A magnificent pair of Imperial gilt-lacquered zitan-veneered 'Farming and Weaving' display cabinets


Jiaqing/DaoguangEach cabinet with the top section divided into open compartments of various form, size and height, framed by friezes carved with ruyi-shaped cloud scrolls in openwork, joined by a vertical pillar in the form of a writhing scaly dragon, all above a pair of double-door cabinets intricately carved in relief on each door with a ferocious dragon in pursuit of a flaming pearl amidst undulating cloud scrolls, surmounted by a pair of single drawers and three compartments similarly decorated, the sides, back and interior lacquered black and gilt-decorated with figural scenes in a landscape, cloisonné enamel hinges and lock plates, standing on four straight feet. 182cm x 87.6cm x 38cm (71 5/8in x 34 1/2in x 15in) (2).
|清嘉慶/道光 嵌紫檀雲龍紋描金繪山水人物耕織圖多寶閣一對 Provenance: A Belgian family collection, who lived in China circa 1920s-1930s, and thence by descent Sotheby's Paris, 9 June 2011, lot 156 An important Asian private collection 來源： 比利時私人舊藏，1920年代至1930年代客居中國，並由後人保存至今 巴黎蘇富比，2011年6月9日，拍品編號156 亞洲重要私人收藏 Duobao ge (literally meaning 'multiple treasure cabinets') began in the early Qing dynasty and may have evolved from the mid Ming period Liang'ge gui cabinets. Qing dynasty palace archives typically identify these types of cabinets 'bogu shuge (literally meaning 'extensive antique and book cabinets'), because the upper section was used to display antiques, whilst the lower section was used to store books and scrolls. The Imperial Household Department archives frequently mention the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors discussing the design of these type of zitan cabinets. Both the Kangxi and Yongzheng emperors greatly admired Japanese lacquer, and many pieces from the latter's reign are lacquered and decorated showing strong Japanese influence. The gilt design on the reverse of the present cabinets are inspired by the album 'Images of Farming and Weaving' by the Kangxi era Court painter Jiao Bingzhen, and include scenes of planting, harvesting, sifting grain and winnowing. This design demonstrates the importance attached to farming and silk production by the elite, including the Imperial Court, in a physiocratic society. Compare also with a related single gilt-lacquered zitan display cabinet, Jiaqing, which was sold at Christie's London, 5 November 2013, lot 490. 紫檀質，一式兩件，紫檀攢框，上開五孔，鑲鏤空如意雲頭紋牙子，當中一格橫樑探出龍頭，圓雕而成，龍身盤亙而上纏繞頂梁柱，柱身亦雕如意雲頭，亮格之下開四屜，面板雕穿雲龍紋，釘銅胎掐絲琺瑯如意把手，抽屜一側開小櫃子，櫃門兩開，門扇開六角亮格，面板雕如意雲龍紋，為實用門扇之縮製，櫃下部對開兩扇，門面高浮雕穿雲降龍一條，底部雕海水崖山，門扇、把手活件一如上櫃，皆銅胎掐絲琺瑯，櫃腳之間嵌牙板，正面牙板雕雲頭紋，兩側描金花卉，四足包銅胎掐絲琺瑯。亮格、抽屜、底櫃內部髹黑漆，再繪金漆山水人物圖，柜格後背上下繪金彩《耕織圖》。 多寶閣最遲出現在清早期，或源自明代中晚期的亮格櫃，清宮文檔稱此類櫃格為「博古書格」，上半部分多寶閣擺古董，下半部分櫃子則存圖書。內務府清檔記載雍正、乾隆兩帝皆親自下令設計、驗收紫檀多寶櫃。康熙帝喜愛東洋蒔繪，雍正帝更甚之，傢私器物多有漆繪裝飾，精美不輸日本蒔繪。此件柜格所繪《耕織圖》共繪五個場景，分別是「一耘」、「收刈」、「持穗」、「籭」及「簸揚」，以康熙年間焦秉貞《御制耕織圖》為底本。《耕織圖》現存版本甚夥，在清代有官方勸諭農桑的政治作用。 參看倫敦佳士得曾售出一件獨立的清嘉慶嵌紫檀描金多寶閣，其樣式及裝飾工藝均與本拍品類似，2013年11月5日，拍品編號490。Display cabinets such as the present lot, known in Chinese literally as 'multiple treasure cabinets' (Duobao ge), or 'extensive antiques cabinet' (Bogu jia) are one of the most representative types of cabinets in the Qing dynasty that could serve the function of displaying antiques, storing books, scrolls or treasures; hence the name 'extensive antiques cabinet'. This was a high-end piece of furniture that was popular among the elites such as the literati, Court nobles and the emperor himself. In terms of their form, Duobao ge display cabinets developed from the Liang'ge gui cabinets (sometimes commonly known as 'Wanli cabinets') of the Ming dynasty. The basic form is that the lower sections have a pair of opening cabinet doors, the middle sections are set with drawers and the upper parts are composed of horizontal and vertical posts forming shelves of various sizes and shapes. Some are decorated with inlaid ivory or stones. Because these cabinets can be either large or small as well as convenient for storage and display, they were often used as partitions in rooms. Duobao ge cabinets had existed by the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty, most typically with a little bit of gold lacquer decoration, but the form and design were still relatively simple and plain overall. The thoughtful and determined Yongzheng emperor, however, was particularly taken by sumptuous yet delicate artistic styles, and it was during his reign that magnificent zitan display cabinets with elaborate carvings and decorated with gilt lacquer appeared. The Imperial Workshop archives from this period make mention of 'extensive antiques book cabinets' (bogu shuge; that is, duobao ge cabinets) in the second year of the Yongzheng reign: 'On the fourth day of the first month, the eunuch General Manager Zhang Qilin passed a decree: to make two book and antique display cabinets (bogu shuge). So it was decreed. On the twenty-fourth of the first month, the Prince of Yi was thus presented with it for his perusal and by Imperial decree, requested anther one modelled after this. So it was decreed. On the twenty eighth day of the tenth month the pair of zitan display cabinets were made and presented to the Prince of Yi.' During the reign of the Qianlong emperor, the Palace Workshops continued to make a large number of these antique display cabinets, such as the one by the east wall of the Shufang studio in the Zhonghua Palace and another in huanghuali with a hidden door and display shelves with antiques above. The design of such cabinets was meant to display items of different sizes and shapes. In the tenth year of the Qianlong reign, the Workshop archives record: 'On the fourth day of the first month, the Chief Commissioner Samuha delivered to eunuch Hu Shijie a green flower vase, one Ru glazed food dish, a Han dynasty jade dragon-horse carving..., and passed on the decree that: the cabinets should be made according to the style and the sizes of these antiques, with the zitan frames appropriately matching with painted back boards. And to do so in a speedy manner. And so it was decreed.' The pair of cabinets presented in this auction, are made of zitan, the back is lacquered black depicting several figures and landscapes in gold. The cabinets match each other symmetrically. The top shelves are of different sizes and use different methods of joinery. There is one column of circular section intricately carved with dragons amidst clouds connecting the upper and lower sides, which has both decorative and mechanical effects. The shelves are above drawers of various sizes and another drawer with two cabinet doors, further carved with dragon and cloud designs, creating the effect of a cabinet within a cabinet. The hinges are made with cloisonné enamel and the crest rail above the smaller cabinet terminates with a dragon-head. In this way, the twisting and turning corners and latticework may be seen as the dragon's body itself twisting and turning. In the middle of the cabinet are two rectangular drawers side by side, further carved with dragons and clouds. Beneath are a pair of doors carved with undulating clouds and dragons weaving mysteriously underneath. Below this is a shaped apron with matching design of carved clouds and dragons. All drawer handles, hinges and locks on the cabinet are in cloisonné enamel. It is extremely rare to find a pair of cabinets still with cloisonné enamelled locks. The bright and colourful cloisonné enamel resting against the dark wood creates a rich and luxurious effect. Behind the shelves on the upper section, the back board is lacquered black but with a faint purple hue. On top of the black lacquer, a landscape with figures is outlined in gold. There is the figure of an emperor accompanied by his guards, attendants and ladies. The interiors and cabinet doors are also lacquered black and decorated with gold outlines of palace ladies and scrolling flowers. Black and gilt lacquered works were most popular during the reign of the Yongzheng emperor. The decoration and design of these cabinets certainly is consistent with the characteristics of this period. The reverse of the cabinets is divided into lower and upper section, with the upper sections being relatively larger. In total the two cabinets show four scenes painted in gold with pictures from the 'Images of Farming and Weaving' (geng zhi tu). Farming and sericulture were highly valued by all emperors across the ages in what was essentially a physiocratic society. Each year in the beginning of Spring, the emperor himself would ceremonially plough and the empress would ceremonially weave silk, signifying the importance rulers attached to agriculture and the production of silk and weaving. In the Southern Song dynasty, Lou Shu began to make 21 images titled 'Images of Farming and Weaving', showing the process in detail. Politically, they reflected an ideal under righteous government and so these images have always been highly valued by the emperors. In the Ming and Qing dynasties numerous copies and versions were made. When the Kangxi emperor went on his tours to the south, he saw the Song dynasty version of these images and thereupon ordered the painter Jiao Bingzhen to prepare a new set of 45 paintings inspired by them, titled 'Imperial Images of Farming and Weaving' (Yuzhi gengzhi tu). Thereafter, in the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, many versions of these images were painted at the Court. For example, the Qianlong emperor commissioned the 'Imperial Images of Spinning Cotton' (Yuzhi mianhua tu), and the Daoguang emperor commissioned 'Images of Silkworm Breeding and Mulberry Growing' (Cansang tu). The 'Images of Farming and Weaving' were not just imitated in further paintings, but also copied onto wood carvings, bamboo carving, lacquer, ink sticks and many other crafts. The Palace Museum in Beijing has in its collection just such a zitan top-case cabinet decorated with such scenes. The scenes on the back of this cabinet from the 'Images of Farming and Weaving' can be described roughly as follows: One image on the top shows numerous fields and farmers planting rice in the foreground, to the right is a thatched pavilion with a lady holding a tray. A river in the distance is crossed by a bridge with a sage holding a staff walking across it. This scene comes from the section Yiyun (First weeding; see fig.1 in the catalogue). The other similarly painted landscape on the other upper section of the cabinet is from the section Shouyi (Harvesting; see fig.2 in the catalogue), and shows peasants harvesting the crop with scythes. An ox cart carries away the produce. The scene beneath, shows the scene of Chisui Rice pounding, see fig.3 in the catalogue) illustrating three farmers with pitch-forks pounding the rice plants so that the rice can be completely unshelled and transported. Nearby we see a farmer carrying a bag of rice. The sections Shai (Sifting the grain; see fig.4 in the catalogue) and Boyang (Winnowing; see fig.5 in the catalogue) depict farmers sifting and fanning away the chaff.These four paintings in gold show that these pair of cabinets probably belonged to the emperor's family. The reverse of these pair of cabinets is painted so finely that they couldn't have been placed against a wall unseen, but rather were meant to work as indoor partitions for a large hall or room. There are three related examples to this pair of cabinets, one of which is a pair of zitan cabinets with dragons, in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The other zitan cabinet is in the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, and the third is in the Diaoyutai State Hotel in Beijing. All four are similar; the style, materials and decorative techniques show a very consistent style. Even the use of cloisonné enamel lock plates does not rule out the fact that they could have been made by the same craftsmen in the same workshop. Among them, the zitan cabinet in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, formerly belonged to Prince Gong, demonstrating that these types of cabinets belonged to Imperial family members. In Beijing, the Jietai temple also houses a pair of similar display cabinets which belonged to Prince Gong, but in huanghuali. The form is related to the present lot, but the materials and engravings are further away from the zitan examples and should be considered as late Qing dynasty. If we can use this as a reference, the present lot of zitan cabinets were probably made in the mid-Qing dynasty or slightly later, between the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods. The dragon and cloud design and engraving style would indeed correspond to this period.嵌紫檀雲龍紋描金繪山水人物耕織圖多寶閣扼要多寶格，又名多寶閣、博古架、博古槅，是清代傢俱中最具代表性的庋具，濫觴於宮廷，流行於皇親貴胄和士大夫間的高檔傢俱。多寶格至遲在清康熙時期已經出現，以一些彩漆戧金漆制者最為典型。此次春拍所呈現的這對多寶格，紫檀製成，主框架採用包鑲工藝。後背黑漆描金飾人物故事圖。格成對，格子佈局對稱。上方五格，大小各不相同，一角為矩形，旁為曲尺形，中間為「十」字形，其中一側有雲龍紋柱連接上下，兼有裝飾和力學的作用。下方一排並列一方、一扁抽屜和對開櫃門。抽屜前臉皆浮雕雲龍紋；櫃門為四抹式，上方龜背錦式槅心，中間絛環板為委角長方形開光，內浮雕雲紋，下方裙板浮雕雲龍紋，整體觀之，如同在櫃上又設一小櫃的感覺。小格轉角處多飾有鏤雕雲紋角牙，最下方一層以雲紋牙板為圍欄。小櫃門上方橫棖生出，雕刻為龍首，張嘴揚須，具清中期龍紋特徵。多寶格中間為並排兩個扁長抽屜，亦浮雕雲龍紋。多寶格下方則為對開兩扇門，委角長方形開光，浮雕雲氣，遊龍。櫃門下為長牙板，中間垂窪膛肚，上飾雲紋。多寶格的抽屜把手和櫃門上的合頁、面葉、吊牌皆以琺瑯製成，難得的是兩個櫃門上的琺瑯鎖具、鑰匙尚存。多寶格正面背板上描金繪山水間仕女、帝王、金瓜衛士遊園的場景。多寶格的側山、門內，皆黑漆描金飾仕女圖。門內膛後背板黑漆描金飾嬰戲圖，膛板則飾折枝花卉。多寶格背面，分上下兩層，上部較大，整幅畫面，一對多寶格計四個場景，黑漆描金繪成《耕織圖》。此多寶格背面所表現者為《耕織圖》之《一耘》（圖1）、《收刈》（圖2、《持穗》（圖3）、《籭》（圖4）、《簸揚》（圖5）。四幅圖畫，繪製精細入微，以此也可佐證此對多寶格應為帝王貴胄家物。後背繪製如此精細，說明其使用時並非靠牆擺放，而是擺放在兩面可觀的地方，為室內隔斷之用。與本對多寶格相似者，見有三例，其一為臺北故宮所藏紫檀雲龍紋多寶格成對（圖7）；其二為浙江省博物館所藏紫檀雲龍紋多寶格（圖6）；其三為北京釣魚臺國賓館藏紫檀雲龍紋多寶格（圖8）。不排除是同一批工匠製作，甚至是同一套傢俱。