Elegant playthings in wood, lacquer and stone

Elegant playthings in wood, lacquer and stone

Illustrated on front cover

19

Pair of Huanghuali Weiqi Counter Containers and Covers (one illustrated) ( weiqizihe )

Qing dynasty, 17th - 18th century

Maximum width: 14.5cm

Height: 10.6cm

6

Huanghuali Foliate Weiqi Counter Container and Cover ( weiqizihe )

Qing dynasty, 18th century

Diameter: 11.0cm

Height: 8.8cm

15

Wumu Carving of a Gourd or Fruit

Qing dynasty, 18th - 19th century

Height: 8.8cm

Width: 6.6cm

Illustrated on back cover

8

Turquoise Matrix Miniature Scholar’s Rock Qing dynasty, 18th - 19th century

Height: 12.0cm

ESKENAZI

ISBN: 978 1 873609 54 5

Design, Typesetting and Photography Daniel M. Eskenazi

Printed and originated by Graphicom Srl., Vicenza © copyright 2024 ESKENAZI London

Elegant playthings in wood, lacquer and stone

24 June - 5 July 2024

10 Clifford Street London W1S 2LJ

Telephone: 020 7493 5464

Fax: 020 7499 3136

e-mail: gallery@eskenazi.co.uk

web: www.eskenazi.co.uk

Giuseppe Eskenazi at home with his collection

We are happy to present this summer and for our 100th exhibition, a group of objects or ‘playthings’ mostly from my father’s personal collection. Although my father has always advocated dealers should not collect in their own field, he bought this group over the years simply to enjoy them at home and not with the intention to sell them. He has however decided to pass on these objects with the hope that they bring enjoyment in new homes.

The objects included in this exhibition were each made with a specific and practical use in mind, such as the weiqi counter boxes, the tiered box for divination and the fine vases for incense tools. The humble yet refined forms are carved from prized woods that include huanghuali , zitan , jichimu , hongmu , huangyangmu and wumu . In addition to the objects in wood are items of lacquer, coconut and turquoise. The two lacquer pieces, in the form of a fine mother of pearl inlaid tray and a carved brush, are the earliest pieces in the group dating to the early Ming period. I do believe handling objects is vital to truly connect with them and lacquer is no different with the lightness and refinement evident the minute you pick it up.

I would like to thank Sarah Wong for her cataloguing, research and informative essay on weiqi containers. I hope you will enjoy the essay which highlights the history of the game in China and how highly regarded it is to this day. I would also like to thank Dr Ling Zhu and Cherrei Tian for the Chinese translations in the catalogue. As always I would like to thank my father for his continued commitment and support of the gallery.

Daniel Eskenazi

前言

我们很荣幸在今年夏天举办第 100 届展览，展品主要来自我父亲私人珍藏 的雅物或“玩具”。尽管我父亲一直主张古董商不应在自己专业的领域收 藏，但他多年来购入的这些藏品只是为了把玩欣赏，并非以买卖为目的。 如今他决定将这些雅物公诸同好，希望能与新藏家分享其中的闲情逸趣。

本次展览中的器物都是根据具体用途而被制成的，如围棋子盒、占卜三 层盖盒、香插等。 朴素而别致的造型以黄花梨、紫檀、鸡翅木、红木、黄 杨木和乌木等珍贵木材雕刻而成。

除了木制器物外，还有漆器、椰雕和绿 松石雕刻，其中两件漆器分别为精美的黑漆螺钿盘和剔犀带帽笔，是此收 藏中最早的明初漆器。我坚信亲手感受器物至关重要，如此方能与其心意 相通，漆器也不例外，它的轻盈和精致在被拿起的那一刻就已了然。

我要感谢王嘉慧对围棋子盒的编目、严谨的研究和图录撰写。 我希望您 会喜欢这篇论文，它论证了这项古老游戏在中国的历史以及其从古至今备 受推崇的缘由。我还要感谢朱玲博士和田园将图录译成中文。同时，感谢 我的父亲对我一如既往的不断支持。

Daniel Eskenazi

Fig. 1

Painting of a woman playing weiqi from tomb 187, Astana, Turfan, Tang dynasty (618 - 907) Ink and colour on silk; width: 54.0cm After Shinkyouigurujichiku hakubutsu kan , Tokyo, 1987

Fig. 2

Go ( weiqi ) board, wood with ivory inlay, 8th century or before 49.0cm x 48.8cm x 12.7cm

Source: The Imperial Household Agency website (https:// shosoin.kunaicho.go.jp/en-US/search-result/?p=1&per=30&t ype=treasures&keyword=go&operator=AND)

Fig. 4

Fig. 3

Go ( weiqi ) board, wood with ivory inlay, 8th century or before 52.0cm x 51.9cm x 15.5cm

Source: The Imperial Household Agency website (https:// shosoin.kunaicho.go.jp/en-US/search-result/?p=1&per=30&t ype=treasures&keyword=go&operator=AND)

The Classic of Go (Weiqi), 400 - 1000 AD Ink on paper; height: 15.5cm, width: 240.0cm

© British Library Or.8210/S.5574

Weiqi – A Brief Overview and Consideration of Some Visual Evidence

by Sarah Wong

Weiqi has long been the ultimate game of strategy in China, taking on a cultural significance wider than the game itself. Beyond simply being a game, it was considered a tool to develop the mind and form the character. The intricacies of play were closely associated with logical thought and strategy, philosophical thinking and, by extension, the world of the literati elite.

This essay will briefly examine weiqi from the perspective of material evidence, particularly drawn from later paintings and objects associated with the game and consider thereby, its role within literati culture, and its use as a cultural signifier.

Some Early Examples of Weiqi Boards

Very briefly summarized, weiqi or ‘encirclement chess’ is played on a board with a marked grid. In early versions of the game, the boards often had seventeen by seventeen intersecting lines, with some variants. From around the Tang dynasty, this was standardized to nineteen by nineteen lines. 1 Each player has a set of counters in different colours, usually black or white, with a modern set consisting of 180 white and 181 black. The players take turns placing their counters on the interstices of the grid, in order to surround the opponent’s pieces and capture territory.

Early legends ascribe the invention of weiqi to the mythical Emperor Yao, but it may date to around 548 BC where in a contemporary text ‘the indecisiveness of installing a king on the throne was compared to a yi player raising a stone but unable to decide where to play it.’ In early texts, weiqi is thought to be called yi , though this reading is subject to interpretation. 2 On a more concrete footing, one of the earliest fragments of what appears to be a ceramic weiqi board was found in the Western Han mausoleum of Emperor Jing Di (r. 156 - 141 BC), near Xianyang, Shaanxi province 3 while an intact stone version was found in an Eastern Han dynasty (25 - 220 AD) tomb at Wangdu, Hebei province. 4

By the Tang dynasty, weiqi was widely adopted by the court and educated elite. It was not, however, limited to men. One of the earliest and most recognizable images depicting the game is a silk painting of a seated woman playing weiqi found in the tomb of an official at Astana, Turfan, Xinjiang, dated to the seventh century, now in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region Museum (fig. 1). The opponent is no longer visible and nor are any counters or container boxes. However, the design of the board is evident with its grid marked on the upper surface, supported on a raised openwork base with bracket-form sides.

The existence of the game in the wider region is well documented. By the fifth century, the same game referred to as baduk , was recorded in Korea as the favourite of a king. In Japan, where it is called go , it was favoured by the upper and ruling classes from the mid-seventh century. Three go boards were preserved in the Shosoin Repository in Japan. This cache of, initially, over six hundred objects was dedicated by the Empress Komyo in 756, in memory of her husband, Emperor Shomu and is a time capsule of luxury, religious and daily objects dating to eighth century Japan, including objects imported from Tang China. Likely brought from China, the three wood weiqi or go boards are of similar design to the one in the Astana painting – each with a grid on the upper surface and supported on a raised openwork base. The most luxurious and famous example has a sandalwood veneer, inlaid on the sides with animal scenes in ivory, with further inlay in boxwood and black persimmon wood (fig. 2). The stretchers of the base frame have painted half flowerheads against a red ground, similar to the decoration of the bench in the Astana painting. This board has drawers on diagonally opposing sides, each of which open to reveal tortoise-shaped counter containers. Another board is made of pine wood, veneered with mulberry, with a base of sandalwood and inlaid with ebony, ivory, mother of pearl and gold wire (fig. 3) while the third board is made of similar materials. The repository also has sets of counters made of quartz and serpentine in a variety of colours including black and white, as well stained ivory versions in red and black with engraved with birds. 5

Textual Material and ‘Categorization’ of Players

Historical treatises and discussions of the game, including its philosophical and strategic implications for life in general, are discussed in detail by Lo and Wang. 6 An early extant weiqi strategy manual, now in the British Library, was discovered at the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, -- -

Gansu province. The ‘Library’ Cave contained manuscripts from the fifth to the eleventh century, when it was sealed in around 1000. The original text of the manual is believed to date to around 550 and was later transcribed between the sixth to nineth centuries. The incomplete, hand-written ink scroll entitled Qi Jing (Classic of Weiqi), includes topics such as different strategies, weiqi problems, rules of behaviour while playing and types of stones (fig. 4). 7

The different ‘categories’ of players, including ‘emperors and the upper class’, professional players, with and without official sponsorship, as well as those from the scholar-official elite, have been examined in detail. 8 Famous players of different categories and historic games were also recorded in Ming and Qing dynasty compendia. Here I will consider briefly, not simply the categories of players but rather, the artistic intention behind the choice and depictions of weiqi playing scenes and the atmosphere the game could imply in a painting or decoration.

The reputation of weiqi as a cultural pursuit of the Chinese elite and as a philosophically improving past-time is reinforced by numerous paintings from around the Song period (960 - 1279) onwards. In many cases, the depiction of a weiqi game in progress functions as a shorthand to indicate the players are members of the scholar classes. Additionally, the game is a useful device, not only to show the lofty status of the players, but also to highlight a moment of dramatic tension or perhaps quiet contemplation. A famous painting that displays imperial interest in the game is The Double Screen: Emperor Li Jing Watching his Brothers Play Weiqi, in the National Museum of Asian Art, now dated to the fourteenth century (originally attributed to Zhou Wenju). The courtly setting for the weiqi game shows the emperor observing his brothers playing, highlighting the dramatic interaction as well as the tense anticipation preceding a move (fig. 5).

Immortals playing weiqi is also a recurrent theme in the decorative arts from the Ming dynasty. In contrast to the court scene above, the early fifteenth century red and green lacquer dish in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is carved with an idyllic mountain landscape featuring a pair of immortals playing weiqi by moonlight. The figure on the right of the board is identifiable as an immortal by his short cape of leaves. The flat board with a grid is placed on a rocky table with one of the rounded containers for the counters visible nearby (fig. 6). The scene exudes serenity and this depiction of the game conveys its contemplative, more philosophical aspect and its deep connections to Daoism. 9

Apart from emperors and immortals, the majority of weiqi players depicted on paintings and the decorative arts from the Ming dynasty seem to be the literati elite. 10 From perhaps around the eighth century, weiqi was already grouped with playing the zither, calligraphy, painting as the Four Accomplishments ( qin, qi, shu, hua ) of a scholarly gentleman. A game of weiqi not only showed the refinement and cultivation of the literati but became a means of demonstrating a lively intellectual atmosphere, to show debate and exchange between scholars.

The physical manifestation of the Four Accomplishments is seen in the Ming tomb of Zhu Tan, Prince Huang of Lu (1370 - 1389) at Yanzhou, Shandong province, which contained a weiqi set comprising two ceramic containers coated with lacquer, black and white ceramic counters and a paper board. This was accompanied by the other accoutrements of a scholarly gentleman – a zither and calligraphy and painting brushes. 11 This physical incorporation of the symbols of the scholar elite in a tomb is echoed in the theme of many paintings of the period. By the Ming and Qing periods, this convention of the Four Accomplishments had become a shorthand to represent the idea of the cultived scholar elite, found not only in painting and prints but also used as a decorative motif on porcelain and other media. The well-known set of four hanging scrolls in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, The Eighteen Scholars , now attributed to the Ming dynasty, is one of many such paintings. 12 The subject has an indirect reference to the Emperor Taizong (r. 626 - 649) of the Tang dynasty as depicted are the scholars he recruited before he ascended the throne. Each scroll features an elaborate garden scene of scholars appreciating respectively: painting, calligraphy, playing the zither and playing weiqi. The scroll of the scholars playing weiqi shows four main figures, all men, two of them contestants and two observers. The board is white, with a grid, raised on a wooden base, similar to the examples in the Shosoin and is placed on a raised, carved lacquer daybed on which the players are seated. The globular counter containers are dark brown with wavy patterns, apparently wood: one contestant has it nestled by his left knee while the opponent cradles his container in one hand with the other inside, drawing out a counter (fig. 7). The cradling of the counter containers, the extraction of the counters and the specific way of holding the counters is a motif repeated in many paintings.

A different approach is seen in Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden dated 1437 (after Xie Huan), a version of which is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Famous officials of the

Height: 31.3cm, width: 50.0cm

National Museum of Asian Art, Gift of Charles Lang Freer F1911.195

Carved red and green lacquer dish with immortals playing weiqi, 1425 - 1436 (detail); width: 14.9cm, length: 23.5cm

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015, 2015.500.1.33

The Eighteen Scholars (Go), Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)

Hanging scroll, ink and colour on silk (detail)

Height: 173.7cm, width: 103.1cm National Palace Museum, Taipei

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Fig. 5

The Double Screen: Emperor Li Jing Watching his Brothers Play Weiqi, 14th century Ink and colour on silk (detail)

Fig. 8

Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden dated 1437 (after Xie Huan), Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)

Handscroll, ink and colour on silk (detail); height: 37.1cm, width 243.2cm

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1989, 1989.141.3

Fig. 9

Blue and white porcelain jar, guan , Ming dynasty, Zhengtong – Tianshun reign (1436 - 1464)

Height: 34.4cm, diameter at rim: 22.1cm Shanghai Museum, Gift of Mr and Mrs Jenmou H. C. Hu

Fig. 10

Folding huanghuali board inlaid with boxwood lines for weiqi and xiangqi , late Ming dynasty - early Qing dynasty; width: 50.0cm, depth: 49.5cm Image courtesy of Nicholas Grindley

Fig. 11

Pair of huanghuali weiqi counter containers and covers Qing dynasty, 17th - 18th century Width: 14.5cm, height: 10.6cm

early fifteenth century in their court dress occupy different sections, each showing one of the Four Accomplishments. Weiqi is represented by a wood games table with an inset grid and chairs placed in readiness near a bamboo grove, with two covered – possibly wood - counter containers placed on top of the table. A single official poses in front of the table but no game is in progress: the literati connotations of the game are reinforced by the bamboo grove behind and the large vase nearby for playing the ‘scholar’s game’ of pitch pot ( touhu ) (fig. 8).

The widespread and increasingly formulaic presentation of the Four Accomplishments is reflected in the portrayal on porcelain, for instance such as on blue and white guan jars, whose generous forms and high shoulders perfectly suit the placement of the four scenes of the accomplishments. Two Ming dynasty jars beautifully illustrate this codification, one in the Shanghai Museum painted with elegant women at each of these activities (fig. 9), while another, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, has a version painted with men. 13 Similar scenes are found on Kangxi blue and white porcelain vessels in a variety of shapes including brush pots and large rouleau vases.

Materials used for Weiqi Boards and Counter Containers Boards

Much of the early evidence for the variety of materials used for weiqi boards and sets is naturally archaeological and such a survey is beyond the scope of this essay. 14 Later evidence is provided by actual sets and by paintings, as well as scenes painted on porcelain and lacquer, for instance, though artistic licence is a consideration. While early examples of excavated boards are often found in materials such as stone and ceramic – possibly as this is what has survived – rare examples of boards that remain from the late Ming and early Qing period are often of hardwood. An example of a late seventeen to early eighteenth century huanghuali board with jichimu rails, inlaid with silver wire, with one side for weiqi and the other for xiangqi is in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. 15 Convenient for outdoor use and for travelling were wooden folding boards. A fine folding board with lines inlaid in silver, dated to the late seventeen to early eighteenth century is in the same museum collection and a comparable one dated late Ming - early Qing dynasty was previously owned by Nicholas Grindley (fig. 10). Judging by depictions in paintings, boards were equally popular in indoor and outdoor contexts. In gardens or mountain scenes, players are often pictured seated at stone tables marked with grids or using a board placed on a rustic stone table. Inside, wood or lacquered boards are often shown on a table or a kang

Some paintings and prints also show players at purpose-built games tables. Such tables in hardwood, either square or rectangular, with a removable top panel revealing a games board (for weiqi and xiangqi ) concealed within a recess form an entire topic on their own which cannot be covered here, except to mention an exceptional early example: the Wanli period (15731620) lacquered square games table in the Palace Museum, Beijing which expands to three times its original size, with a recessed area for the board and counter containers. 16

Counters and Counter Containers

Counters also have been found in a wide variety of materials including semi-precious stones such as agate and quartz, as well as jade, shell, pebbles, glass, stoneware, porcelain, ivory and wood. Earlier examples are occasionally decorated with designs and shapes may have varied a little. By the Song period, the counters were generally disc-shaped 17 and by the late Ming, plain counters seem to have been mostly the norm, usually in black and white.

Weiqi counter containers are likewise found in a range of shapes and materials, including stoneware, porcelain, lacquer and different hardwoods. Based on what survives today and from depictions in paintings, the Ming dynasty onwards saw lacquered or wood boxes increasingly favoured, perhaps as hardwoods began to be imported into China. Perhaps also, as the game became a shorthand to represent the scholar and the literati way of life, the use of materials considered suitable for a scholar’s study, such as fine hardwood, was increasingly popular. Hardwood weiqi containers such as the three examples in the present exhibition are still relatively rare, with versions found for instance in huanghuali, zitan and hongmu

The pair of huanghuali counter containers in the current exhibition, formerly in the collection of The Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, are of generously rounded proportions (fig. 11, cat. no. 19). Completely undecorated, they rely on the beauty of the grain to provide the

surface decoration: the intensely figured wood provides a metaphorical landscape in which the literati owner could linger. Their rounded, full shape encourages them to be cradled in the palm of the hand and the surface is inviting to the touch. The inside walls are sloping and smooth, allowing the easy extraction of the counters while the slightly domed covers have a small thumb depression in the middle to allow for the cover to be removed easily. They are fine, classic examples of weiqi counter containers and comparable examples may be found in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Hung collection. 18 This rounded container shape is seen in many paintings, for instance in The Eighteen Scholars cited above where the player is shown cradling the container, or with a hand just inside a container, drawing out counters. The tactile fondling of the container seems almost meditative as the next move is contemplated by the player.

Another of the huanghuali weiqi containers in the present exhibition has lobed sides, as if imitating a gourd or fruit (cat. no. 6). This shape is also popular, as when filled with counters, it seems to be a natural metaphor for a gourd filled with seeds – an auspicious reference to numerous progeny. The cover is carved in low relief with a flower design which could equally refer to a calyx on the top of a fruit. A similar pair is in the collection of Minneapolis Institute of Art. 19

The third container is unusual with sides encircled by raised double lines, to simulate the segments of a bamboo stem, a reference to a plant which is central to literati culture in China (cat. no. 7). With its evergreen nature and ability to bend in the wind, bamboo came to represent strength and resilience. It became the embodiment of the ‘true gentleman’ whose qualities included fortitude, rectitude and integrity. As such, the very simple reference to bamboo would make it a suitable weiqi counter container for a scholar. However, it is unusual in that it has straight sides, unlike the majority of boxes of this period which have a full, often rounded form. However, straight-sided containers seem to be more common earlier and examples can also be found in paintings.

While hardwood seems to have become a favoured material from the late Ming to early Qing periods, in reality, containers were made in a variety of other materials, judging by surviving examples and depictions in paintings. A pair of lacquered wood gourd-shaped examples dating to the Qing dynasty are illustrated by Lo and Wang. 20 A rare example in carved red lacquer, dated sixteenth to seventeenth century appeared at auction (fig. 12), while preserved in the Palace Museum collection, Beijing, are a pair of Qianlong (1736 -1795) cloisonné examples with openwork gilt-bronze covers, together with counters made of white jade and greenish jadeite (fig. 13). A fascinating Kangxi famille verte porcelain globular weiqi container now in the Jie Rui Tang collection is of especial interest – itself depicting a weiqi game in progress, probably referring to a well-known historical game where the courtier Xie An continued his game of weiqi despite being delivered the news of victory on the battlefield, displaying admirable composure. On that container, the board is placed on a square table and the yellow-brownish counter containers are of round globular form (fig. 14).

At the risk of being too prescriptive, it is possible to imagine that the wood counter containers may have been considered suitable for use in a scholar’s study while other more decorative versions made of porcelain or lacquer might have been found in women’s quarters. The game became especially popular among women during the Ming and Qing periods and by extension ‘became a motif popular in paintings of the time’ 21 as well as in the decorative arts. Being able to play weiqi was an important skill; all Four Accomplishments, as examples of self-cultivation, were requisite for a cultured woman, whether the wife, or another kind of companion, of a scholarly elite. While some works of this period depict the shorthand formula of the Four Accomplishments with women as their subject, equally popular were scenes of lone women at a weiqi board – where the game has slightly morphed from displaying ‘cultural pursuits’ to a metaphor for a lonely or rejected lover perhaps planning a strategy. Often these were scenes set in women’s quarters and the furnishings, down to the weiqi counter containers, were designed to complement the setting.

The well-known set of twelve paintings, Twelve Beauties at Leisure , in the Palace Museum, Beijing, painted for Prince Yizhen, the future Yongzheng Emperor includes one of a beauty waiting pensively at a table arranged with a weiqi board and a pair of what appear to be Guanyao-type porcelain boxes of hexagonal form (fig. 15). The scene of the woman waiting for her missing lover is emphasized by the game for two that lies waiting. Another Qing painting shows two courtly women playing weiqi in a bamboo grove – here the depiction presents a refined, meditative enjoyment of the game (fig. 16). The board – wood frame with possibly a paper or card grid - rests on a rocky garden table – and in contrast to the rustic quality of the setting, the counter containers appear to be made of black lacquer, finely painted in gold,

Fig. 13

A pair of cloisonn é enamel weiqi counter containers and covers Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, 1736 -1795

Height: 6.5cm

After Zheng Minzhong, op. cit., Shanghai, 2009

Fig. 15

Anonymous court artist

One of a set of twelve screen paintings, Twelve Beauties at Leisure Qing dynasty, late Kangxi period, around 1709 - 1723; Ink and colour on silk; height: 184.9cm, width: 98.0cm The Palace Museum, Beijing

Fig. 12

Pair of carved red lacquer weiqi counter containers and covers Late 16th - early 17th century Width: 12.5cm Image © Bonhams

Fig. 14

Famille verte porcelain weiqi box

Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, 1662 - 1722

Diameter: 12.0cm © 2006 Christie's Images Limited

Fig. 16

Ladies playing chess

Qing dynasty, Yongzheng to Qianlong period Ink and colour on silk, (detail) Height: 99.0cm, width: 155.0cm Image © Bonhams

similar to Japanese go counter containers. In both paintings, there is an idealisation of the refined female, who was a suitable companion for a literati, or even a prince. Here the trope of weiqi as an appropriate ‘literary’ accomplishment for a woman intersects with the archetypes of the idealised, fantasy woman.

In this brief consideration of weiqi , it is difficult to do justice to a game that has been played in China for centuries and occupies such a central role culturally, intellectually and philosophically. Although often considered a game belonging to the elite and the scholar gentleman, seen in its inclusion as one of the ‘Four Accomplishments’, it is clear from the visual evidence that in fact, it was enjoyed by both sexes and by no means confined to the scholar’s studio. This is reflected in the materials in which, for instance, the counter containers are found. In the visual and decorative arts, the depiction of the game is varied. While it was often used as a shorthand to convey the trope of elite cultural pursuits, it also became the means to highlight dramatic moments in paintings and on porcelain, whether of a generic nature, of a woman waiting for her lover or to illustrate specific stories taken from history or popular novels.

Notes

1 The earliest known nineteen by nineteen board is a Sui dynasty porcelain example dated to 595 from Anyang, Henan Province, see Andrew Lo and Tzi-Cheng Wang, ‘Spider Threads Roaming the Empyrean: The Game of Weiqi ’, in Colin Mackenzie and Irving Finkel ed., Asian Games: The Art of Contest , Asia Society, New York, 2004, page 188.

2 Lo and Wang, op. cit., page 187.

3 Lo and Wang, ibid.

4 Lo and Wang, op. cit., page 188.

5 https://shosoin.kunaicho.go.jp/en-US/search-result/?p=1&per=30&type=treasures&keyword=go&operator=AND , accessed 5/03/2024.

6 Lo and Wang, op. cit., pages 194 - 196.

7 https://idp.bl.uk//collection/0E8883603B4E4744B2534A7A68E8299A/?return=%2Fcollection%2F%3Fterm%3Dweiqi%2Bmanual , accessed 13/03/2024.

8 Lo and Wang, op. cit., pages 196 - 199.

9 Weiqi is also linked to philosophical and religious ideology in China. A fascinating allusion to this is the Cizhou pillow dated 1178 in the Philadelphia Museum of Art painted with a Confucian scholar, a Buddhist monk and a Daoist priest, representing the Three Teachings seated over a weiqi table, see https://www. philamuseum.org/collection/object/56906 ?, accessed 13/03/2024.

10 This likely reflects not just the largest group of players at this period, but also the end consumers of the art objects and paintings.

11 Craig Clunas and Jessica Harrison-Hall ed., Ming , 50 years that changed China , London, 2014, pages 193 - 194.

12 See for instance, Lina Lin, Elegant Pursuits of the Literati , ‘ The Eighteen Scholars ’ by an Anonymous Ming Artist , Taipei, 2013.

13 Craig Clunas and Jessica Harrison-Hall ed., op. cit., pages 156 -157 and 193 - 194.

14 See https://www.babelstone.co.uk/Blog/2009/04/pictorial-history-of-game-of-go.html , for some early archaeological material, accessed 12/3/2024.

15 Robert D. Jacobsen with Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts , Minneapolis, 1999, number 80.

16 Zhu Jiajin ed., The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum , Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I) , Shanghai and Hong Kong, 2002, number 105. Thanks to Nicholas Grindley for drawing my attention to this table.

17 Lo and Wang, op. cit., page 188.

18 Jacobsen with Grindley, op. cit., number 81 for a pair dated to the late seventeenth century – early eighteenth century, together with a weiqi board (number 80). Also, Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture , One Hundred and Three Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection , Hong Kong, 2005, for a pair.

19 Jacobsen with Grindley, op. cit., number 83.

20 Lo and Wang, op. cit., page 189.

21 James Cahill et al., Beauty Revealed: Images of Women in Qing Dynasty Chinese Painting , California , 2013, pages 82 - 83 for an eighteenth-century painting of women and a weiqi board in a garden.

Cahill, J. et al.: Beauty Revealed: Images of Women in Qing Dynasty Chinese Painting , California, 2013.

Christie’s, Important Chinese Furniture, Formerly The Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture Collection , New York, 19 September 1996.

Clunas, C. and Harrison-Hall J. ed.: Ming, 50 years that changed China , London, 2014.

Ellsworth, R. H.: Chinese Furniture, One Hundred and Three Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection , Hong Kong, 2005.

Evarts, C. ‘The Chinese Game Table’ in E & J Frankel, Play it Again, Asian Games and Pastimes , New York, 2004, pages 25 - 37.

Grindley, N.: Pure Form, Classical Chinese Furniture, Vok Collection , Padova, 2004.

https://shosoin.kunaicho.go.jp/en-US/search-result/?p=1&per=30&type=treasures&keyword=go&opera tor=AND

https://www.babelstone.co.uk/Blog/2009/04/pictorial-history-of-game-of-go.html

Jacobsen R. D. with Grindley N., Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts , Minneapolis, 1999.

Li Gang (translated Doar, B. G.), ‘A Weiqi Chess Set Discovered at the Han Dynasty Yangling Mausoleum’, in China Archaeology and Art Digest , volume 4, number 4 (Fortune, Games and Gaming), April-May 2002, pages 54 - 55.

Lin, L.: Elegant Pursuits of the Literati, ‘ The Eighteen Scholars ’ by an Anonymous Ming Artist , Taipei, 2013.

Lo, A. and Tzi-Cheng Wang, ‘Spider Threads Roaming the Empyrean: The Game of Weiqi ’, in Colin Mackenzie and Irving Finkel ed.: Asian Games: The Art of Contest , Asia Society, New York, 2004.

Tsang, G. and Moss, H.: Arts from the Scholar’s Studio , Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986.

Zheng Minzhong ed.: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum , Small Refined Articles of the Study , Shanghai, 2009.

Zhu Jiajin ed.: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I) , Shanghai and Hong Kong, 2002.

图1

《弈棋仕女图》出土于墓穴187号，阿斯塔纳，吐鲁 番，唐，公元618-907年，设色绢本，宽：50.4公分, 《新疆维吾尔自治区博物馆》，东京，1987年

图4

《碁经》，公元400-1000年，纸本， 高：15.5公分，宽：240.0公分 © British Library Or.8210/S.5574

图2

象牙嵌木围棋盘，

公元8世纪或更早

Source: The Imperial Household Agency website (https://shosoin. kunaicho.go.jp/enUS/search-result/? p=1&per=30&type=tr easures&keyword=go &operator=AND)

图3

象牙嵌木围棋盘， 公元8世纪或更早

Source: The Imperial Household Agency website (https://shosoin. kunaicho.go.jp/enUS/search-result/?p =1&per=30&type=trea sures&keyword=go&op erator=AND)

图5

《重屏会棋图》，公元14世纪，设色绢本（局部），高：31.3公分， 宽：50.0公分；国立亚洲艺术博物馆藏，Charles Lang Freer捐赠，编号 F1911，195

图6

剔红仙人对弈图盘，公元1425-1436年（局部），宽：14.9公分， 长：23.5公分,大都会博物馆藏，Florence and Herbert Irving捐赠，2015年，编号2015.500.1.33

关于围棋的简要概述及图像剖析 王嘉慧

围棋自古以来一直是中国的终极策略游戏，其文化意义远比围棋本身更加深远。它不仅仅是一款智 力博弈游戏，还被认为是陶冶性情和塑造性格的工具。围棋游戏规则的复杂性与逻辑思维和策略、 哲学思维乃至整个文人精英的思想世界息息相关。

本文将以围棋相关的艺术品为主线，从后期绘画中图像的角度简要剖析围棋，并由此探索它在文 人语境中的意蕴及其作为文化符号的意涵。

围棋棋盘的雏形

简而言之，围棋是在带有网格的棋盘上进行的游戏。早期的棋盘通常为十七路，后来也有一些变 体，从唐代开始标准由简入繁发展为纵横各十九道。 1 现代的标准则由180个白色和181个黑色棋子 组成。每个棋手都有一组不同颜色的棋子，通常为黑色或白色。对弈双方在网格的交叉点上轮流放 置棋子，以所围区域大小决定胜负。

传说围棋起源于神话中的尧帝，但在公元前548 年左右的早期文献中便已经出现了“举棋不 定”的典故。在史籍中，围棋被称为“弈”，尽管这种解读有待考证。 2 陕西省咸阳 3 附近的西汉 景帝（公元前156-141年） 陵墓中出土了最早的陶瓷围棋盘碎片，河北省 4 望都的一座东汉（公元 25-220年）墓葬中也发现了完整的石制纵横道线棋盘，这些都被视为围棋出现的确凿证据。

到了唐朝，围棋已在宫廷和士人阶层中广为流传，而且并不仅限于男性。新疆吐鲁番阿斯塔纳唐 代官员墓葬中出土的弈棋仕女绢画残片，断代为七世纪，被广泛认为是最早描绘围棋的图像之一， 现藏于新疆维吾尔自治区博物馆（图1）。画中其对手已然不复存在，任何棋台和棋盒也失去踪迹。

然而摆放在带有镂空装饰长凳上的棋盘设计则颇为明显，可见典型网格纵横图样。

此种棋类运动在更广泛地区的流传亦有据可查。五世纪时这种游戏在朝鲜已成为风靡王室的活 动。在日本它则被称为“碁”，从七世纪中期起就受到上层统治阶级的青睐。日本正仓院宝库中就 藏有三张棋盘。该收藏最初有600多件藏品，是光明皇后于 756 年为纪念她的丈夫圣武天皇而创 设的，其中收藏了自公元8世纪以来的日本珍宝、宗教和日常物品，也包括来自唐朝的文物。若追 本溯源，这三张木棋盘很可能来自中国，它们的设计与阿斯塔纳画中描绘的棋盘如出一辙：每块棋 盘面都有一个纵横网格，并由壶门座承接。其中最著名的一件是木画紫檀棋盘，以紫檀片贴面，边 侧四面各界镶嵌染色象牙瑞兽及胡人骑射，牵驼等，另镶嵌黄杨木和黑柿木(图2)。底座侧面壶门 底座以大漆红为底并描绘花吉祥卉图案，与阿斯塔纳画中长凳上的装饰有异曲同工之妙。对局两侧 设有备金环的抽屉各一，内有木雕鳖形龟形各一。另一棋盘为松木贴桑木并以檀木为基，镶有乌 木、象牙、珍珠母及金丝(图3)，第三件也采用类似材料制成。该收藏还有由石英和蛇纹石制成的 各色棋盘，包括黑白，及饰瑞鸟纹的染色象牙棋盘等。 5

文献和棋手的类别

学者Andrew Lo和Tzi-Cheng Wang 6 详细阐述了有关围棋的历史文献并展开讨论，包括其对日常生 活的哲学和策略意义。已知现存的最早文献发现于甘肃敦煌莫高窟，现藏于大英图书馆。这幅残缺 的手抄本名为《碁经》，精辟论述了博弈之道、围棋的博弈术语和概念，及棋子材质等主题(图4)。 7 敦煌藏经洞于约公元1000年左右被封藏，内有公元5至11世纪间的历代文书手稿。此棋谱的撰写年 代据信可以追溯到公元550年左右，后来在公元6至9世纪之间被抄录流传。

无论是皇室贵族、还是由官宦资助或独立的善弈者，以及来自士人阶级的名手等各路棋手都在文 献中得到了详细的考证。 8 明清文志中还记载了不同门类的著名棋手和历史棋局。这里我要简单地 阐述一下画家对不同棋手和棋局的选择和立意，和以围棋为元素在绘画及装饰题材中巧思独具的语 境。

自十二世纪以来，围棋作为中国精英的文化追求和哲学的消遣方式，其至高无上的地位在大量宋 （960-1279）及之后的作品中得以强化。通常对棋局的描绘象征了棋手作为文人雅士的高尚社会 地位，此外，博弈的场景也可以用于捕捉充满张力或安静沉思的瞬间。其中广为人知的例子是可追 溯至十四世纪（周文矩款）的《重屏会棋图》，现藏于国立亚洲艺术博物馆。画作描绘了皇帝及其兄 弟们作为观棋者与弈棋者的场景，画中人神态各异，体现了会棋中戏剧性的互动以及落子前的紧张 期待(图5)。

仙弈也是明代装饰艺术颇为盛行的题材。有别于绘画作品中华丽的宫廷场景，藏于纽约大都会 艺术博物馆的一件公元十五世纪早期剔红盘上呈现了两位仙人在月下纹枰论道的静谧景象，右边的 仙人肩披蓑衣，气定神闲；棋盘平置于一硕大岩桌之上，棋盒伴其左右(图6)，世隔两尘，逍遥自 在。此刻，博弈中机会卒变的棋理也与道教所推崇的虚无缥缈不谋而合。 9

综上所述，明代绘画和装饰艺术中描绘的棋手除了帝王和仙人外，大部分都是文人士大夫。 1 0 大约从公元8世纪开始，围棋就已与琴、书、画并称为君子四才。由此可见，围棋不仅寄托了文人 的高志情怀，并且为他们切磋技艺，陶冶情操提供了高雅的氛围。

山东省兖州明荒王朱檀（1370-1389）的墓中有“文房四宝”的实物呈现：其中一套围棋包括了 两个瓷胎大漆棋盒、黑白瓷棋子和纸棋盘；其它雅物包括琴及书写作画用的毛笔。 1 1 这种将文人士 大夫的象征融入墓葬的做法在同一时期中的许多画作中也得到了呼应。到了明清时期，这种“四 宝”的惯例已成为士大夫思想的代名词，不仅出现在绘画、版画中，还广泛被用作瓷器等工艺品的 装饰图样。台北国立故宫博物院著名的四幅连作-明人《十八学士图像》就是众多此类题材中的一 幅。 1 2 这个题材参考了唐太宗（626-649年）以彰显礼贤下士之德而在登基前招募的众士大夫，所 以每幅卷轴上都描绘了士大夫们燕居寄兴于琴棋书画的高雅志趣。其中’棋’卷共绘四个主要人物 均为男性，二人对弈，二人旁观，四人围坐于剔犀漆榻上。平置于如意纹木座上的白底网格棋盘类 似于正仓院中的藏品，其中棋盒呈赭色，纹理清晰，应为木质。一位学士将棋盒拢于左膝内侧，而 对弈者则手捧棋盒，另一只手在其中摩挲，可谓棋虽有子何须著（图7）。此处画中人执罐的动作及 取子的手势，成为新的图像范本在后世绘画中重复出现。

现藏于大都会艺术博物馆中的《杏园雅集图》（1437年，传谢环作）则采取了不同的呈现方 式。疏密有致的构图中描绘了十五世纪初期诸位名臣身着朝服休沐雅集的景象，卷中处处都契合 了“四才”的主题。围棋场景的中心是一张古拙的石桌，上置一木棋盘及两个棋盒（应为木制）， 石桌后方设一玫瑰椅。一名官员立于石桌前，尚未开始的棋局引人遐想，后面的竹林及旁边以供游 戏的投壶则增强了娱乐中的文人意趣（图8）。

四艺的表现形式广泛且日趋程式化并反映在瓷器上的描绘上，例如青花罐，硕大的高肩造型完美地 提供了展现四艺场景的空间。上海博物馆藏一件青花大罐中每个景别中都绘有仕女（图 9），而维 多利亚和阿尔伯特博物馆的另一件则描绘了高士的版本。 1 3

造型各异的康熙青花器物上也有类似的 图案，包括笔筒和赏瓶等。

围棋盘

关于围棋盘所用材料种类的许多早期证据出自考古，此类调查超出了本文的范畴。 1 4 大部分素材是 由实物和绘画以及瓷器和漆器上绘制的场景提供的，此处应将一定程度的艺术表现因素列入考虑范 畴。或许是因为易于保存，早期出土的棋盘通常是由石材和陶瓷等材料制成的，但明末清初时期的 棋盘则通常为硬木材质，折叠木制棋盘尤其适合出行使用。明尼阿波利斯艺术学院 1 5 收藏有一件十 七世纪末至十八世纪初的黄花梨嵌银丝棋盘，一面为围棋盘，另一面则为象棋盘。同一博物馆藏有 一张十七世纪末至十八世纪初的嵌银线折叠棋盘，Nicholas Grindley此前也曾展出过一件类似 的明末清初折叠棋盘（图10）。木棋盘在室内和户外同样被偏爱从绘画中亦有迹可循： 在园林或山 水中，造型古朴的石桌上通常陈列着木棋盘。而室内场景中，桌子或者炕桌上通常也摆放着木质或 漆制的棋盘。

有些绘画和版画中还展示了棋手使用特制的棋桌。无论是方形抑或矩形的硬木桌都配有一个可 拆卸的顶板，可露出隐藏在凹槽内的棋盘，通常用于围棋或象棋。这类型家具本身就是一个完整的 课题，本文篇幅有限不予展开讨论，除了一个颇为特殊的早期例子：北京故宫博物院藏万历时期黑 漆方形棋桌，其活榫三连桌面可将尺寸扩大到原来的三倍，并有一个下凹的方槽用于放置棋盘和棋 盒。 1 6

棋子及棋盒材质

棋子的材质也多种多样，包括玛瑙和石英等宝石，以及玉石、贝壳、卵石、琉璃、陶土、瓷器、象 牙和木材。早期的例子偶有装饰，形状略有出入。到了宋代（960-1279）， 棋子已发展为圆盘形，17 至明末，黑与白的素色棋子似乎已成为常态。

棋盒同样材质各异，包括石料、瓷、漆器和各式木材。根据现存的资料和绘画中的场景看来， 从明代开始，漆盒或木盒越来越开始受到青睐，或许是因为硬木在中国的逐渐普及，也许是随着围 棋成为士大夫和文人生活方式的代名词，使用符合文房雅玩的原料（例如优质硬木）变得越来越流 行。如本次展览中的三件硬木围棋罐实为罕见，主要材料包括黄花梨、紫檀、红木等。

本次展览的一对黄花梨围棋子盒，原为中国古典家具博物馆旧藏，造型大方圆润（图11，图录第 19号）。通体素净，全凭纹理之美作为表面装饰，抽象的木质仿佛山水交融，圆润饱满的造型引人 怜爱，把玩无厌。内壁略倾且光滑，可以轻松取出棋子，而略呈穹顶的圆盖中间有一个拇指般大小 的凹槽，有助于取下盖子。它们是棋盒中做工精美的经典佳例，类似的例子也可见于明尼阿波利斯 艺术学院的收藏和洪氏收藏。 1 8这种圆润的造型在许多绘画中都可以看到，例如上文引用的《十八学 士图像》中，棋手拢着棋盒，抑或将手隐入盒内斟酌揣摩。当棋手举棋不定时，对棋盒不自觉的摩 挲，似乎达到了逍遥忘忧的境界。

本次展览中的另一件黄花梨瓜棱围棋子盒，形似葫芦或水果（图录第6号）。此造型颇受欢迎的 原因是当它被装满棋子后，便摇身一变成了一个充满种子的葫芦，寓意子孙满堂，繁衍不息。盖子 上浅刻吉祥花纹隐喻着水果顶部的花萼。明尼阿波利斯艺术学院收藏中有类似的一对。 1 9

第三个棋盒格外别具匠心，其侧面饰以明线环绕，取竹节之意，竹是中国文人的化身。(图录第 7号)，其四季长青且随风摇曳，弯而不折，折而不断，象征气节和韧性，刚毅正直。因此，竹元素 的提炼顺理成章的被提炼并融入了适合文人使用的棋盒。极为罕见的是这个造型的直壁，有别于大 多数这一时期的通常为球形的棋盒。然而，直壁器皿在绘画中也偶尔可见。

虽然从明末到清初时硬木已成为一种广被采纳的材料，但从现存的实例子和绘画来看，棋盒的材

图7

《杏园雅集图》，1437年，传谢环，明，公元1368-1644年，手卷，设色绢本 （局部），高：37.1公分，宽：243.2公分；大都会博物馆藏，1989年购入， 编号1989.141.3

《十八学士图像》之棋卷，明，公元1368-1644年，立 轴，设色绢本（局部），高：173.7公分，宽：103.1 公分，台北国立故宫博物院藏

图9

青花罐，明正统-天顺，公元1436-1464年， 高：34.4公分，口径：22.1公分，上海博物馆 藏，胡惠春伉俪捐赠

图10

黄花梨嵌黄杨木折叠棋盘，明末清初，宽：50.0 公分，深：49.5公分，Nicholas Grindley提 供图片

图11

黄花梨围棋子盒一对，清 公元17-18世纪，宽14.5公 分，高：10.6公分

图8

质其实种类颇为繁多。Lo和Wang 20 描述了一对清代大漆木胎葫芦形实例；另，一罕见公元十六至十 七世纪的剔红棋盒出现在拍卖上（图12）；现藏于故宫博物院的一对乾隆时期（1736-1795）掐丝 珐琅棋盒，带有镂空鎏金铜盖，以及白玉和翡翠棋子（图13）。洁蕊堂藏一件康熙彩绘围棋罐尤为 别致，题材应为一场著名的历史博弈，当朝臣谢安在战事紧张的情况下仍神态怡然继续从容棋局， 以静泰之风最终破敌。图中可见棋盘置于方桌上，褐色棋盒呈球形（图14）。

木棋盒被认为是文人书房的雅物，而其它由瓷器或漆制成的更具装饰性的材质可能更流行于女性闺 房中。女性弈棋活动在明清时期空前兴盛，并由此“成为当时绘画中流行的主题” 21 和装饰元素。

无论是士大夫的妻子还是其他类型的伴侣，四艺成为才女塑造自身的重要标准。这一时期的部分作 品以女性为典型主题来描绘“四艺”，常见的是一位仕女坐在棋盘边的景别—围棋从展示“文化追 求”逐渐转变为对孤独者的隐喻，或者失意者的若有所思。这些景致通常清一色描绘仕女闺房，而 其中的雅具陈设，乃至棋盒都是为了烘托文人理想中女性生活场景的氛围。

现藏于北京故宫博物院藏的《十二美人图》，其中一幅描绘了在倚靠在桌边静思的窈窕美人，桌 上摆着棋盘和一对貌似六边形的官窑瓷盒（图15）， 桌上未完成的棋局隐喻的勾勒出了画中女子 痴等爱人归来的场景。另一幅清代画作描绘了两名贵族仕女在幽静的竹林中对弈，两人在此情此景 中屏息凝神，营造了一种静谧之美（图16）。木棋盘的中间可能嵌有网格的纸或卡片并平置于石桌 之上。与质朴的竹林氛围截然不同的是，画中的棋盒似乎是在黑漆底上绘以繁复描金纹饰，类似于 风格华丽的日本棋盒。这两幅作品中都有对优雅女性的尚往，她是文人雅士甚至贵族皇子的神仙伴 侣。在这里，围棋成为陶冶心志女性的“文人”成就并将其理想化，与才女的原型融为一体。

在对围棋的浅谈中，很难公正地评价这一项在中国历史悠久，并在文化、智慧和哲学上占据如此 核心地位的运动。虽然它被列为“四才”之一，而且是属于精英和文人雅士的游戏，但从考据中清 晰可见，它并非阳春白雪，男女老少皆宜。从棋子棋盒的多样化中可见一斑。在视觉和装饰艺术方 面，围棋的描绘是多姿多彩的。虽然它经常被用作传达精英文化追求的代名词，但它也成为画作和 工艺品上描绘戏剧性时刻桥段的重要元素，无论是深闺幽怨的情调或是其他通俗话本中脍炙人口的 典故。

尾注

1 最早的纵横十九道围棋盘为出土于河南省安阳的隋代白釉瓷围棋盘，公元595年，见Andrew Lo and Tzi-Cheng Wang, ‘Spider Threads Roaming the Empyrean: Th e Game of Weiqi’, in Colin Mackenzie and Irving Finkel ed., Asian Games: The Art of Contest, Asia Society, New York, 2004, page 188.

2 Lo and Wang, op. cit., page 187.

3 Lo and Wang, ibid.

4 Lo and Wang, op. cit., page 188.

5 https://shosoin.kunaicho.go.jp/en-US/search-result/?p=1&per=30 &type=treasures&keyword=go&operator=AND, accessed 5/03/2024.

6 Lo and Wang, op. cit., pages 194 - 196.

7 https://idp.bl.uk/collection/0E8883603B4E4744B2534A7A68E8299A/ ?return=%2Fcollection%2F%3Fterm%3Dweiqi%2Bmanual, accessed 13/03/2024.

8 Lo and Wang, op. cit., pages 196 - 199.

9 围棋与中国的哲学和宗教意识形态有关。费城艺术博物馆藏一磁州枕 （1178 年）绘有一有趣 题材，一位儒生、一位和尚和一位道士围坐在棋桌周围，分别代表三教，见https://www.philamuseum.org/collection/object/56906?, accessed 13/03/2024.

10 这不仅反映了这一时期最大的棋手群体，也显示了此类艺术品和绘画的受众。

11 Craig Clunas and Jessica Harrison-Hall ed., Ming, 50 years tha t changed China, London, 2014, pages 193 - 194.

12 林莉娜编，《文人雅事-明人十八学士图》，台北，2013.

13 Craig Clunas and Jessica Harrison-Hall ed., op. cit., pages 15 6 -157 and 193 - 194.

14 See https://www.babelstone.co.uk/Blog/2009/04/pictorial-history-of-game-of-go.html, for some early archaeological material, accessed 12/3/2024.

15 Robert D. Jacobsen with Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese F urniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, number 80

16 朱家溍编，《故宫博物院藏文物珍品大系-明清家具》（上），上海及香港， 2002，105号， 此处感谢Nicholas Grindley的指引

17 Lo and Wang, op. cit., page 188.

18 Jacobsen with Grindley, op. cit., number 81 for a pair dated t o the late seventeenth century – early eighteenth century, together with a weiqi board

图12

剔红围棋子盒一对，公元16世纪晚期-17世纪早期， 宽：12.5公分， Image © Bonhams

图14

彩绘围棋子罐，清康熙，公元1662-1722年，口 径：12.0公分, Image © Christie's

图13

掐丝珐琅围棋子盒一对，清乾隆，公元1736-1795年， 高：6.5公分，After Zhang Minzhong, op. cit., Shanghai, 2009

图15

佚名，《十二美人 图》，清康熙晚期， 约1709-1723，设色绢 本，高：184.9公分， 宽：98.0公分，北京故 宫博物院藏

图16 《仕女弈棋图》 清代，雍正至乾隆时 期，设色绢本（局部） ，高：99.0公分， 宽：155.0公分， Image © Bonhams

(number 80). Also, Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture , One Hundred and Three Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection, H ong Kong, 2005, for a pair.

19 Jacobsen with Grindley, op. cit., number 83.

20 Lo and Wang, op. cit., page 189.

21 James Cahill et al., Beauty Revealed: Images of Women in Qing Dynasty Chinese Painting, California, 2013, pages 82 - 83 for an eighte enth-century painting of women and a weiqi board in a garden.

Elegant playthings in wood, lacquer and stone

1

Ebony ( wumu ) Carving Qing dynasty, 19th century Height with stand: 29.5cm

Ebony ( wumu ) carving, in the form of a scholar’s rock, of pleasingly balanced vertical form, carved with well-placed pierced holes and hollows. The carving tapers to a narrow base, supported on a hardwood stand. The ebony has a glossy, dark blackish-brown patina.

Provenance:

MD Flacks, New York.

Exhibited:

London, 2019, Eskenazi Limited.

Published:

MD Flacks, Contemplating Rocks , London, 2012, pages 76, 77 and 182.

Eskenazi Limited, Room for study: fifty scholars’ objects , London, 2019, number 32.

Just as potters of the Qing period delighted in imitating the surface effects of different substances in ceramic – copying a variety of materials such as enamel, stone, wood - similarly, craftsmen must have delighted in the visual pun of creating a scholar’s ‘rock’ in wood. In this case, density and hardness of ebony ( wumu ) beautifully simulates the surface of a rock.

2

Huangyangmu Lobed Incense Tool Vase

Qing dynasty, 18th century

Height: 11.3cm

Lobed incense tool vase turned from a single piece of huangyangmu (boxwood), the base carved as a flowerhead with three overlapping petals radiating from the centre. The globular body is formed of three double-lobed sections separated by three vertical raised ridges.

The slender flaring neck terminates in a flower-shaped mouth. The characteristic honey-toned wood bears a rich patina.

Provenance:

Charlotte Hortsmann, Hong Kong, 1984.

Mr and Mrs Myron S. Falk, New York, until 2001.

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

Published:

Christie’s, New York, The Falk Collection II , Chinese and Japanese Works of Art , 21 September 2001, number 529.

Similar examples:

MD Flacks, Custodians of the Scholar’s Way , London, 2014, page 277 for a huanghuali example.

Xiaogushanguan ed., Xiaogushanguan Cangqi – Jiaju , (The Collection of Xiaogushanguan: Furniture), volume 1, Beijing, 2021, numbers 10 and 11 for two zitan examples.

For a brief discussion of incense tool vases, refer to the footnote of number 3 in the present catalogue.

Huanghuali Lobed Incense Tool Vase Qing dynasty, 18th century Height: 10.0cm

An incense tool vase of squared section turned from a single piece of huanghuali , rising from a base carved as a flowerhead with four overlapping petals. The vertically fluted sides are divided by deep grooves and the slender neck terminates in a rimless, cruciform mouth. The fine-grained wood is of a dark, reddish-gold tone with an attractive patina.

Provenance:

Charlotte Hortsmann, Hong Kong, 1984.

Mr and Mrs Myron S. Falk, New York, until 2001.

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

Published:

Christie’s, New York, The Falk Collection II , Chinese and Japanese Works of Art , 21 September 2001, number 529.

Similar examples:

MD Flacks, Custodians of the Scholar’s Way , London, 2014, page 277 for a huanghuali example.

Xiaogushanguan ed., Xiaogushanguan Cangqi – Jiaju , (The Collection of Xiaogushanguan: Furniture), volume 1, Beijing, 2021, numbers 10 and 11 for two zitan examples.

Such small vases, either in wood, or other materials such as gilt bronze, ivory or jade, are generally referred to as incense tool vases. Often, they feature a globular lower body narrowing to a tall slender neck, though columnar vases are also found. They would have held a set of implements perhaps including a pair of chopsticks or tongs for handling incense sticks and a small scoop for moving or shaping ash. In some cases, the incense vase was designed as part of a set including an incense burner and a covered box for holding the incense – often referred to as the ‘Three Friends of Incense.’ See Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss, Arts from the Scholar’s Studio , Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, numbers 229 - 232 for a discussion of the use of these three types of vessels.

4

Zitan Folding Neck-Rest

Qing dynasty, 19th century

Height: 13.6cm

Width: 24.0cm

Zitan folding neck-rest, supported on a rectangular base with stepped sides and rounded upper edges. A central, semi-circular channel is cut in the base, into which the angled supporting arm is pinned and hinged. At the base, the supporting arm, partially of square-section, is carved to conform to the stepped edge. The top of the arm is cut flush and hinged into the curved rectangular rest. The fine-grained wood has an attractive dark brown-red patina.

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

Similar examples:

Christian Falgayrettes, Supports de Reves , Paris, 1989, page 53.

MD Flacks, Small Wonders , New York, 2004, number 2 for a hongmu example.

Pillows and neck-rests in China were made in a variety of media, both hard and soft. Soft pillows were formed from silk, rattan, leather and other perishable materials, so that unsurprisingly, many of the remaining examples we have are of hard pillows. These were made for instance, from jade, stone, ceramic (both earthenware and porcelain), as well as wood, bamboo and lacquer; of the latter three types, few early examples survive. Examples of lacquer and bamboo pillows were discovered in two Chu state tombs dating to the Western Han period (206 BC - 9 AD). 1

Ceramic pillows appear to have been made from at least the Tang dynasty (618 - 907) and became widespread from the Song dynasty (960 - 1279) through to the Yuan (1271 - 1368). Unsurprisingly, since they survive in large numbers, much of the information about the use of pillows is extrapolated from ceramic examples. From the practical point of view, a hard pillow could keep the head elevated and cool and it also served to maintain the appearance of an elaborate hairdo. On another level, the decoration on some ceramic pillows also suggest that they offered more intangible benefits. Given their proximity to the sleeper and the brain, it was believed that they influenced the quality of sleep and dreams. For instance, the many ceramic pillows painted with designs of or in the shape of children suggest that beyond mere decoration, the user may have believed that the motifs would influence events and bring about hoped-for male progeny.

In addition to being a rare example in wood, the present neck-rest not only would have served some of the functions mentioned above, it also had the advantage of being foldable, thus eminently suitable for use while travelling or on an ad hoc basis.

1 Teng Rensheng, Lacquer Wares of the Chu Kingdom, Hong Kong, 1992, page 103.

5

Hongmu Brush

Qing dynasty, 19th century Length: 18.0cm

Hongmu brush for painting or calligraphy. The short handle has a circular opening at one end encircled by a double ridged edge to secure the brush hair. The generously curved sides narrow to a short, slender stem terminating in a low circular base carved with an upper and lower beaded edge. The wood has a rich red-brown patina with attractive grain.

The handle is incised with an eleven-character inscription: 四号 楂笔 休城胡开文精选

which may be translated as follows:

Size four brush for holding. Illustrious ink [inkmaker] Hu Kaiwen of Xiucheng (present day Xiuning, Anhui province).

Provenance:

MD Flacks, New York.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above.

Similar examples:

Nicholas Grindley, Catalogue , London, 2008, number 13 for a Jiaqing period hongmu example dated 1798.

MD Flacks, Custodians of the Scholar’s Way , London, 2014, page 116 for a huanghuali example.

From around the tenth century, Shexian in Anhui province became renowned as the centre of ink-making. The region was re-named Huizhou in 1121 and the name became synonymous with high-quality ink prized by the literati. Hu Kaiwen, also known as Hu Tianzhu, was one of the famous four Huizhou ‘Ink Masters’ of the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911). He started as an apprentice to an ink maker, married the latter’s daughter and began his own business in around the mid-eighteenth century. It grew to be one of the largest and most celebrated ink-stick making businesses during that period and also produced brushes. The Hu Kaiwen ink-stick factory remains open and in production today.

6

Huanghuali Foliate Weiqi Counter Container and Cover ( weiqizihe ) Qing dynasty, 18th century

Diameter: 11.0cm

Height: 8.8cm

Huanghuali weiqi counter container and cover. The container, with countersunk base, is carved from a single piece of wood in the shape of a lobed melon. The five lobes are separated by vertical indents and each lobe is divided by a vertical bead. The wide mouth is encircled by a beaded edge. The gently domed cover is carved in low relief with a five-petalled flower, the underside with a raised circular ring to hold it in position. The beautifully figured wood has a rich reddish-brown patina.

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

Exhibited:

New York, 2001, Nicholas Grindley.

Similar examples:

Robert D. Jacobsen with Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Art , Minneapolis, 1999, number 83 for a pair dated to the seventeenth century.

Grace Wu, The Best of the Best , The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture , volume 2, Beijing, 2017, pages 450 - 451 for a pair dated seventeenth to eighteenth century.

The domed cover of this container is carved with a five-petalled flower. Presumably in addition to the decorative effect, the carving also provided extra grip, enabling the cover to be lifted more easily. Variants include covers carved with eight-petalled flower or stellate shapes, as in the examples cited above.

For a further discussion of weiqi counter containers refer to the essay, ‘Weiqi - A Brief Overview and Consideration of Some Visual Evidence’ by Sarah Wong on pages 6 - 15 of the present catalogue.

7

Huanghuali Cylindrical Bamboo-form Weiqi Counter Container and Cover ( weiqizihe )

Qing dynasty, 18th century

Diameter: 10.5cm

Height: 8.5cm

Huanghuali cylindrical weiqi counter container and cover. The container is encircled by four sets of double-beaded lines, including on the upper and lower edges, simulating the effect of a bamboo stem divided horizontally. The low, circular base has a central, recessed circle. The gently domed cover is carved with a central thumb depression and the underside is concave with a raised lip to hold it in place. The rich goldbrown is well figured with an attractive patina.

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

Exhibited:

New York, 2001, Nicholas Grindley.

Similar examples:

Nicholas Grindley, Catalogue , London, 1999, number 11 for a pair of similar weiqi counter containers and covers, together with a games board.

The circular cross-section of the present huanghuali weiqi counter container and the encircling double lines are subtle references to a humble but important material in Chinese culture and its decorative arts – bamboo. During the Ming dynasty, Suzhou was one of the centres for the manufacture of luxury bamboo furniture while hardwood furniture was also produced there. The two crafts would have interchanged techniques and decorative motifs and the cross-over between the two has been discussed by various authors. 1 A luxury hardwood object carved to simulate a humbler material – bamboo – is an interesting visual conceit. This type of object may have been created for a specific audience –to appeal to a scholar class for whom ‘simple living’ and a humble outward demeanour was a way of life, while the visual pun of imitating one material in another had novel appeal.

It seems likely that the low circular base on the present container might have been designed to fit neatly into a purpose-made depression on a weiqi board. For a further discussion of weiqi counter containers refer to the essay, ‘Weiqi - A Brief Overview and Consideration of Some Visual Evidence’ by Sarah Wong on pages 6 - 15 of the present catalogue.

1 Ronald W. Longsdorf, ‘Chinese Bamboo Furniture, Its History and Influence on Hardwood Furniture Design’, Chinese Furniture: Selected articles from Orientations 19841994, Hong Kong, 1996, pages 185 - 192.

8

Turquoise Matrix Miniature Scholar’s Rock Qing dynasty, 18th - 19th century Height: 12.0cm

Miniature carving in turquoise matrix with a flat base and an abundance of irregularly shaped holes, to imitate a scholar’s rock, for placing on a table. The material has been carefully chosen to contrast the fine web of black lines, the embedded remnant of the ‘host’ rock, with the brilliant colour of the turquoise.

Provenance:

Private collection, France, acquired in Paris between the 1970s and the early 1990s.

Exhibited: London, 2019, Eskenazi Limited.

Published:

Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, A Private Collection of Scholarly and Imperial Works of Art , 4 April 2012, number 3002.

Eskenazi Limited, Room for study: fifty scholars’ objects , London, 2019, number 7.

Similar examples:

Robert D. Mowry, Worlds Within Worlds , The Richard Rosenblum Collection of Chinese Scholars’ Rocks , Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1997, numbers 75 and 76 for two small turquoise stones fashioned as miniature scholar’s rocks.

9

Shagreen Circular Box and Cover 19th century Diameter: 9.5cm

Shagreen-covered low, circular box and cover. The box is supported on a slightly convex base with rounded edge rising to low curved sides. The cover has a smooth, flattened top with rounded edge. Both the box and cover are made from a hollow core of bamboo and covered with densely patterned shagreen featuring irregularly-shaped cream dots against a blackish-brown ground, the top with three larger oval-shaped dots. The interior and base are lacquered black.

Provenance:

MD Flacks, New York.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above.

Exhibited:

New York, 2003, MD Flacks.

Published:

MD Flacks, Classical Chinese Furniture IV , New York, 2003, number 14.

美 。

阳 线 。

盒 身 相 配 起

双

阳 线 。 木 材 材 质 细 密 ， 深 金 褐 色 ， 纹 理 精

10

Huanghuali Small Circular Box and Cover Qing dynasty, 18th century Diameter: 7.0cm

Huanghuali small circular box and cover supported on a low foot-ring with recessed base. The flat top panel of the cover is centred on the fine, wavy concentric pattern of the grain, enclosed by a raised edge, while the sloping shoulders terminate in a raised beaded edge, with further beading enclosing the rim. The box has conforming beading at the rim and encircling the middle. The fine-grained wood is of a dark gold-brown tone with distinctive, striated grain patterns throughout.

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

Similar example:

MD Flacks, Custodians of the Scholar’s Way , London, 2014, pages 152153.

One of the possible uses for this box may have been to hold incense. Incense boxes of this size and shape are found in various materials including ceramic and bronze. They were often part of a set which included an incense burner and a vase for holding incense tools, together referred to as the ‘Three Friends of Incense.’ Alternatively, it could have been used to hold seal paste.

深 金 黄 色 。

浅 刻 三 道 弦 纹 。 平 顶 ， 带 典 型 鸡 翅 木 纹 理 ， 包 浆 浓 郁 ，

呈

十 鸡 翅 木 笔 镇 或 纸 镇 清 公 元 十 八 世 纪 直 径 十 一 ． 二 公 分 高 三 四 公 分 鸡 翅 木 圆 形 笔 镇 或 纸 镇 ， 取 整 木 雕 成 。 平 底 ， 边 微 鼓 ，

11

Jichimu (Chicken Wing Wood) Paper or Scroll Weight Qing dynasty, 18th century Diameter: 11.2cm

Height: 3.4cm

Jichimu circular paper or scroll weight carved from one piece of wood. Rising from a flat base, the curved sides are encircled by incised triple bow-string lines. The flat top is well-figured with characteristic feathered grain, with a rich, dark golden patina.

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London.

12

Mother of Pearl Inlaid Square Lacquer Tray

Late Yuan or early Ming period, 14th - early 15th century 17.8cm x 17.8cm square

Mother of pearl inlaid (luodian) black lacquer square tray with everted sides and indented corners, standing on a low, sturdy, wedge-shaped foot. The tray is inlaid in mother of pearl with a scene of two standing grooms, one holding a fly whisk, urging on two harnessed and saddled ponies, one of which is partially hidden behind a large rock. The landscape is dominated by a large willow tree with rocky outcrops on either side and illuminated by a full moon emerging from behind clouds. The scene is framed by a thin border of twisted wire, with another edging the rim. The sides are inlaid in mother of pearl with scrolling lotus with curly tendrils. The exterior and flat base are covered with plain black lacquer.

Provenance:

Jean-Pierre Dubosc (1903 - 1988), Kamakura and Paris.

Eskenazi Limited, London.

Private collection, The Philippines, acquired from the above in 1995. Eskenazi Limited, London.

Private collection, Chicago, 2009 - 2019.

Exhibited:

London, 1992, Eskenazi Limited

Published:

Eskenazi Limited, Chinese lacquer from the Jean-Pierre Dubosc collection and others , London, 1992, number 13.

Christie’s, New York, Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art , 22 March 2019, number 1644.

Similar examples:

Harry Garner, Chinese and Associated Lacquer from the Garner Collection , London, 1973, number 122 for a later version of a similar dish, now in the British Museum; also published, Harry Garner, Chinese Lacquer , London, 1979, plate 171.

Nishioka Yasuhiro, Chugoku no Raden (Mother of Pearl Inlay in Chinese Lacquer Art), Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1981, page 74, figures 29-1 and 29-2 for a related lotus scroll on a box attributed to the fourteenth century.

G. Kuwayama, Far Eastern Lacquer , Los Angeles, 1982, number 13, for a square box attributed to the Yuan dynasty with a more elongated flower scroll but similarly free positioning of the flower-heads.

By the late Yuan to early Ming period, lacquerware, including complex inlaid mother of pearl work, had reached both technical sophistication and great artistic heights. The early Ming connoisseur, Cao Zhao, in his study of antiquities, Gegu Yaolun , mentions: ‘In the Yuan dynasty, rich families ordered this type of ware, but left the manufacturers to take their own time in their making.’ 1 By the Yuan dynasty, artisans were using very thinly sliced pieces of shell and in some cases enhancing the iridescence of the shell by tinting the underside.

On the present tray, characteristic features of the period include using the willow tree and rocky outcrops to punctuate the scene, the full-frontal gaze of one of the horses 2 as well as the fineness of the inlay pieces. The lotus scroll around this dish is comparable, in the relatively free way in which the flowers are positioned, with blue and white porcelain dishes of the fourteenth century. Lacquer objects of this type dated to the fifteenth or sixteenth century tend to have denser and more regular and formal flower scrolls.

1 Sir Percival David translated and edited, Chinese Connoisseurship , The Ko Ku Yao Lun , The Essential Criteria of Antiquities , London, 1971, page 148, for the translated text of the later, enlarged version of 1462.

2 Eskenazi Limited, 50 years of exhibitions: five masterpieces on loan from a private family collection , London, 2023, pages 66 - 67 for a similar composition on blue and white porcelain of the fourteenth century.

Nanmu Tiered Divination Box and Cover Qing dynasty, 18th - 19th century

Height: 8.4cm

Width 6.0cm

Tiered nanmu divination box and cover of circular, columnar form. The box is supported on a low ring foot with a countersunk base; its interior is carved with a raised circular panel incised with the characters for the Eight Trigrams ( qian , dui , li , zhen , xun , kan , gen , kun ) encircled by a channel with eight regularly spaced depressions, each corresponding with a character. The two other tiers are correspondingly carved on the interior, one also with the characters for the Eight Trigrams and the other carved with eight other divination characters ( chu , zhen , er , si , shang, hui , wu , san ). The cover is of rounded cushion shape. The well-figured wood has an attractive reddish-golden patina.

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

Exhibited:

New York, 2001, Nicholas Grindley.

It is likely that the present box was used for divination purposes given the combination of trigram and other divination characters carved on the interior of the different layers. The small circular depressions aligned with each character would suggest that a single bead or similar object was placed in each layer, the box shaken and the divination read according to how the bead had fallen.

Large Carved Tixi Lacquer Brush and Cover Ming dynasty, 1368 - 1644

Length: 24.0cm

Carved tixi lacquer brush and cover. The brush, tapering to a rounded end, is formed from multiple layers of alternating black, red and ochre lacquer, carved through in deep V-shaped grooves to create confronted, filled ruyi cloud head patterns. The collar of the brush is left uncarved, revealing the different layers of lacquer. The slightly bulbous cover, with a rounded tip, is decorated with conforming design.

Published:

Sotheby’s, London, Important Chinese Art , 15 May 2019, number 68.

Similar examples:

Yasushi Kondou, Bumbo seika (Selected Objects from the Scholar’s Studio), Tokyo, 2007, number 6 for an example dated to the mid-Ming dynasty.

Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss, Arts from the Scholar’s Studio , Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, number 183, for a comparable tixi brush and cover of waisted form, dated to the sixteenth century with more elaborately carved tips; also, James C. Y. Watt et al., East Asian Lacquer, The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection , Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1991, exhibition catalogue number 4, where the same brush is dated to the thirteenth century.

Tokugawa Art Museum , Scholars Desk Materials from the Libraries of the Daimyo, Treasures from the Tokugawa Art Museum, (4) , Nagoya, 1988, page 49, numbers 95 - 97, for three different types of tixi brushes dated to the Ming dynasty.

One of at least fourteen different lacquer decoration techniques used in China, tixi involved painting alternating layers of either black and red lacquer, or black, red and yellow to form a thick body. This was then carved away in deep V-shaped grooves to form curvilinear designs, particularly of cloud or pommel scrolls, revealing contour-like lines. The names used for this technique relate to the carved visual effects – tixi (carved rhinoceros [horn]) in Chinese or guri (twisted wheel) in Japanese and this decorative style was particularly popular from the Song and Yuan dynasties to the early Ming. See Watt, op. cit., for a discussion of tixi brushes; the author suggests that the shape of the brush handle is important to the dating, with earlier versions having articulated handles and the Ming and later brushes having straight handles.

Wumu Carving of a Gourd or Fruit Qing dynasty, 18th - 19th century

Height: 8.8cm

Width: 6.6cm

Wumu (ebony) carving of a lobed gourd or fruit. Of elongated globular shape, the gourd is carved with eight vertical lobes extending from a domed circular ‘calyx’ at the top, centred on a round aperture. The gourd is slightly concave on one side and carved with a large circular aperture which joins with the one on top. The wood has an attractive dark brown patina.

Provenance:

MD Flacks, New York.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

Exhibited:

New York, 2010, MD Flacks.

Published:

MD Flacks, Zitan , New York, 2010, number 6.

It is possible that the fruit or vegetable represented here is a member of the gourd family called chayote ( sechium edule ), also known as choko or mirliton. While this plant was probably first cultivated in Central America from as early as the eighth century, it gradually spread to Europe and Asia during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is primarily grown in the south of China where is it known as foshougua (Buddha’s hand gourd).

The two apertures carved into the present example may have been used for suspension purposes.

Huanghuali Cylindrical Box and Cover Qing dynasty, 17th - 18th century

Diameter: 10.1cm

Height: 9.0cm

Cylindrical box with plain sides and a low flat circular cover. The box and cover are made from the same piece of dark, richly patinated wood with striking grain patterns. On the upper surface of the cover the grain is revealed in concentric circles. The base, with a short, flush foot, is plugged with a separate piece of wood.

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

The beauty of this box lies in its simplicity of form – a pleasing cylindrical shape - without any embellishment or even beaded or moulded edges. The craftsman has allowed the wood to take centre stage, as befits the strikingly grained huanghuali . The sides feature dramatic striations, ‘ghost faces’ and curving patterns resembling mountains while the concentric, radiating rings of the wood

17

Jichimu (Chicken Wing Wood) Scroll-shaped Stand Qing dynasty, 18th century

Height: 6.5cm

Width: 30.5cm

Depth: 9.4cm

Jichimu scroll stand, formed from a single piece of timber with a flat top, supported on inward scrolling feet joined by a humpback stretcher with scrolled ends. The outer edges are all carved with concave moulding. The wood is beautifully figured throughout with contrasting dark and light concentric lines and characteristic feathering.

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London, until 2012.

Lingzhi Fungus

Qing dynasty, 19th century

Height: 19.0cm

Width: 20.7cm

Natural lingzhi fungus of the genus Ganoderma . The fungus, now hard and dry, is formed of overlapping ridged layers radiating from the centre with two raised curlicues, the surface bearing a polished, rich brown patina. The fungus is supported on a thick, textured stem with some embedded wood fragments, presumably from the host tree.

Provenance:

Roger Keverne, London.

Similar example:

Hu Desheng, The Palace Museum Collection, A Treasury of Ming and Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture , volume 1, Beijing, 2007, page 370, figure 393 for an example of a large lingzhi fungus set into a zitan screen, the reverse with an inscription composed by the Qianlong emperor.

The search and use of mushrooms for their medicinal and magical properties has an extensive history in China. Early accounts include Qin Shihuangdi (r. 221 - 210 BC) and Han Wudi (r. 140 - 87 BC) sending magicians in search for mushrooms with magical powers. 1 Mushrooms were closely associated with Taoism and believed to grow on the island of the immortals, Penglai.

The lingzhi fungus (genus Ganoderma ) has been used in China for centuries, both in traditional Chinese medicine and revered as the ‘mushroom of immortality.’ The lingzhi fungus, is a recurring and popular motif on porcelain and in the decorative arts of China, closely associated with longevity and immortality. While the lingzhi fungus, and its associated shape, the ruyi cloud form, are often found on porcelain, jade, paintings and other materials, actual specimens for display purposes are less frequently encountered, with the exception of a few screen-mounted examples in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, such as the one cited above. These may have been presented to the Qing emperors as gifts from provincial officials, suitable both in conveying wishes for longevity as well as conforming with literati taste for communing with nature and for ‘natural objects.’

1 Stephen Little with Shawn Eichman, Taoism and the Arts of China, Chicago, 2000, number 129.

19

Pair of Huanghuali Weiqi Counter Containers and Covers ( weiqizihe ) Qing dynasty, 17th - 18th century

Maximum width: 14.5cm

Height: 10.6cm

Pair of large huanghuali weiqi counter containers and covers. Each container of generous proportions, carved from a single piece of wood, rising from a low foot-ring with shallow, central recess to gently curving sides and high flattened shoulders. The low domed cover has a shallow thumb depression. Both containers are carved from the same piece of wood which is beautifully figured, evoking fantastical mountain landscapes, the patina a rich golden-brown tone.

Provenance:

The Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, Renaissance, California until 1996.

MD Flacks, New York.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2003.

Exhibited:

San Francisco, 1995, Pacific Heritage Museum.

Published:

Sarah Handler, ‘Square Tables Where the Immortals Dine’, Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society , Autumn 1994, page 19, figure 25.

Wang Shixiang and Curtis Evarts, Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture , Chicago and San Francisco, 1995, page 192, number 92.

Christie’s, New York, Important Chinese Furniture, Formerly The Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture Collection , 19 September, 1996, number 4.

Sarah Handler, Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture , Berkeley, Los Angeles, London, 2001, page 200, figure 12.18.

Similar examples:

Robert D. Jacobsen with Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Art , Minneapolis, 1999, number 81 for a pair dated to the late seventeenth century – early eighteenth century, together with a weiqi board (number 80).

Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture, One Hundred and Three Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection , Hong Kong, 2005, number 79 for a pair.

For a further discussion of weiqi counter containers refer to the essay, ‘ Weiqi - A Brief Overview and Consideration of Some Visual Evidence ’ by Sarah Wong on pages 6 - 15 of the present catalogue.

Hongmu Large Rectangular Scroll-shaped Stand Qing dynasty, 18th century

Height: 9.1cm

Length: 54.0cm

Depth: 29.8cm

Hongmu large rectangular scroll-shaped stand. The stand is formed from a single piece of timber, with a flat top and strongly incurved ends. The wood is well-figured with an attractive reddish-brown patina.

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Eskenazi Limited, London.

Private collection, Switzerland, from 1996.

Similar examples:

Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture, Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch’ing Dynasties , London and Glasglow, 1970, page 236, number 155 for an example in huali wood.

Robert D. Jacobsen with Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Art , Minneapolis, 1999, number 85 for a huanghuali example.

Nicholas Grindley, Pure Form, Classical Chinese Furniture, Vok Collection , Padova, 2004, number 53 for a hongmu example.

This elegant stand with scroll-shaped legs is a tangential reference to the traditional format of the hand scroll, and therefore, to the literati’s study and desk. As such, it would have perhaps been most suitably placed on a scholar’s desk to display the study accoutrements such as brushes, inkstones or valued antiques or a scholar’s rock. Fashioned from a single piece of timber, it would have required a substantial piece of wood, specifically chosen for its attractively figured grain.

碗

内

镶

金

属

红

褐

色

Carved Coconut Bowl

Ming dynasty, 16th - 17th century Diameter: 12.1cm

Well-proportioned coconut shell bowl with low curved sides, rising from a foot fashioned as irregularly shaped pierced rocks. The sides are finely carved with a garden scene featuring ten children playing, all boys with shaven heads, wearing baggy trousers and tops. One holds a large lotus leaf aloft; another rides a hobby horse, brandishing a sword; a pair face each other with pennants on poles slung across their shoulders; another pair play with long sticks; two others face them, one of them raising a lantern; and one boy lights a firecracker while the boy next to him covers his ears with his hands. A single pine tree with undulating branches, rising from a rockwork base, punctuates the procession of children. The interior is fitted with a metal liner and the reddish-brown flecked coconut shell bears a rich patina.

Exhibited:

London, 2019, Eskenazi Limited.

Published:

Eskenazi Limited, Room for study: fifty scholars’ objects , London, 2019, number 30.

Similar example:

Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss, Arts from the Scholar’s Studio , Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, number 256 for a small carved coconut shell wine cup with a silvered copper liner.

As has been pointed out by Tsang and Moss op. cit., the early Ming connoisseur Cao Zhao, lists coconut shell in the ‘Rare Woods’ section in his study of antiquity, Gegu Yaolun 1 Cao cites two southern provinces, Guangdong and Guangxi, as well as Annam (modern day Vietnam) as the source of this material and mentions it being ‘either painted or set in silver to make wine cups, wine pots, individual plates, wine ewers, and water ladles.’ In a later, enlarged edition volume of 1462, he adds ‘The small ones are the most expensive and hard to come by.’

The motif of children at play represents the wish for numerous sons –considered a blessing for the traditional Confucian family and important for the continuation of the familial line. The design is found on porcelain from the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644) onwards, as well across the decorative arts in China.

1 Sir Percival David translated and edited, Chinese Connoisseurship , The Ko Ku Yao Lun , The Essential Criteria of Antiquities , London, 1971, page 156.

镶 白

铜

胎 ，

椰 壳

红

褐 带

Carved Coconut Bowl

Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, 1736 - 1795 Diameter: 8.4cm

Well-proportioned coconut shell bowl with curved sides, supported on a low foot-ring. The sides are intricately and delicately carved with various antiquities including a be-ribboned chime; a vase decorated with a dragon; a bronze ding on a stand; a pot containing a ruyi sceptre and a fan; a covered vessel and drinking cups; a phoenix-headed ewer; Buddhist implements including a bell and a long-handled incense burner. The low relief carvings are accompanied by a vertical eight-line inscription. The central decorative band is enclosed by a key-fret diaper above and double raised lines below. The interior is fitted with a pewter liner and the reddish-brown flecked coconut shell bears a rich patina.

The inscription reads:

王珪 : 《端午内中帖子词 夫人阁》

后苑寻青趁午前，归来竞斗玉兰边。 袖中独有香芸草，留与君王辟蠹编。

and may be translated as follows:

Poem composed in the Palace during the Duanwu (Dragonboat) Festival – The Lady’s Pavilion by Wang Gui

Within the inner parklands, I searched for blue flowers before noon. On my return, I vied with others to pluck magnolia petals. I have some fragrant rue hidden in my sleeve, which I intend to give to the Emperor to protect him from harm.*

*(Literally, ‘protect him from worms’; used figuratively to imply corrupt officials or underlings).

Provenance:

Nicholas Grindley, London.

Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, acquired from the above in 2001.

Wang Gui (1019 - 1085) was a Song dynasty poet and Hanlin academician who was granted a jinshi degree in 1042. He was a native of Sichuan province who advised Emperor Renzong (1010 - 1063) on ritual matters.

For further discussion about the use of coconut wood as a medium, refer to the footnote of number 21 in the present catalogue.

Select bibliography

Capital Museum ed., The Culture of Huanghuali Furniture , Beijing, 2011.

Christie’s, Important Chinese Furniture, Formerly The Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture Collection , New York, 19 September 1996.

Ellsworth, R. H.: Chinese Furniture, One Hundred and Three Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection , Hong Kong, 2005.

Eskenazi Limited, Chinese lacquer from the Jean-Pierre Dubosc collection and others , London, 1992.

Eskenazi Limited, Room for study: fifty scholars’ objects , London, 2019.

Forsyth A. et al.: Wood from the Scholar’s Table , Hong Kong, 1984.

Garner, H.: Chinese and Associated Lacquer from the Garner Collection , London, 1973.

Grindley, N.: Catalogue , London, 1999.

Grindley, N.: Pure Form, Classical Chinese Furniture, Vok Collection , Padova, 2004.

Grindley, N.: Catalogue , London, 2010.

Handler, S.: ‘Square Tables Where the Immortals Dine’, Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society , Autumn 1994.

Handler, S.: Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture , California, 2001.

Hu Desheng: The Palace Museum Collection, A Treasury of Ming and Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture , volume 1, Beijing, 2007.

Jacobsen R. D. with Grindley, N.: Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Art , Minneapolis, 1999.

Kuwayama, G.: Far Eastern Lacquer , Los Angeles, 1982.

Mackenzie, C. and Finkel, I. ed.: Asian Games: The Art of Contest , Asia Society, New York, 2004.

MD Flacks: Custodians of the Scholar’s Way , London, 2014.

Mowry, R. D.: Worlds within Worlds, The Richard Rosenblum Collection of Chinese Scholars’ Rocks , Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1997.

Tokugawa Art Museum, Scholars Desk Materials from the Libraries of the Daimyo, Treasures from the Tokugawa Art Museum, (4) , Nagoya, 1988.

Tsang, G. and Moss, H.: Arts from the Scholar’s Studio , Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986.

Wang Shixiang: Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, Ming and Early Qing Dynasties , 2 volumes, Hong Kong, 1990.

Wang Shixiang and Evarts, C.: Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture , Chicago and San Francisco, 1995.

Watt, J. C. et al.: East Asian Lacquer, The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection , New York, 1991.

Wu, G.: Living with Ming – the Lu Ming Shi Collection , Hong Kong, 2000.

Wu, G.: Two Decades of Ming Furniture , Beijing, 2010.

Wu, G.: The Best of the Best, The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture , volume 2, Beijing, 2017.

Xiaogushanguan ed., Xiaogushanguan Cangqi – Jiaju , (The Collection of Xiaogushanguan: Furniture), volume 1, Beijing, 2021.

Zhu Jiajin ed.: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I) , Shanghai and Hong Kong, 2002.

Works of art purchased from Eskenazi Ltd. London, are now in the following museum collections:

Ackland Art Museum, North Carolina

Arita Porcelain Park Museum, Saga

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Asia House, Mr and Mrs John D Rockefeller 3rd Collection, New York

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco

Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore

Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore

Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama

British Museum, London

Brooklyn Museum, New York

Chang Foundation, Taibei

Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea

Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland

Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus

Corning Museum of Glass, Corning

Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas

Dayton Art Institute, Dayton

Denver Art Museum, Denver

Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen

Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki

Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware, Hong Kong

Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Hagi Uragami Museum, Hagi

Hakone Museum of Art, Hakone

Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Hetjens Museum, Düsseldorf

Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong

Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu

Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo

Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, Rome

Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth

Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts, Izumi, Osaka

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles

Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi

M Woods Museum, Beijing

Matsuoka Museum of Art, Tokyo

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Miho Museum, Shigaraki

Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis

MOA Museum of Art, Atami

Musée Ariana, Geneva

Musée des arts asiatiques, Nice

Musée national des arts asiatiques Guimet, Paris

Musées royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels

Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg Museum für Lackkunst, Münster

Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Cologne Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Museum of Islamic Art, Doha Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka Museum Rietberg, Zurich

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

National Museum of Singapore, Singapore

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City

Nezu Museum, Tokyo

Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena Östasiatiska Museet, Stockholm

Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto

St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis

Seattle Art Museum, Seattle

Shanghai Museum, Shanghai

Speed Art Museum, Louisville

State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Beijing

Toguri Museum of Art, Tokyo

Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, Tokyo

Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo

Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong

Tsz Shan Monastery Buddhist Art Museum, Hong K ong

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond

Worcester Art Museum, Worcester

Zhiguan Museum of Fine Art, Beijing

March 1972 Inaugural exhibition Early Chinese ceramics and works of art.

June 1972 Georges Rouault, an exhibition arranged by Richard Nathanson.

June 1973 Ancient Chinese bronze vessels, gilt bronzes and early ceramics.

November 1973 Chinese ceramics from the Cottle collection.

December 1973 Japanese netsuke formerly in the collection of Dr Robert L Greene.

June 1974 Early Chinese ceramics and works of art.

November 1974 Japanese inro - from the collection of E A Wrangham.

May 1975 Japanese netsuke and inro - from private collections.

June 1975 Ancient Chinese bronzes from the Stoclet and Wessén collections.

June 1976 Chinese jades from a private collection.

June 1976 Michael Birch netsuke and sculpture.

June 1976 Japanese netsuke and inro - from private collections.

June 1977 Ancient Chinese bronze vessels, gilt bronzes and sculptures; two private collections, one formerly part of the Minkenhof collection.

June 1978 Ancient Chinese sculpture.

June 1978 Michael Webb netsuke.

June 1978 Eighteenth to twentieth century netsuke.

June 1979 Japanese netsuke from private collections.

June 1980 Jap anese netsuke from private collections and Michael Webb net suke.

July 1980 Ancient Chinese bronzes and gilt bronzes from the Wessén and other collections.

December 1980 Chinese works of art from the collection of J M A J Da wson.

October 1981 Japanese netsuke and inro - from the collection of Professor and Mrs John Hull Grundy and other private collections.

December 1981 Ancient Chinese sculpture.

October 1982 Japanese inro - from private collections.

November 1983 Michael Webb, an English carver of netsuke.

October 1984 Japanese netsuke, ojime, inro - and lacquer-ware.

June 1985 A ncient Chinese bronze vessels, gilt bronzes, inlaid bronzes, silver, jades, ceramics – Twenty five years.

December 1986 Japanese netsuke, ojime, inro - and lacquer-ware.

June 1987 Tang.

June 1989 Chinese and Korean art from the collections of Dr Franco Vannotti, Hans Popper and others.

November 1989 Japanese lacquer-ware from the Verbrugge collection.

December 1989 Chinese art from the Reach family collection.

May 1990 Japanese netsuke from the Lazarnick collection.

June 1990 Ancient Chinese sculpture from the Alsdorf collection and others.

November 1990 The Charles A Greenfield collection of Japanese lacquer.

June 1991 Inlaid bronze and related material from pre-Tang China.

November 1992 Japanese lacquer-ware – recent acquisitions.

December 1992 Chinese lacquer from the Jean-Pierre Dubosc collection and others.

June 1993 Early Chinese art from tombs and temples.

June 1993 Japanese netsuke from the Carré collection.

June 1994 Yuan and early Ming blue and white porcelain.

June 1995 Early Chinese art: 8th century BC – 9th century AD.

October 1995 Adornment for Eternity, loan exhibition from the Denver Art Museum.

June 1996 Sculpture and ornament in early Chinese art.

November 1996 Japanese inro - and lacquer-ware from a private Swedish collection.

March 1997 Ceramic sculpture from Han and Tang China.

June 1997 Chinese Buddhist sculpture.

June 1997 Japanese netsuke, ojime and inro - from the Dawson collection.

November 1997 Japanese netsuke – recent acquisitions.

March 1998 Animals and animal designs in Chinese art.

June 1998 Japanese netsuke, ojime and inro - from a private European collection.

November 1998 Chinese works of art and furniture.

March 1999 Ancient Chinese bronzes and ceramics.

November 1999 Ancient Chinese bronzes from an English private collection.

March 2000 Masterpieces from ancient China.

November 2000 Chinese furniture of the 17th and 18th centuries.

March 2001 Tang ceramic sculpture.

November 2001 Chinese ceramic vessels 500 – 1000 AD.

March 2002 Chinese Buddhist sculpture from Northern Wei to Ming.

November 2002 Two rare Chinese porcelain fish jars of the 14th and 16th centuries.

March 2003 Chinese works of art from the Stoclet collection.

November 2003 Song: Chinese ceramics, 10th to 13th century.

March 2004 Chinese Buddhist figures.

November 2004 A selection of Ming and Qing porcelain.

March 2005 Ancient Chinese bronzes and sculpture.

November 2005 Song ceramics from the Hans Popper collection.

March 2006 A selection of early Chinese bronzes.

June 2006 Recent paintings by Arnold Chang.

November 2006 Chinese porcelain from the 15th to the 18th century.

March 2007 Song: Chinese ceramics, 10th to 13th century (part 3).

November 2007 Mountain landscapes by Li Huayi.

March 2008 Chinese sculpture and works of art.

October 2008 Chinese ceramics and stone sculpture.

October 2009 Seven classical Chinese paintings.

March 2010 Trees, rocks, mist and mountains by Li Huayi.

November 2010 Fiftieth anniversary exhibition: twelve Chinese masterworks.

March 2011 Early Chinese metalwork in gold and silver; works of art of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

November 2011 Chinese huanghuali furniture from a private collection.

November 2011 The twelve animals of the zodiac by Li Huayi.

November 2012 Qing porcelain from a private collection.

October 2013 Junyao.

October 2013 Bo Ju Gui: an important Chinese archaic bronze.

October 2014 Waterfalls, rocks and bamboo by Li Huayi.

October 2014 Chinese sculpture c. 500 - 1500.

May 2015 Principal wares of the Song period from a private collection.

October 2015 Transfigured echoes: recent paintings by Liu Dan.

October 2016 Recent paintings by Zeng Xiaojun.

November 2016 Early Chinese art from private collections.

November 2017 Six Dynasties art from the Norman A. Kurland collection, Part one.

May 2018 Song: Chinese ceramics, 10th to 13th century (part 5).

May 2018 Gogottes: a rift in time.

November 2018 Six Dynasties art from the Norman A. Kurland collection, Part two.

November 2019 Room for study: fifty scholars’ objects.

October 2021 Tang: ceramics, metalwork and sculpture.

June 2022 Contemporary bamboo: masters from Japan.

June 2022 Gogottes: unfolding time.

October 2022 50 years of exhibitions: five masterpieces on loan from a private family collection

June 2023 Between perfection and destruction: Fang Lijun porcelain sculpture.

June 2023 Bamboo masterworks from Japan - classical to contemporary.

October 2023 Chinese ceramics, lacquer and gold from the 12th to the 14th century