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Lot Essay
Qilin is one of the most auspicious beasts in Chinese mythology, a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. The representation of the current qilin is very similar to the depiction included in Qinggong Shoupu, Catalogue of Animals Collected in the Qing Palace (fig. 1), commissioned by the Qianlong emperor in 1750 and completed in 1761 to establish an illustrated archive of both fictional and non-fictional beasts, along with other archives of marine creatures, birds, as a cultural relics project.
The current qilin convincingly demonstrates a sense of vitality and dynamic movement through the fluidity of its carving. The style of carving is closely related to a series of wood furniture much treasured by the Qing court, which is illustrated in the The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), pp.286-292.
For other naturalistic wood carvings of animals, see a small figure of ram and a large figure of recumbent lion (fig. 2) in the collection of Palace Museum, Beijing, both dated to the Qing Dynasty. Given the cost and rarity of aloeswood, it is very rare to find an aloeswood carving of this enormous size. Compare to an exquisitely carved aloeswood mirror stand (79 cm. high) dated to the 19th century, sold at Christie’s London, 12th May 2017, Lot 316 (fig. 3).
The gilt inscription on the underside of the original fitted ebony stand, bing, represents grade III in the grading scale of Imperial stands commissioned by the Qing Emperors. Entries showing such commissions have been extensively recorded in the Imperial archives during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. See a zitan stand dated to mid-Qing dynasty bearing the same bing-character inscription on the underside in the collection of Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Collection of Stands in the Palace Museum Part V, Beijing, 2016, p.70, no. 17.
This item is subject to CITES export/import restrictions. The historical CITES paperwork for this lot is not available and it will not be possible to obtain a CITES export permit to ship this item to addresses outside Hong Kong post-sale. This item can only be shipped to addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office. Please contact the department for further information.
The current qilin convincingly demonstrates a sense of vitality and dynamic movement through the fluidity of its carving. The style of carving is closely related to a series of wood furniture much treasured by the Qing court, which is illustrated in the The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), pp.286-292.
For other naturalistic wood carvings of animals, see a small figure of ram and a large figure of recumbent lion (fig. 2) in the collection of Palace Museum, Beijing, both dated to the Qing Dynasty. Given the cost and rarity of aloeswood, it is very rare to find an aloeswood carving of this enormous size. Compare to an exquisitely carved aloeswood mirror stand (79 cm. high) dated to the 19th century, sold at Christie’s London, 12th May 2017, Lot 316 (fig. 3).
The gilt inscription on the underside of the original fitted ebony stand, bing, represents grade III in the grading scale of Imperial stands commissioned by the Qing Emperors. Entries showing such commissions have been extensively recorded in the Imperial archives during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. See a zitan stand dated to mid-Qing dynasty bearing the same bing-character inscription on the underside in the collection of Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Collection of Stands in the Palace Museum Part V, Beijing, 2016, p.70, no. 17.
This item is subject to CITES export/import restrictions. The historical CITES paperwork for this lot is not available and it will not be possible to obtain a CITES export permit to ship this item to addresses outside Hong Kong post-sale. This item can only be shipped to addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office. Please contact the department for further information.