Lot 129
  • 129

A PAIR OF INSCRIBED SILVER-INLAID ZITAN SCROLL WEIGHTS CALLIGRAPHY BY LUO FUKAN (1873-1954) REPUBLICAN PERIOD, DATED TO 1941

Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 HKD
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Description

each of slender rectangular form with the curved upper side inscribed in cursive script with two poetic verses, all framed within a silver-inlaid key-fret border, the characters on the pair of weights reading zhi feng qu ya gong mike, hainiu ya lian xie yingo (‘Little bees rush to the government office to offer their honey-taxes, ‘sea cows’ hold down the curtain as if writing calligraphy’), both followed by the notations picked out in cinnabar, one reading ju Huang Peiweng ju (‘Proposing lines by Huang Peiweng’), the other xinsi eryue Fukan shu (‘written by Fukan in the second month of the xinsi year’, corresponding to 1941), with the seal Fukan on the left, the wood of a warm brown tone with a smooth patina

Provenance

Collection of Mary and George Bloch.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 23rd October 2005, lot 143.

Condition

Apart from some expected scratches and minor nicks, the overall condition is very good. The actual colour is consistent with the catalogue illustration.
"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."

Catalogue Note

The inscription on this pair of scroll weights is by the scholar, artist and official Luo Fukan (1873-1954), who was a native of Shunde in Guangdong province. He was a disciple of Kang Youwei (1858-1927), the famous political reformer and nationalist. Luo himself held a number of government posts in Beijing during the late Qing and early Republican periods. He especially excelled in calligraphy, with his works highly sought after by collectors and artists at the time. For example, see a calligraphy by Luo dedicated to the famous painter Jin Cheng (1878-1926) and dated to the guihai year (corresponding to 1923), also bearing a collector’s seal of Jin, sold in these rooms, 5th October 2010, lot 958.

The two scroll weights are inscribed with two lines from Huang Tingjian’s (1045-1105) poems, one from the Yan ya ('Elaborations on the Erya Dictionary') ascribed to 1083, and the other from a poem written in 1086 about sending scroll weights to a relative.