A FINE AND RARE CINNABAR AND BLACK LACQUER 'GURI' BRUSH AND COVER SONG DYNASTY

elegantly shaped, the slender handle widening slightly near the middle and tapering at the end, collared near the brush end with a ring, finely carved through the thick black and red layers with heart-shaped guri pommels, the ring carved with scrolls, the brush end left with a hollow shaft for receiving the brush hairs, the cap of tapered cone shape similarly decorated terminating in a small circle at the tip matching the circle at the end of the handle

The overall condition is extremely good with virtually almost no retouching or restoration.
"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."

The Allure of Early Urushi:
Important Early Chinese Lacquer Wares from a Japanese Collection

Hajni Elias

Chinese lacquer has been admired and appreciated in Japan for centuries. While fine lacquer has always been valued around the world, nowhere has it been collected with such passion as in Japan where the majority of early lacquer ware, remaining outside of China, has been preserved. Japanese monasteries became repositories for Chinese lacquer, often on behalf of the imperial families, from as early as the Tang dynasty. The Shōsōin (Repository Compound) of the Tōdaiji (Great Eastern Temple) in Nara to this day remains a rare 8th century time capsule where thousands of artefacts donated by the Chinese court to its founder, Emperor Shōmu (r.724-749) are kept. The repository employed its own skilled craftsmen, the best that could be found in the nation, who throughout the centuries and to this day have been scrupulously tending to all the items in their care.

Japanese connoisseurship in this field, especially of objects produced in the Song, Yuan and Ming periods, is well known and documented.  This nation's deep appreciation, combined with impeccable taste for the beautiful, is reflected in the present group of nineteen objects which have been assembled and meticulously cared for over a long period. Rarely do we have the opportunity to see so many early wares in one collection, and furthermore, to handle objects that serve as a showcase for the variety of ambitious techniques employed by highly skilled lacquer artists over time.

The history of Chinese lacquer dates to the Neolithic period when it was employed to coat wood, leather and other materials and was appreciated for its practical properties. Lacquer became the most precious material in the late Warring States (475-221 BC) and Han period (206 BC – 220 AD) when it became widely used in the palaces and among the households of the aristocracy. Interestingly, the rise of lacquer contributed to a shift in taste and to the rapid decline of bronze by the end of the Han dynasty. A passage in Han Kuan's Yan Tie Lun ("Discourses on Salt and Iron") written circa 80 BC, mentions that for one lacquered cup it is possible to purchase ten bronze examples, and that it required a hundred craftsmen to make a cup and ten-thousand to make a screen.¹

Lacquer played a limited role during the Tang dynasty, however, its popularity revived in the Song (960-1279) when it became one of the most highly prized materials available to the court, the official gentry and the scholar-literati. The increase in demand saw the establishment of both state and privately controlled lacquer manufactories and workshops located in particular around the Song capitals of Kaifeng and Hangzhou and in the prosperous 'Jiangnan' region, south of the Yangtze River.

Plain lacquer, such as the elegant foliate form tea-bowl stand (lot 3133), formerly in the repository of the Higashi Hongan Temple in Kyoto, catered to the aesthetic ideals of Song connoisseurs who celebrated elegance and natural simplicity. The stand is unrivalled in its beauty and tactile minimalism. The high quality of the workmanship is evident from its feather light weight and delicate form.  However, the vessel is surprisingly sturdy and durable due to the nature of the lacquer coating. Lacquer is derived from the sap of a member of the rhus family (rhus verniciflua). After the sap has been purified, when it turns into a clear, viscous amber coloured liquid, it is ready to be applied to a core material such as wood, fabric, leather and even bronze. The lacquer sap, which contains a high concentration of the compound called urushiol, under the right temperature and humidity, forms a natural polymer not dissimilar in its properties to present-day plastic. The final product is extremely light in weight, water and heat resistant, with the lacquer serving as a protective coating against natural elements and harmful insects.

Tea-bowl stands of this type, known as tenmoku dai in Japan, were appreciated for the part they played in the aesthetics of the tea ceremony or chanoyu. Cinnabar and black lacquer stands, usually supporting a black-glazed bowl provided the perfect colour contrast to the whisked white tea. China's influence on its neighbour across the East China Sea was significant and in some areas the Japanese preserved cultural elements that over time completely disappeared in China.  For example, the tea ceremony in Japan is presented even now in the way it was in China during the late Tang and early Song period, when tea culture and tea drinking as a pleasurable custom was elevated to almost ceremonial status. Historically, monastic communities in Southern China, especially those in the Tianmu mountain region, used dark-glazed teabowls known as 'Tianmu wares' for drinking tea. Japanese Buddhist monks journeyed to Fujian during the Song dynasty to purchase these much sought after teabowls and stands which came to be treasured in their country and called tenmoku wares.

By the Southern Song period (1127-1279), lacquer artists were experimenting with different decorative styles and techniques that had a stronger visual impact. They used a variety of carving methods, gilding, engraving and mother-of-pearl inlay for designs. The technique better known by its Japanese name guri (or tixi in Chinese) is represented here by three trays, a covered bowl and a brush (lots 3131, 3136, 3138, 3140 and 3142). Early reference to guri lacquer in Japan can be found in the Butsu-nichi-an kōmotsu mokuroku, a catalogue of the significant objects of the Zen temple Enkaku-ji in Kamakura. Compiled in 1363 by a priest at the sub-temple Butsu-nichi-an, this important document mentions a group of Chinese carved lacquer dishes, bowls, incense burners and boxes preserved at the temple. The Enkaku-ji was founded by the Chinese monk Xu Ziyuan (1226-1286), known by his Japanese name as Mugaku Sogen, who was invited from China by the eighth regent, Hojo Tokimune, in 1282.²  Xu Ziyuan travelled to Japan taking with him forty-three pieces of lacquer ware. Although some of the entries in the catalogue use obscure names, among those that are clearly identifiable are a number of guri and carved pieces, including two that were on display in the Special Exhibition of Oriental Lacquer Art, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1977.³ 

The circular tray (lot 3136), carved through layers of red and black lacquer with a row of ruyi heads radiating from a star-form centre, is especially noteworthy for the inscription found on the back, which includes a cyclical date and records it being made by 'Pan Xin'. This tray appears to be the only dated guri piece known recorded. During the Song dynasty, high quality lacquer products bore inscriptions indicating the date, place of manufacture, the family name of the craftsman or the name of the workshop where he was employed. While the identity of Pan Xin remains unknown, a number of important families and master craftsmen active in the production of lacquer ware during the Song came from Xiangzhou, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Wenzhou - cities that were renowned for their carving workshops and as centres of excellence in arts and crafts.⁴

The guri design is mainly made up of classic and symmetrical scrolls frequently referred to as ruyi or stylized cloud motifs. The lacquer is built up from multiple layers, often in different colours which are exposed through the carving. An important aspect of early guri is the way the carver has used his knife, often in an angle to cut away the many layers in the material. This allowed him to form a V-shaped cut where the edges remain sharp, giving an attractive depth to the design.  While the decoration on different objects may appear strikingly similar, there are no two that match. Over time, the treatment of the motif as well as the finish went through changes, and while Song and Yuan examples generally show the work of the carver's knife, their Ming period counterparts were finely polished, smoothed and rounded. Regina Krahl provides an insightful summary on early guri noting that 'the overall impression is one of great strength and energy'.⁵

Lacquer with figurative and floral motifs was probably the most popular among all wares. The tea-bowl stand (lot 3134), delicately fashioned with an attractive chrysanthemum scroll motif in black against a red ground, is the work of a Song artisan who has put much ingenuity into his craft and created an attractive decoration on a vessel better known from its plain counterparts. While the surface is densely filled with flowers, the carver has left ample space between the blooms and leaves to expose the sharply contrasting red background. A related tea-bowl stand and a circular black-lacquer dish, included in the Tokyo National Museum exhibition Chinese Carved Lacquerworks of the Song Dynasty, serve as a guideline in the accurate dating of the present stand.⁶ This type of surface treatment possibly had its origins in wood carving while the composition itself is reminiscent of designs found on contemporary textiles. Early carving was typically two-dimensional compared to that developed from the 14th century onwards, when complex overlay was introduced that made full use of all the space. No precious material was wasted and furthermore a three-dimensional depth was created by the technique of cutting through the many layers of lacquer to different heights.

The beautiful black lacquer dish with large blooming peonies (lot 3137) represents the mature Song style where the decoration is attractively laid out, the carving is bold and deep, with little of the background left exposed. The flowers and leaves are especially elaborate and a sense of depth in the decoration is realized by the multiple layers within the design. The final product is also finished to a shiny rich smoothness.

Ming dynasty lacquer with carved decoration is represented in this collection by a number of exemplary pieces including the square tray with indented round corners (lot 3147). Interestingly, the form of this tray is inspired by earlier, Song dynasty wares such as the plain black-lacquer tray in the collection of the Nezu Institute of Art in Tokyo. Ming lacquer continued enjoying popularity in Japan and contemporary sources record lists of gifts given by the Yongle emperor including a group of 58 carved red lacquers to the consort of the Japanese shogun in 1403 or 1404. Another list, dated to 1407, mentions 20 pieces of carved red lacquer dishes and 30 pieces of carved red lacquer incense burners presented to the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.⁷  According to a study by Beatrix von Rague, 'from the 15th century Japanese sources which were enthusiastic about Chinese carved lacquer ware – much more so than about wares with engraved and gilded design – we learn quite a lot about the different Chinese carved lacquer ware techniques. They were different with regard to the colours of base and surface, different with regard to the number of layers in between, and different with regard to the depth of carving. According to these Japanese names and descriptions, there must have been at least ten kinds of Chinese carved lacquer.'⁸

Another technique employed for decorating lacquer was the use of shell-inlay. Inlay was already in use during the Tang dynasty (618-907) when mirrors and boxes bore lavish designs made with large and thick pieces of shells with fine incisions added for the details. The Song artist used wafer thin shells that allowed the creation of complex pictorial scenes which included architectural details, as well as human figures with identifiable facial expressions. Much skill and ingenuity went into the mother-of-pearl inlay box (lot 3135), which represents an exceptionally rare Song example known decorated in this laborious technique. The inlay is meticulously detailed and delicate with the design depicting a figural scene that was also used on an octagonal covered box, with slight variation in the details, from the Figgess collection and attributed at the time of publication by Sir Harry Garner to the late 15th century.⁹ Wang Shixiang in his work on Chinese lacquer mentions a Southern Song painting on silk by the court artist Su Hanchen in which a garden stool is depicted with small and thin iridescent pieces of shell in various floral patterns.  The Southern Song official turned recluse, Zhou Mi (1232-1298), mentions in one of his writings that the notorious prime minister Jia Sidao (1217-1275) was given ten mother-of-pearl inlaid desk screens, each depicting an important event in the minister's life with a citation of his achievements.¹⁰

The technique of shell inlay on lacquer reached new heights during the Yuan dynasty when a wide range of different styles were introduced and became part of the craftsman's repertoire. A fragment of a dish excavated at the Yuan capital Dadu (present Beijing) in 1966, the decoration showing, trees, walls, roofs and pillars of a palace, serves to help date Yuan examples. A number of magnificent shell-inlay lacquer pieces were included in the Tokyo National Museum exhibition in 1979, mainly with pictorial decoration and inscribed with the artists' names. The Ge gu yao lun ("The Essential Criteria of Antiquities") written in 1387 by Cao Zhao, mentions that mother-of-pearl inlay lacquer was specially made in Jiangxi province, and during the Yuan dynasty rich families liked to have them made for their houses. Cao further mentions that the lacquer was carefully put on, the decoration being perfectly designed and beautifully finished. However, he continues to note a severe decline in quality by the Ming period. The decoration of the 'flower-and-bird' motif on the tray (lot 3132), most probably inspired by woodblock illustrations of the period, is a fine example of how the Yuan artist has used his inlay material sparingly yet has skilfully created a 'painting' on a vessel. The simplicity and painterly style of the main design, as well as the more spacious and unregimented arrangement of the border motif are in sharp contrast with the more stylised and formal treatment of decoration found on Ming dynasty inlay lacquer pieces.

For scholars, connoisseurs and those who simply enjoy the beauty of lacquer ware, this collection offers an insight into the variety and richness of Chinese lacquer from the Song to the Qing dynasty. Rarely do we have the opportunity to gain pleasure from such an outstanding group and to study and deepen our understanding of one of China's most ancient art forms.

¹ See the notes to a Han period lacquer covered vessel included in the exhibition Treasures from the Han, the Empress Palace, Singapore, 1990, p. 113, and Wang Zhoushu, Han Civilization, New Haven and London, 1982, p. 83.
² Nihon bijutsu jiten, Tokyo, 1959, p. 544.
³ Special Exhibition. Oriental Lacquer Arts, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1977, pls. 443 and 444.
⁴ Monica Kopplin (ed.), The Monochrome Principle, Munich, 2011, p. 30.
⁵ Regina Krahl, 'Chinese Lacquer of the Yuan and Early Ming Dynasties', Innovation to Conformity, London, 1989, p. 12.
⁶ Chinese Carved Lacquerworks of the Song Dynasty, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 2004, cat. nos. 29 and 30.
⁷ Beatrix von Rague, 'Yuan Lacquerware', Oriental Art, 1970, p. 157.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Sir Harry Garner, Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, pls. 163-164.
¹⁰ Hu Shih-chang's introduction to the exhibition 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 20.
¹¹ Beatrix von Rague, op.cit., p. 157.

The present brush exhibits many of the characteristics seen on early guri pieces: such as the style of carving seen on a fan handle from the tomb of Chou Yu, dated to 1249, excavated at Maoshan, Jintan county in Jiangsu province, illustrated in From Innovation to Conformity, London, 1989, p. 89, fig. 1249; and another handle from the shipwreck sunk off Sinan, Korea, in 1323, published in Relics Savaged from the Seabed off Sinan: Materials III, Seoul, 1985, pl. 357.

For later guri lacquer brushes compare two included in the exhibition Karamono. Imported Lacquerwork - Chinese, Korean and Ryukyuan (Okinawa), Tokugawa Art Museum, Tokyo, 1997, cat. nos. 14 and 16, both attributed to the Ming dynasty. Another Ming period example was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 26th April 2004, lot 1112.