A magnificient imperial lacquer 'nine dragons' calligraphy table Qing dynasty, Yongzheng - Qianlong period, ca. 1730 | 清雍正至乾隆 約1730年 漆木龍紋束腰馬蹄足條桌

Collection Francesc Cambó i Battle (1876-1947) at the Laietana Palace, Barcelona.

__________________________________________________________________________

弗朗切斯·坎博 (1876-1947) 收藏，萊塔納皇宫，巴塞隆納

The present calligraphy table with its exclusive decoration of nine dragons was most likely intended for an imperial usage within the forbidden city. Surviving lacquer calligraphy table are actually very rare and only two other nine dragon tables are recorded in the collections of Palace museum, Beijing. The first is a red-ground lacquer table, somewhat narrower and longer, with a related striking design of nine dragons amongst clouds, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Ming and Qing Furniture in the Palace Museum, Beijing, vol.8, page 108, n°47 (fig.1). The other, also on red lacquer and decorated in a qiangjin and tianqi technique is illustrated in ibid. vol. 9, p 442, n° 131. Compare also a purple ground lacquer table of related size, form and proportion but with a landscape decoration, also illustrated in ibid. vol. 9, p. 539, n° 154. Similarly to the precepts of ornamentation for the court robe, whereas only the emperor himself, his sons, and the princes of the first and second ranks were allowed to wear nine five-clawed dragons robe, the same precept would prevail for the furniture at the court. Calligraphy table were intended to accommodate the organisation of all the writing paraphernalia including brush pots, table cabinets, ink stone or seal boxes and provide ample space for this practice in which the emperor excelled and was very fond of. Considering the proportion of this table, we may assume that it was intended to be placed in front of a full size throne.

The present table comes from the collection of Francesc Cambó i Battle (1876-1947) at the Laietana Palace, Barcelona.

Francesc Cambó was the most influential figure of the so called “regenerationist catalanism” in the first third of the 20th century Spain. Since his youth he was active in regionalist organizations, some of which he had co-founded. In 1901 he founded a new political party, the Lliga Regionalista de Catalunya, being elected that same year as municipal councilor in the city of Barcelona.

While mostly known as a politician, Cambó became one of the most important art private collectors and cultural donors in the history of his country. He bequeathed almost all his artworks to the public in state museums in Madrid, at the Prado Museum and in Barcelona.

__________________________________________________________________________

本條桌帶九龍紋飾，相信乃屬宮廷御用。漆木桌極爲珍罕，除本品外僅存兩九龍紋作例，北京故宮博物院珍藏。其一為紅漆桌，相比本品較長及較窄，紋飾相近，九龍騰飛雲間，見《北京故宮博物院明清家具全集》，卷8，頁108，編號 47（圖 1）。另一例為紅漆戧金填漆器，出處同上，卷9，頁442，編號131。另可比較一紫漆例，尺寸、器型及比例相近，山水紋飾，出處同上，卷9，頁539，編號154。五爪九龍紋飾，尊屬皇帝、親王及郡王吉服袍，宮廷家具紋飾亦須遵守同一規例。皇帝均精通書法，此類條桌用於擺放筆筒、墨硯、印泥盒等書法用品，桌面空間闊大，便於寫字。此桌尺寸龐大，置於寳座之前甚為匹配。

本品出自巴塞羅那萊埃塔納宮 Francesc Cambo i Battle （1876-1947年）珍藏。

Francesc Cambo 乃西班牙二十世紀前三分之一期間，「加泰羅尼亞復興運動」中最具影響力之人物，自青年時便已積極參與區域運動組織，部份組織由他與同僚共同創立。 1901 年，Cambo成立新政黨，名爲加泰羅尼亞地區聯盟，同年當選巴塞羅那市之議員。

Cambo以政治家的身份聞名，藝術收藏甚豐，並熱心捐獻予文化機構，身後藏品幾乎全數贈予馬德里國家博物館、普拉多博物館及巴塞羅那各所博物館。