A SUPERBLY CARVED ZITAN 'DRAGON AND PHOENIX' CHEST QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

of rectangular section, modelled with a hinged cover resting on four straight sides and a recessed base, flanked by a pair of metal loop handles, each suspending from a pair of metal roundels and resting on a further one, the front of the chest skilfully carved in varied levels of relief with a pair of confronting kui phoenix swooping downwards elegantly with billowing tail feathers amidst undulating scrolls issuing ruyi shaped foliage, further embellished with a rectangular metal plate with a lock receptacle and a ruyi-shaped clasp, the metal delicately detailed with floral motifs, the carved design meticulously mirrored on the reverse of the chest and accentuated with a pair of metal finely detailed hinge plates, each of the sides skilfully carved with a further phoenix, all below the top panel of the cover powerfully carved with a ferocious five-clawed dragon soaring amidst dense cloud scrolls, the corners of the chest decorated and reinforced with cusped and detailed metal mounts, the tightly grained wood of a dark reddish-brown colour with characteristic flecks

Hugh Moss, Hong Kong, 1974-1984.

The chest is in overall good condition. There are minor age cracks, small bruises to the extremities and areas of shrinkage, including a split to a section along the front edge of the base.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Masterfully carved with a lively dragon striding amid ruyi-shaped clouds and pairs of archaistic kui phoenix with interlocking feathers, the present zitan box displays the artisans’ technical virtuosity and is a superb example of early Qing dynasty imperial furniture.

Slightly smaller in size than clothing chests, this type of wood box is believed to have been used for the storage of books and is therefore often called shuxiang (‘book chest’). However, these boxes probably served multiple functions. Usually made of hardwood such as huanghuali and zitan, minimally decorated with only beadings, equipped with metal lock plates and loop handles and further reinforced with metal mounts at the edges, these boxes are also suitable for the storage and transportation of valuables. The complexity of the decorations and the depth of the carvings seen on the present box are therefore highly unusual. Skillfully carved from zitan, a timber extremely scarce by the time of the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735-1796) and decorated with a five-clawed dragon symbolising heavenly power, the present box could only have been made by order of the court.

Zitan was the most precious and highly esteemed timber available to the master craftsmen working in the Muzuo (‘wood workshop’) belonging to the Zaobanchu (‘imperial palace workshop’). With its jade-like silky texture, extremely fine and dense grain, and subtle and deep lustre, zitan was the favourite timber of the Ming and Qing courts. Its long growth period combined with its limited availability made it especially valuable. By the Qing dynasty excessive felling of zitan led to the exhaustion of supply in China and by the Qianlong reign, special measures were taken by the court to protect, monitor and restrict the use of zitan to the palace workshops. Exquisitely decorated furniture and objects carved from rare zitan wood, such as the present box, are thus perfect symbols of imperial power and amply satisfied the lavish and extravagant taste of the Qianlong Emperor.

A companion zitan carved box decorated with a left-facing dragon and archaistic phoenix, attributed to the Qianlong period, is illustrated in C.Y. Tsai, Zitan. The Most Noble Hardwood, My Humble House, Taipei, 1996, pp. 218-219. Another closely similar box, carved with a right-facing dragon like the present piece, is included in Song Yongji, Gu jiaju shoucang jianshang baodian [Encyclopedia of appreciation and connoisseurship of ancient furniture], ed. Hu Desheng, Hong Kong, 2007, p. 222 middle. The shape, decoration and metal mounts of these two boxes are almost identical to that of the present box. For other similar zitan boxes, see for example two boxes from the Qing court collection, carved with dragons above waves, reinforced with silver mounts and with matching stands. These two boxes, still preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, vary slightly in size and proportion and are illustrated respectively in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, no. 235, and Complete Edition of Ming and Qing Furniture Collected in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2015, vol. 16: Shelving. Cabinet. Coffer. Chest, no. 113. Zitan boxes of similar size and shape appear in auctions only occasionally. Compare a zitan box of similar size and carved with dragons chasing ‘flaming pearls’, sold in these rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 3220. A smaller zitan box, carved with confronting chilong and archaistic kui dragons and dated to the early Qing period, from the Dr S.Y. Yip collection, was recently sold in these rooms, 5th April 2017, lot 3505.

The phoenix on the present box, finely carved with features resembling that of a pheasant and surmounted by elegant ruyi-shaped crowns, illustrate the pinnacle of imperial workmanship. The complex design of interlocking feathers is skillfully rendered to preserve the delicate balance of forms and negative space. Similar archaistic kui phoenix can be found on a number of zitan furniture in the Qing court collection, such as a birch-inlaid zitan chair attributed to the Yongzheng to Qianlong period and a slightly later square-corner cabinet with archaistic chilong and phoenix. The gracefully rendered phoenix on these pieces, similarly carved with crescent eyes, foliate crowns and wings outlined with ruyi scrolls, encapsulate a sense of antiquity which echoes the taste of the Qianlong Emperor. Both the chair and the cabinet are still preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), op.cit., nos 53 and 205, the latter also included in Complete Edition of Ming and Qing Furniture Collected in the Palace Museum, op.cit., vol. 15: Shelving. Cabinet. Coffer. Chest, no. 62.

Elegantly and intricately entwined, the phoenix’s feathers recall elaborate designs of interlacing foliate and floral scrolls derived from Western rococo motifs, which gained favour under the patronage of the Qianlong Emperor. Compare a zitan carved display cabinet from the Qing court collection, decorated with related interlocking clouds and Western floral scrolls, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing and illustrated in ibid., vol. 14: Shelving. Cabinet. Coffer. Chest, no. 28.  

Featured with trailing tails and long feathers, the composition of the phoenix can be highly versatile and used to decorate imperial objects of various materials. Compare, for example, an embroidered female outer gown of azure blue gauze from the Qing court collection, detailed with roundels of similar archaistic kui phoenix, included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Costumes and accessories of the Qing court, Hong Kong, 2005, no. 85. Although confined within a two-dimensional space, the phoenix on the gown is decorated with graceful wings and feathers not dissimilar to that of the present box.

The crescent eyes and ruyi-edged wings are reminiscent of phoenix from the Yongzheng reign (1723-1735), when unprecedented effort was devoted to the production of archaistic artefacts, paying homage to history while experimenting with new concepts and technology. See, for instance, the archaistic kui phoenix on a pair of Yongzheng mark and period Beijing enamel gold teapots and covers; one of the pair is in the collection of Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, and the other, formerly in a Parisian collection, was sold in these rooms, 7th October 2010, lot 2165.