Footnotes

清乾隆 宮廷進貢銅胎畫琺瑯西洋人物圖鼻煙盒 紅彩「乾隆年製」楷書款

Provenance 來源:
According to the family, acquired by Hans Goldstein probably between 1948-1981 and thence by descent

據說由Hans Goldstein或於1948至1981年間購得，並由家族繼承

Published and Exhibited 出版及展覽:
M.Gillingham, Chinese Painted Enamels, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1975, Catalogue no.33A

Snuff was an expensive luxury commodity in Europe in the 18th century and was introduced to the Qing Court by means of European missionaries, envoys and merchants. Snuff-taking became immensely popular, even with the emperor himself, and the imperial household began manufacturing snuff boxes and bottles with a combination of innovative western elements and ingenious Chinese craftsmanship.

The present lot in its form and decoration acknowledges inspirations from several cultures including the Chinese interpretation of the Indian-style lotus borders that emulates Rococo-type designs, together with a distinct European subject matter, representing an exotic foreign culture. The snuff box is therefore a representative artwork that bears witness to the integration of Asian and Western cultures in the imperial Court. The imperial Court's fascination with European culture and hence its depiction as decorative subject matter on various mediums is evident in many existing porcelain and works of art in the imperial collections in Beijing and Taipei, ranging from clocks to snuff bottles, vases and other vessels of porcelain and glass.

The usage of materials, forms, and techniques all reached new heights of skill and design during the Qianlong reign. Painted enamel, first introduced during the Kangxi reign by foreign missionaries, became a defining art form of the Qianlong style, in quality, innovation and unsurpassed opulence. The actual painting on the present snuff box was probably done by artists employed by private ateliers in Guangzhou who were capable of producing intricately designed pieces combining Chinese and European elements.

Compare related examples of painted enamel boxes and covers, Qianlong marks and of the period, also applying a related composition of a Western scene encircled by Chinese elements, from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated by Shi Jingfei, Radiant Luminance: The Painted Enamelware of the Qing Imperial Court, Taipei, 2012, pls.93, 94 and 104; and see also E.Rawski and J.Rawson, China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795, London, 2005, pl.98.

在十八世紀，鼻煙在歐洲被視為具療效的奢侈品，明末清初由西方傳教士、大使和商人傳入中國，捲起鼻煙熱潮，鼻煙壺也成為風尚，迅速融入了中國的藝術風格。

本盒無論從其裝飾紋飾以及器形均明顯展示了中西文化上的交流。盒上所飾番蓮紋是吸收了印度佛教文化後在中國的應用，蓮花旁的葉紋也充滿了法國洛可可風格，而題材選用西洋人物，本器無疑是中西文化融合的結晶。

乾隆時期，中國的工藝在用料、造型、裝飾和技術上已發展至頂峰。本器所運用的畫琺瑯工藝始於康熙年間，到了乾隆一朝發揚光大，相對於清宮造辦處畫琺瑯工藝較為注重傳統手法的宮廷樣式，本器上所飾的西洋人物題材構圖繁密，線條奔放，色彩諧調，洋溢著西方畫風，相信是出自技藝高超的廣東畫琺瑯工匠之手。

類似於本器的畫琺瑯鼻煙盒非常少見，其他乾隆帶款飾西方題材的相關例子可參考國立故宮博物院的藏品，見《通嚏輕揚：鼻煙壺文化特展》，台北，2012年，圖版93、94及104；也對比E.Rawski and J.Rawson著，《China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795》，圖版98。