The burning of incense in Yanju is a true portrayal of the life of the ancient literati, and the literati in the Song Dynasty gave the incense The elegant cultural quality of Chinese incense and furnace has been indispensable in the spiritual world of traditional Chinese literati since then.

Incense and incense burners are not only daily necessities, but also contain unique spiritual culture and literati’s pursuit of value, which has continued to this day. Incense and incense burners have become the “standard” of the ancient literati study, and the literati belief and pursuit of its connotation have long been integrated with the study culture.

Du Jin, Ming Dynasty, “Ancient Picture” (Part)

< p>Taipei Palace Museum Collection

Agarwood has always been cherished by the ancient aristocratic class. Especially in the Qing Dynasty, agarwood almost became a special tribute to the court. The court liked to use Ganan agarwood carvings for various exquisite furnishings. Because the materials were precious, they were carefully crafted, and large pieces were even more rare.

During the Qianlong period, the Qing court used agarwood more frequently. In the work archives of the Qing Palace Construction Office, there are a large number of records about Chen Xiangcheng’s work in the Qianlong period. These detailed records reflect Qianlong’s love for agarwood. Judging from the archives, there are two main types of utensils: one is practical utensils, mainly small utensils such as counting beads and hand warmers, and the other is display utensils, such as furnace bottles and ornaments.

Qing Qianlong Yang Weizhan Jiananmu Fragrant Hill Jiu Lao Tu Shanzi

Taipei Palace Museum Collection

Taipei Palace Museum has a piece of “Xiangshan Jiu Lao” carved from a whole piece of Gannan wood, depicting the five years of Emperor Wuzong Huichang in Tang Dynasty , the poet Bai Juyi in Xiangshan, Luoyang, and the scene of the literary meeting with eight friends over 70 years old. Below is: “Mr. Yang Weizhan, a small minister in the Xinyou year of Qianlong”, engraved by Yang Weizhan, a Guangdong toothsmith, in the sixth year of Qianlong (1741). At the same time, the front mountain wall is engraved with the imperial inscription poem “Inscription on the Nine Old Figures of Ganan Fragrant Mountain” in December of the sixth year of Qianlong.

Ancient agarwood carvings have their own unique language. Because agarwood is a product of chance, the size and degree of aroma are different, resulting in different shapes and hardness of each piece of agarwood. Agarwood carvings are completely independent creations and cannot be the same version as bamboo and wood carvings. Craftsmen must fully understand the softness, hardness and shape of each piece of agarwood in order to maximize the true connotation of agarwood carving.

Due to the variety of agarwood’s incense formation methods, even the different origins will affect the “character” of agarwood. Each piece of agarwood is not replicable, and needs to correspond to different carving techniques. Therefore, each piece of agarwood carving in the true sense is an orphan. Due to the scarcity of agarwood resources, which can be met but not sought after, the works of art carved with agarwood have always been cherished by collectors.

Late Ming Dynasty Agarwood Carving Pine, Bamboo and Plum Pen Holder

H17cm

Christie’s New York 2016.3.17 Lot 1124

Gu Tianyi 2021 Spring Auction

This time Gu Tianyi Spring There is an agarwood pen holder in the late Ming Dynasty, with rich oil lines, high degree of fragrant formation, and natural and mellow fragrance. The most important thing is that it is large in size and has a thick wall. Most of the surviving agarwood carvings are mainly cups, which are usually small in size and difficult to obtain large materials. This agarwood pen holder is not only large in size, but also has unparalleled construction skills. It is among the best among similar agarwood carvings.

The outer wall of the pen holder has carved a majestic picture of forests and rocks with high relief techniques. Slowly unfolding, it can be seen that nearly ten kinds of trees grow beside the cliffs, including pine, cypress, plum, bamboo, etc. The leaves of each tree are very vivid. If you look closely, you can see that the leaves are stacked and clustered, which reflects the craftsman’s cognition of the natural tree shape. The overall pattern has distinct layers, and the mountains and stones are expressed like various chapped methods in literati ink paintings.

Compared with bamboo and wood tooth and angle carving, agarwood is more difficult to carve due to its characteristics, and the material requirements higher. Most of the existing agarwood works are of rough carving style, because the agarwood materials used for carving are mostly soft agarwood with low fragrant degree, and it is not allowed to express fine carvings.

but thisThe agarwood pen holder has clear texture, high hardness, density and oiliness. A variety of trees are arranged and distributed, with different postures, luxuriant branches and leaves, and lifelike details such as pine needles and leaves. Unprecedented carving precision, this kind of carving fineness is extremely rare in agarwood carving, showing the author’s superb carving skills, and non-famous artists cannot do it.

Left: Landscape of Jiangchunbo agarwood carvings in late Ming and early Qing Dynasty Cup collection of the Palace Museum

Right: Qing agarwood woodcarving Guanyin in the Palace Museum collection

The Palace Museum has many pieces of agarwood products, including Jiang Chunbo, a famous sculptor in the Ming Dynasty A masterpiece handed down from generation to generation. As far as the agarwood cups collected in museums and on the market are concerned, most of them are small in size. A large-sized agarwood pen holder like this is rare and deserves our attention.

The incense burner, as the most representative study object in ancient China, has always been highly valued by scholars and scholars. There are many descriptions of the incense burner in “Full Tang Poems”, such as “Smoke smoke is thin on the yellow scroll, and it is suspected that it is on the top of the incense burner.”

The incense burner has long been loved and valued by the aristocracy, and Emperor Qianlong was no exception. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, after the Qing government used troops in the Western Regions and quelled the Dzungar rebellion, it opened up the channel for Hetian jade to be transported to the interior, restored the supply of Hetian jade materials, and fundamentally solved the problem of the supply of raw materials for jade carving.

As a result, the jade incense burners in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty were mass-produced, and combined with the characteristics of the “Qianlong craftsmanship” that pursued the ultimate complexity at that time, a large number of superb materials were produced. Jade incense burner, in addition to a batch of court incense utensils such as incense and incense tubes.

Qing Qianlong sapphire carving lotus and eight treasures censer

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H10cm;L15cm

Gu Tianyi 2021 Spring Auctions

Qing Dynasty jasper openwork peony pattern flower smoke

Collection of the Palace Museum

Qing Dynasty Jade Incense Burner

Taipei Palace Museum

This time, Gu Tianyi has a jade incense burner from the Qianlong period. The jade material is large in size and high in quality. It can be seen from a distance, and it is warm and moist when you touch it. Transparent, with a soft luster unique to jade. Under the skillful craftsmanship of the palace building office, the jade furnace is dignified and stable, with exquisite decoration, reflecting the consistent level of “Qianlong craftsmanship”.

The lid of this jade stove has a bas-relief pattern of eight treasures, the center High-relief and carved dragon buttons are typical themes of court jade works in the Qianlong period. Symmetrical cutout floral ears at the shoulders. The theme of the whole vessel is elegant, all parts of the furnace body are properly connected, the inner wall is evenly eviscerated, and the smooth, meticulous and smooth mirror-like polishing skills show the beauty of jade, which shows the superb and exquisite skills.

The covered stove was a regular item in the study of the royal family and scholar-officials in the Qing Dynasty. The shape of the jade-carved cover furnace in the Qing Dynasty generally has a reference manuscript for engraving. In the “Xiqing Ancient Mirror” compiled by Liang Shizheng and others in the Qing Dynasty, there are many imitations of Shang and Zhou bronze tripods and Yi shapes to become jade carvings. The jade carvings made by the Qing Dynasty Manufacture Office are more than simple reproductions of individual cases, but a creative recombination of various elements.

During the Qianlong period, the production of jade stoves and other incense utensils increased, and fine products emerged one after another. Emperor Qianlong was well versed in Chinese philosophy and proficient in Confucian classics. He was an elegant emperor of a generation, and burning incense in his study was also indispensable. A jade stove, dense cigarettes, a clean room.

Qing Dynasty blue and white jade carving pine wind boiled tea incense stick

H22cm

Gu Tianyi 2021 Spring Auction Lot

This incense tube is square, with a jasper lid and a holder on the top and bottom , engraved with the whole circle of fringes. The body of the barrel is carved in a mountain forest to cook tea. A boy is holding a fan and is concentrating on cooking tea. The owner is sitting leisurely in the pavilion. Clouds are flowing between the mountains above, pine trees are winding up, and the leaves are lush. The jade is blue and white, and the carvings are intricate, reflecting the style of the times when jade carvings were meticulously crafted in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.

Left: Gu Tianyi 2021 Spring Auction Lot

Right: Qing Dynasty sapphire carved landscape character incense holder Collection of the Palace Museum

Qing Dynasty bronze manger furnace

Inscription: Appreciation of Yun Window

H7cm;L13.8cm;1478g

Lots of Gu Tianyi 2021 Spring Auction

This bronze furnace is square with two ears and is a classic “manger trough” Furnace”. This stove is square in shape, straight and precise, calm and concise, fine in copper quality, subtle in color of the skin, quiet and ancient in style, and in the hands of the hand, the sound of knocking is crisp and bright, the trembling is more melodious, dense and thick, It is actually made of fine copper.

The style of the manger furnace is derived from the table furnace style of the “Xuande Yi Ware Atlas”. According to the cosmology of “the sky is round and the place is round”, the square furnace is The ceremonial utensil, the complex shape of several furnaces in later generations, has become the shape of this utensil. The manger furnace has always been regarded as an upright and upright instrument. Therefore, in addition to being used as a ritual vessel, it is also highly respected by literati. thing.

The bottom line: Yun window appreciation

The manger stove has a saying that “manage has more private money, and private money is more beautiful”. This furnace bottom model “Yun Window Appreciation” is a private model and is extremely rare.

Qing Dynasty gilt bronze taotie pattern tripod furnace

(Inlaid Yuan Dynasty white jade lotus lotus stove top, mahogany stove cover)

H24cm

Gu Tianyi 2021 Spring Auction Lot

This furnace is gilded throughout, it is a classic four-legged tripod furnace, with a stable and elegant shape and symmetrical and regular patterns. Furnace cube, with erect ears. The furnace body is divided into three parts, the mouth is decorated with a circle of fringe patterns, the bottom is the brocade Kuilong pattern, the main body is the brocade taotie pattern, and the brocade pattern is fine. The furnace body has eight halberds and ridges, highlighting the characteristics of Ding Yi, and the overall style is ancient and elegant. The bottom is Kui-style feet, the four feet are turned outward, the Kui dragon pattern is inscribed, and the edge of the Kui feet is raised.

This furnace is equipped with a mahogany cover with carved cloud head pattern, and the top of the furnace is inlaid with white jade lotus of Yuan Dynasty The value of the lotus furnace top exceeds the value of its own copper square tripod. Because the jade furnace top was used as a hat top in the Yuan Dynasty, it was not available for non-kings and generals, so the value is extraordinary.

This utensil is heavy to the touch, the pulp is soft and shiny, the shape is simple and elegant, the pattern is clear, the production The craftsmanship is exquisite, the decoration is full of typical characteristics of the times, and it has a royal atmosphere. The style of this furnace can be seen in the “Xuande Yi Ware Map”. It is imitated from the ancient ding system of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. It has been preserved to this day. The gilt is bright and complete, and the overall appearance is perfect.

Source: Literati Space