現,鳥喙短銳而渾圓有力,頭上有一撮羽冠向後垂在頸上。羽翼微張,以陰線勾勒出波摺層次。兩側浮雕腿足,憨態可掬。底部陰刻流動雲紋,中央刻「天雞文寶」篆書款。本例形制源於漢朝席鎮。桌椅普遍使用之前,人們席地而坐,室內所設床榻也需鋪席。席鎮遂用於席的四隅以避免起身落座時折卷席角。皇室貴冑常用材料貴重的銅鎮、玉鎮,且造型豐富,以人物和動物形最為多見,通常以一組四件使用。此朱雀玉鎮應為一組四件中的一件。朱雀是中國傳統文化中的「四靈」之一,和青龍、白虎、玄武共同表示四方,即左青龍(東)、右白虎(西)、前朱雀(南)、後玄武(北)。能以四像神獸形的席鎮置於四隅,寓意著席鎮主人位於東南西北四方的中央,暗示著使用者舉足輕重的地位。宋代以後,席鎮原始的功能逐漸消失,文人常取獸形鎮以為鎮紙之用。此玉鎮之造型與乾隆時期《西清古鑑》卷三十八「書鎮」中一漢鳩鎮的線描圖相似。《西清古鑑》是乾隆十四年下旨編制收錄清代宮廷所藏古代青銅器的大型譜錄。乾隆皇帝好古敏求,崇尚慕古之風,認為古物樸素、精純、高雅、有意涵,曾交《考古圖》、《西清古鑑》等予玉工作為製作新製玉器時造型、紋飾的藍本。詳見張麗端著,《宮廷之雅:清代仿古及畫意玉器特展圖錄》,台北,1997年,頁49-50。本玉鎮之原型有兩例可資參考,台北國立故宮博物院藏一件漢代銅鎏金朱雀形席鎮,館藏編號000333N;另有一件松竹堂舊藏東漢或以後朱雀玉鎮,收錄於霍滿棠著,《韞玉生輝——松竹堂珍藏玉器》,香港,2011年,圖版編號74,後於2017年5月30日售於香港邦瀚斯,拍品編號54。
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