Footnotes

清乾隆 剔紅端獅戲球長方蓋盒 陰刻填金「大清乾隆年製」、「狻猊寶盒」款

The present lot demonstrates the outstanding craftsmanship attained in the lacquer ateliers, as well as the Qianlong emperor's personal taste and influence on the design of lacquer wares made for the Imperial court.

The Qianlong emperor oversaw the production of court lacquer wares, with particular reference to cinnabar lacquer boxes and covers with dual Imperial marks, as exemplified by the present lot. According to the archives of the lacquer workshop in the Imperial Palace Workshops, Zaobanchu, during the Qianlong reign between 1771 and 1775, a number of specifically carved lacquer baohe or 'treasure boxes' were produced by order of the emperor, with specially inscribed four-character names as well as the Imperial reign marks; see Lin Mun-lee, Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors: Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008, p.117.

See a rectangular cinnabar lacquer box and cover of similar size, also decorated with three Buddhist lions playing with a ribboned ball, Qianlong and Xunshi Baohe marks and of the period, and another related rectangular cinnabar lacquer box of similar form, Qianlong and Danfeng Baolian marks and period, both in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated by Lin Mun-lee, ibid., pls.107 and 130.

The Qianlong emperor exhorted his court and craftsmen to look to China's archaic past for moral guidance and artistic inspiration. In lacquer this inspiration manifested itself in the use of archaistic forms and designs. However, it is rare for a single archaistic motif, such as the whorl motif carved on the side panels of the present lot, to be integrated into what is otherwise a non-archaistic form and design, demonstrating the freedom of interpretation and creativity allowed to the master craftsmen. Compare two archaistic three-tiered cinnabar lacquer boxes and covers, mid-Qing dynasty, carved with a similar whorl motif, from the Qing Court collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2006, pls.55-56.

本蓋盒通體雕朱漆，蓋面刻開光三狻猊戲球圖，外四邊以纏枝花卉紋為飾，盒側同飾此紋，華美統一。狻猊，傳說中的龍生九子之第五子，喜煙好坐，形態似獅，故又有一說法狻猊則西域之獅子也。據清宮檔案，清乾隆帝於1771-1775年間，大量於造辦處訂做漆器，要求甚高。

根據《清檔》記載可知此類寶盒為乾隆三十六年（1771）至乾隆四十年（1775）所作。乾隆皇帝極力推行宮廷漆器製作，最早在乾隆三年就傳旨製作帶有年款之漆器。此類寶盒雕刻大多借用古代典故，頗具文學意涵。有關乾隆一朝雕漆風格的論述，請閱台北國立故宮博物院，《和光剔采 – 故宮藏漆》，台北，2008年，頁117。

台北故宮博物院藏清乾隆剔紅馴獅寶盒，蓋面飾錦地三戲球獅子，器底中央陰刻填金「大清乾隆年製」款，蓋內中央陰刻填金「馴獅寶盒」款，其構圖、落款形式及雕工與本拍品相似，另見台北故宮藏一件清乾隆剔紅丹鳳寶奩，其形制與此寶盒類似，見《和光剔采：故宮藏漆》，台北，2008，頁132，圖版107及130。

此寶盒四壁纏枝花卉中央雕迴紋及變形渦紋較為特殊，此種紋飾多見於乾隆時期剔紅仿古器上，而以瑞獸花卉為主題紋飾的器物則較少應用，足見乾隆「慕古創新」的藝術品味，見北京故宮博物院清宮舊藏兩例剔紅仿銅壺式盒，其渦紋與此寶盒類似，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：清代漆器》，上海，2006年，圖版55-56。