A rare Imperial carved cinnabar lacquer cabinet


QianlongThe rectangular double-door cabinet raised on four L-shaped feet surmounted by a pair of low single drawers of rectangular form joined by an upright gilt-metal handle, each door, side, back and top meticulously carved with a panel enclosing various antiques and Precious Objects including flower vases, scholar's objects, bowls of fruit, scrolls and books, all reserved on a floral diaper ground framed by interlocking stylised ruyi-heads, encircled by a band of leafy lotus scrolls within a key-fret border, the interior and base lacquered black with the interior fitted with a wall separating the left and right side, each side with a narrow single drawer decorated with a floral diaper ground. 35.5cm x 30.5cm x 19.7cm (14in x 12in x 7 3/4in).
|清乾隆 剔紅博古花卉圖提匣The present lot is remarkable for the superb quality of carving, rendering a complex design of various Precious Objects and motifs with meticulous attention to detail. The contrasting high and low relief through layers of rich cinnabar lacquer accentuate the three-dimensionality of the decoration, revealing the opulent taste of the Qianlong emperor and the zenith of lacquer carving achieved during his reign.The depiction of the Precious Objects and vases of flowers appears to have drawn its inspiration from the printed or painted versions of 'antiques', such as the Guwan tu ('Pictures of Ancient Playthings'), in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which was a popular subject during the 18th century, reflecting the Qianlong emperor's affinity to antiquity. The scholar's objects may denote the wish for success in the imperial examinations and achievement of high rank. Other layers of symbolism include the peony and chrysanthemum forming the pun 'may you enjoy long life, wealth and honour'; the lingzhi fungus represents the wish for long life and the finger citron represents the wish for blessings and wealth.A cinnarbar lacquer cabinet of this size and shape, similarly carved with Precious Objects and vases of flowers, Qianlong, was illustrated in the Old Chinese Red Lacquer catalogue, Spink & Son Ltd., London, 1922, p.17, no.291. Another lacquer cabinet of this shape and size but carved with figural landscape, Qianlong, is illustrated in East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1991, p.113, no.47. A related example of a similar form but with one horizontal top compartment, mid-Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, p.68, no.45. Compare also with a cinnabar lacquer 'dragon' cabinet, Qianlong, of the same shape, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 October 2009, lot 1644；another example, Qianlong of the same form but bearing different decoration, was sold at Christie's New York, 15 September 2011, lot 1219. 提匣「凹」字形，頂置銅鎏金喜字提手，提手兩側置兩屜，匣身正面開兩扇，內隔四格兩屜，屜內及匣內皆髹黑漆，面髹朱漆，雕龜背錦地，邊框雕回字紋，前後左右上下四面，以減低地浮雕纏枝番蓮紋開光，拐子龍紋攢框，其內雕博古花卉圖，龜紋錦地為底，每組博古花卉毫不類同，計有觚形瓶、官窯瓶、象腿瓶、長頸瓶等花瓶，插花可識者有菊花、山茶、芙蓉、海棠等花卉，擺件有奇石、果盤、香具、手卷、葫蘆等雅器，抽屜把手及門面銅件皆鎏金，門柱安蝙蝠型活件格擋門扇。本件提匣實際上為兩個「凸」字形提匣一體而成，清代始見。提匣源自宋代「遊山器」，也就是「行具」，清人本是遊牧民族，常有出遊、遊獵的習俗，故而提匣在清代較之前代更為流行。類似的他例可比較一件清乾隆博古花卉圖提匣，著錄於倫敦Spink & Son有限公司之圖錄《Old Chinese Red Lacquer》，倫敦，1922年，頁17，編號291；美國大都會博物館藏一件清乾隆剔紅山水人物圖提匣，形制和本品相同，唯有開光紋樣異之，見屈志仁及B. B. Ford著，《East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection》，紐約，1991年，編號47；北京故宮所藏一件清中期剔紅文會圖提匣亦資參考，為「凸」字形，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：清代漆器》，香港，2006年，編號45。佳士得紐約2011年9月15日售出一件清乾隆御製剔紅御題詩提匣，形制亦於本件類似，拍品編號1219；另可比較一件清乾隆剔紅龍紋提匣，2009年10月8日售於香港蘇富比，拍品編號1644。