A fine and rare moss-agate 'pine and lingzhi' brush washer


QianlongSuperbly and naturalistically carved as a gnarled hollowed pine trunk beside a hollowed lingzhi fungus raised on branches issuing smaller lingzhi alongside bamboo, the translucent warm toned agate stone with moss-green inclusions cleverly used to denote the pine needles, lingzhi and bamboo, with an elaborately carved stained ivory stand. 12.8cm (5in) wide (2).
|清乾隆 瑪瑙巧雕靈芝松樁花插Provenance:Formerly in a French private collection來源：法國私人舊藏Agate saw a revival during the Yongzheng reign as the emperor admired the translucency of the stone with its rich natural striations transformed when held to the light, as demonstrated in a number of Yongzheng mark and of the period vessels in the Imperial Collections; see the National Palace Museum, Taipei exhibition catalogue Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, Taipei, 2009, nos.II-61-70. A related mottled brown agate 'Three Friends' vase, 18th/19th century, was sold at Christie's New York, 20-21 March 2014, lot 2547.瑪瑙質，質地瑩潤透光，色如黃璃，間以綠斑。隨形雕老松一樁，環抱靈芝一朵，掏空呈杯狀，杯壁雕松枝、靈芝、竹葉，俱隨綠斑而走，恰作葉色，匠心巧運。配座為象牙質，鏤空雕作山石，石壁上附靈芝，象牙自然開裂紋路恰作山石裂紋，純乎天工也。 雍正帝對瑪瑙所愛非常，曾下口諭造辦處「往秀氣裡面收拾」、「往薄裡磨做」。可參考數件雍正朝瑪瑙器，見台北故宮展覽圖錄，《清世宗文物大展》，2009年，編號II-61-70。佳士得紐約曾售出一件瑪瑙巧雕歲寒三友花插亦資參考，2014年3月20至21日，拍品2547。