A carved cinnabar lacquer display cabinet and stand, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 剔紅龍紋多寶格

Walt Killam, Rare Oriental Arts, Connecticut, 2nd February 1969.

Acquired from the above by the father of the present owner, and thence by descent.

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Walt Killam, Rare Oriental Arts，康涅狄格州，1969年2月2日

現任藏家父親得自上述，此後家族傳承

Masterfully carved with writhing imperial dragons, scrolling flora and vibrant scenes of scholars among idyllic landscapes, the present cabinet is a masterpiece of imperial lacquer work. While similar designs and fine detailing are well attested on Qianlong lacquer wares, to date, only one other cabinet of this rare and extraordinary design appears to be known, sold without a stand at Christie’s New York, 24th March 2011, lot 1353.

The skillful carving, vibrant imperial themes and grand proportions of the present lot are also fittingly compared with contemporaneous pieces carved from zitan hardwood during the Qianlong period - similarly challenging to carve and with comparably spellbinding results. Compare a number of related zitan display cabinets of grand Qianlong style, often mounted above closed shelving, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, four of which are illustrated in Ni yinggai zhidao de 200 jian zitan jiaju / The 200 Objects You Should Know. Red Sandalwood Furniture, Beijing, 2008, pls 149-152.

Symbols of imperial leisure and scholarly fascination, display cabinets (duobaoge) of this type were an indispensable part of imperial furnishings, used to house the emperor’s unsurpassed collection of antiques, ceramics, scholar’s rocks and other prized possessions. Although similar open shelving is found on Ming period bookcases, complexly adorned cabinets with varied compartment shapes – like the present – were a Qing innovation. Indeed, display cabinets of various sizes with irregular shelves are still preserved across the Forbidden City, including in the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Yangxindian), illustrated in situ in Splendors of China’s Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, pl. 283.

本件多寶格通體髹紅漆，施剔紅技法，雕飾矯健翻騰之帝王龍紋、纏枝花卉，以及山水間高士談玄之景，構圖繁縟精緻，為乾隆時期宮廷漆器工藝之集大成之作。此類設計與雕工風格在乾隆漆器中多有體現，然目前僅見另一相類構造與圖像之剔紅多寶格傳世，惟不附座，曾售於紐約佳士得，2011年3月24日，編號1353。

本件所展現之雕刻技藝、帝王主題與宏大尺度，亦足與乾隆年間紫檀木雕家具相提並論。兩者皆為高難度工藝，呈現同樣令人驚嘆之視覺效果。可比較北京故宮博物院所藏數件紫檀多寶格，其構造氣派非凡，上設層格，下設閉合櫃體，著錄於《你應該知道的200件紫檀家具》，北京，2008年，圖版149至152。

此類多寶格為清宮陳設不可或缺之重器，象徵帝王逸樂與文雅志趣，專為陳列御藏古物、瓷器、供石與文房清供之用。雖明代已有開放式書架作收納之用，然此種格局錯落、形式多變之裝飾性格櫃乃清代創新。今日紫禁城內猶存此類不規則層架之多寶格陳設，包括養心殿內所見實例，著錄於《Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong》，菲爾德博物館，芝加哥，2004年，圖版283。