A rare black lacquer 'chrysanthemum' dish, Song dynasty | 宋 黑漆菊瓣盤

Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th April 2001, lot 622.

香港佳士得2001年4月30日，編號622

The Song dynasty brought unprecedented changes in the distribution of wealth and resources, birthing a renewed discovery of the beauty of nature. Celebrating ideals of classical beauty, this fresh aesthetic called for an understated elegance and sense of perfection, marking the rise of lacquerware.

The Song rule aimed to revive romanticised concepts of antiquity based on Confucian Han ideals, while also trying to establish an identity that deviated from that of the Tang. To achieve this, the Song scholar-elite promoted commercial liberalism which granted much more freedom to the activities of merchants, brokers, and landowners. This newly-formed wealthy upper-class began developing exquisite tastes in lacquerware; silver had become the Song currency of payment, hence less available, and goldware was restricted to the court.

The present lacquer dish evokes the understated blooms of chrysanthemums. According to the Song belief, this flower spread a delicate fragrance symbolising the subtle virtue of a gentleman. Hence, this design was a very popular one among both the ruling class and the scholar gentry. These pieces were made with cores of wood in the laborious quandie method, or with a lacquer-stiffened textile core. Such methods allowed craftsmen to create complex lobed shapes and gave the wares a weightless quality, as demonstrated by this object. With its delicate fluted pedals, the sheen of the reddish-brown lacquer creates a harmonious sense of rhythm. See a similar larger example sold in these rooms, 2nd October 2018, lot 3116.

宋代漆作，內斂優雅而精純完美，體現遞嬗時空雋永的經典美感。此類器物代表之新式審美，製於宋代乍立之時，因權富分配之改變，以及對於自然之美的重新理解而生。

為建立異於唐朝國情，而復興以漢代儒道為基礎之古學遺風，宋代學者文人倡導自由貿易，給予商業活動更多空間，國都亦成繁華都會。來自國土四方之大量商販，形成社會上一富裕階層，使得更多人能享用過去僅限於朝貴之特權與奢華。然白銀作為宋代貨幣，供不應求，金器又限用於宮廷，因此造就漆藝發展，不僅滿足日常之需，並符合上層社會對於美的追尋及文雅品味。

宋人信菊之淡香，猶如君子謙和高尚，是以士人文儒尤好菊式之品。素器如斯，多以圈疊技法（薄木片屈成器形，並相互膠疊）作木胎，或裱糊麻布為夾紵胎。後者可作較為複雜花式，並使成器輕似鴻毛，正如此盤。此盤瓣葉輕盈細膩，黑漆泛赭，柔光亮澤，色形諧和。尺寸略大之例，可參考2018年10月2日在香港蘇富比拍出之盤，編號3116。