Footnotes

十八世紀 犀角雕仿古螭龍爵杯

Provenance:
An important European private collection

來源：
重要歐洲私人收藏

The present lot is exquisitely carved, combining superb low and high relief carving techniques, demonstrating the finest level of rhinoceros horn carving achieved during the 18th century. The archaic inspiration is consistent with the Qianlong emperor's wishes to 'restore the ancient ways', reinstating the intrinsic qualities of simplicity, sincerity and happy exuberance of the ancient cultures. For this purpose, the emperor instructed the Court to collect drawings of antiquities, such as the 'Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities' (Xi Qing Gu Jian 西清古鑑), which served as a source of designs for the production of contemporary vessels; see Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pp.49-50.

Compare a related rhinoceros horn, jue, mid-Qing dynasty, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Hong Kong, 2002, pl.205; for another related jue, 18th century, in the Harvard University Art Museums, see T.Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, pl.36.

See a related rhinoceros horn tripod libation cup, jue, 17th/18th century, which was sold in our San Francisco rooms, 13 December 2010, lot 5065; and another jue, with upright loop handles, 17th century, which was sold at Christie's London, 10 May 2011, lot 6.

杯仿古代青銅爵造型。口兩端上翹呈前流後尾形，口沿刻雷紋一周，口沿及柄雕三螭龍。腹部刻變形蟬紋及夔龍紋。杯下承三足外撇。此杯採用陰刻、鏤雕及浮雕等技法，構思巧妙，造型新穎，既有古韻，又有創新，是仿古器中的佳作。清宮藝術中多見仿古彝器的作品，必與乾隆皇帝慕古敏求的追求有關，他常命造辦處按照《西清古鑑》為藍本作仿古器。

見北京故宮博物院清宮舊藏一件清中期犀角雕螭紋爵杯，《故宮博物院珍藏文物珍品全集：竹木牙角雕刻》，香港，2002年，圖205；另見哈佛大學博物院藏一例，霍滿堂，《中國犀角雕刻珍賞》，香港，1999年，圖36。

舊金山邦瀚斯曾售出一件十七/十八世紀犀角雕三足爵杯，2010年12月13日，拍品5065；另見倫敦佳士得售出一例，2011年5月10日，拍品6。