A rare Imperial qiangjin and polychrome lacquer 'dragons' side-table


KangxiThe top rectangular panel elaborately decorated in gilt, red, ochre and green with two confronted writhing five-clawed dragons in mutual pursuit of a flaming pearl amidst cloud and fire scrolls above crested waves, the rim with a key-fret border, all raised above an apron with a ruyi-head terminal at the top of each everted leg decorated with eighteen dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls amidst cloud and fire scrolls, each side with a shaped rectangular frame enclosing a ruyi-head decorated with a pair of adult and young dragons amidst clouds above waves, the side frames and legs decorated with composite floral sprays. 98.1cm (38 5/8in) wide x 83.5cm (32 7/8in) high x 39.5cm (15 1/2in) deep
|清康熙 戧金彩漆雲龍紋條桌The present table is remarkably decorated with a total of twenty-four dragons in mutual pursuit of flaming pearls amidst cloud and fire scrolls. Such impressive decoration could have only been made by special commission for the imperial court, and very possibly for the use of the emperor.A similar 'dragon' design can be seen on two mother-of-pearl inlaid black lacquer tables, Kangxi marks and of the period, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Classics of the Forbidden City: Imperial Furniture of Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beijing, 2007, pp.194-195, 210-211 and 342 (showing no.252 in the Chuxiu gong 'Palace of Gathering Elegance'), nos.231 and 252. See also a similar design of floral sprays on a polychrome black-ground lacquer table, Kangxi, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Mingqing Gongting Jiaju Daguan, vol.2, Beijing, 2006, p.636.整桌木胎戧金彩漆，桌面赭地，畫面底部刻海水崖山，其上雕兩降龍戲珠，周圍雲頭纏繞，漆面受刀處皆戧金，華彩煥然，冰盤沿飾拐子回紋，無束腰，牙頭、牙板一木連做，牙頭雕如意形，面頭描漆戧金飾雙龍趕珠。四腿外撇，兩側嵌棖板，板心鎪空作如意雲板形，板面飾一升龍一降龍相戲於海水崖山之上，每條腿面各飾兩條趕龍紋，皆以如意雲紋間之，桌內側飾花草紋。宋代以來戧金工藝便廣泛用於漆器裝飾，日人稱為沈金，出光美術館藏有一件南宋沈金菊紋放盤便是這一工藝之早期實例，見西田宏子著，《宋元の美―伝来の漆器を中心に》，東京，2004年，編號139。彩漆工藝發軔時期更為久遠，先秦時期便有廣泛運用，其工藝又細分成「填漆」和「描漆」兩種，至於戧金和彩漆工藝何時結合，學界尚無定論，惟可見明嘉靖以來，戧金彩漆家具有大量存世。此件即為戧金描漆之例。戧金彩漆作品清代始於康熙年間，如一件「大清康熙年製」款彩漆戧金雲龍葵辦式盤，可謂標準器，其工藝及紋樣和本件條桌相似，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：清代漆器》，香港，2006年，編號71。其龍紋還可參考兩件康熙年款黑漆嵌螺鈿桌，見《故宮經典:明清宮廷家具》，北京，2007，頁194-195、210-211及342。另可參考一件康熙彩漆黑地桌，見胡德生著，《故宮博物院藏明清宮廷家具大觀》，卷2，北京，2006年，頁636。