Footnotes

清乾隆 紫檀春壽寶盒

Provenance:
Sotheby's Paris, 13 June 2012, lot 27

來源：
巴黎蘇富比，2012年6月13日，拍品27

The auspicious design of the present box, with the chun character enclosing the figure of Shoulao flanked by confronted dragons, follows the Jiajing-period carved cinnabar lacquer prototype produced in circular form, a design which was also revived during the Qianlong reign in lacquer; see Lin Mun-lee, Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors: Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008, pls.87 for a lacquer box, Jiajing mark and period; and 137 for a lacquer box, Qianlong dual mark and period. For two additional examples from the Qing Court collection, of a carved yellow lacquer box and a cinnabar box, mid-Qing dynasty, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2006, pls.59 and 61. The archives of the Imperial Workshop at the Yangxin Dian, record that in 1743 chun boxes were rated by the Qianlong emperor as 'superior', and a special order of twelve more was issued in 1758; see Yang Boda, 'History of Carved Lacquer in Suzhou in the Qing Dynasty', Journal of Chinese Museum of History, vol.4, 1982, p.124.

This type of box, known as a 'Precious Spring Longevity Box' or chunshou baohe, whilst well known in carved lacquer, is exceptionally rare to be produced in the prized zitan wood. The highly-regarded zitan was the wood of choice for furniture and wood carving in Imperial China. A slow-growing wood, it became scarce and measures were enforced by the court to preserve existing supplies, which were kept for use by the Imperial workshops; see Tian Jiaqing, Classic Chinese Furniture of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, p.37.

Compare a related small zitan box deeply carved with a chun character on the cover flanked by sinuous dragons above a basket with auspicious emblems, from the Qing Court collection, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Imperial Packing Art of the Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2000, no.62; this box contains an album of two poems of Zhounan or 'Song of South China in the Zhou dynasty', transcribed by the Qianlong emperor, as well as two small jade figures, demonstrating the use of boxes such as the present lot for the emperor's personal prized objects. See also a zitan tray carved with chun character and auspicious objects, illustrated in Auspicious Emblems: 45th Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Chiu Society, Hong Kong, 2005, pl.99.

Such auspicious chun boxes were also produced in cloisonné and champlevé enamel during the Qianlong period; see a rare pair of cloisonné and champlevé enamel boxes and covers, Qianlong, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3653.

盒橢圓形，直壁，平底，淺圈足。蓋面圓形開光，以雲紋為地，中央雕楷體「春」字，居中刻一壽星坐於松石，「春」字兩側，各雕五爪龍紋盤於祥雲間。盒蓋邊沿雕迴紋一周。蓋壁、盒壁雕錦地萬壽梅，寓意「萬壽長春」。

清宮中此類紫檀盒多用於對宮廷文玩的包裝，這類包裝大部分屬於乾隆時期的作品。乾隆帝對文玩包裝的製作傾注了大量人力及財力，很多包裝都要經過乾隆御覽，並多次修改，才下旨令造辦處製作。乾隆帝喜好在文玩包裝上借用圖案造型的隱喻，啟發被包裝物品所蘊含之哲理，其包裝效果耐人尋味。「春壽寶盒」最早見於漆器，明代之例見台北故宮博物院藏明嘉靖剔彩春壽寶盒一例，著錄於《和光剔采：故宮藏漆》，台北，2008年，頁97，編號87。乾隆一朝「春壽寶盒」漆器，見台北故宮博物院藏一例，同著錄，頁136，編號137。北京故宮博物院藏有兩例，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：清代漆器》，上海，2006年，圖59及61。

紫檀木料雖然由明代開始為宮廷使用，但因其生長週期長，木料採取不易。至清一朝，皇室更是對紫檀木最為推崇，根據《內務府造辦處活計檔》記錄也可知，即使皇家對於珍貴紫檀木料的搜求由乾隆元年至乾隆六十年都從未停止，但宮中紫檀木料至十八世紀已經開始匱乏，清宮造辦處所使用之紫檀木料大部分為前朝所取，相關論著見田家青，《清代家具》，香港，1995年，頁37。

故宮博物院藏有一件清乾隆紫檀壽春寶盒，此盒內分上下兩層，上層放乾隆御書「周南二篇」，下層放兩玉雕小人，見《清代宮廷包裝藝術》，北京，2000年，頁156，編號62。故宮藏紫檀盒雖然無款識，但有造辦處檔案記載可作參考：「乾隆十九年三月傳旨廣木作，要求急速做成紫檀木小圓盒一件，用以盛裝荷包。「其盒牆子作直的，雕回紋地八吉祥，盒蓋要饅頭鼓式，上雕聚寶盆、大吉葫蘆、吉祥花紋」可見同一器物亦可能在不同時間用來珍藏不同文玩；另見一清乾隆紫檀春壽寶盤，著錄於《千祥雲集：中國吉祥圖案文物-敏求精舍四十五週年紀念展》，香港，2005年，圖版99。

壽春寶盒亦見清乾隆鏨胎掐絲琺瑯者，見香港佳士得曾售出一對清乾隆鏨胎掐絲琺瑯壽春寶盒，2011年6月1日，拍品3653。