Footnotes

清中期 竹雕留青雙聖先知筆筒

Provenance:
An important Asian private collection

來源：
重要亞洲私人收藏

The inscription reads as:

先天之先 xiantian zhi xian
造化萬千 zaohua wanqian
參透消息 cantou xiaoxi
益壽延年 yishou yannian
希黃刻 xihuang ke

'before the beginning of life,
is the creation of ten thousand forms,
to decipher the hidden messages,
will grant blessings of longevity.
carved by Xihuang'

The present lot is associated with the liuqing carving technique, a unique style of bamboo carving whereby the skin is reserved in lower relief carving highlighting varying degrees of shading. Zhang Xihuang is considered to be one of the most skilled bamboo artists, but only few works can be firmly attributed to him. His renown led to subsequent carvers imitating his style and for the use of apocryphal signatures as in the present lot.

Compare a bamboo brushpot, early Qing dynasty, by Zhang Xihuang, and two others, Qing dynasty, with mark of Zhang Xihuang, in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Literati Spirit: Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving, Shanghai, 2012, pls.144, and 146-147. See also two bamboo brushpots by Zhang Xihuang, in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., illustrated by L.C.S.Tam, Chinese Bamboo Carving, vol.I, Hong Kong, 1978, pp.86-87.

筆筒用一段竹節雕成，以留青技法雕兩聖人對坐，一人倚身仰頭，另一人則雙手歇於葫蘆之上，旁邊陰刻詩文「先天之先 ，造化萬千 ，參透消息，益壽延年。希黃刻 。」

留青技法，即借青筠去留多寡來呈現表面深淺濃淡變化。此技法始于唐代，但明代後期才運用成熟。留青技法清初以張希黃最為稱絕，但傳世品中鮮有作品能夠確認為出自本人之手，此時各地竹人均以留青工藝製作竹器，但未形成專門流派。清中後期出現刻有寄託款的仿品，此筆筒或為一例。其他帶有張希黃款的例子，見上海博物館藏一件張希黃作留青山水樓台圖筆筒，以及兩件帶張希黃款的筆筒，著錄於《竹鏤文心：竹刻珍品特集》，上海，2012年，圖版144及146-147。另見華盛頓弗瑞爾博物館藏兩件張希黃竹雕筆筒，著錄於葉義、譚志成，《中國竹刻藝術》，卷一，香港，1978年，頁86-87。