A VERY RARE GILT AND BROWN LACQUER 'PHOENIX AND CHILONG' STEM BOWL

15th/16th century

15th/16th century
The broad vessel rising to a slightly everted rim and supported on a splayed, flat stem foot, the upper register carved in relief with four phoenix amongst trailing leafy peony stems beneath a floral diaper-pattern border on the mouth rim, the stem with two sinuous chilong clambering amongst scrolling leafy lingzhi, all on a gilt ground, the interior and base lacquered brown. 15.3cm (6in) diam.

十五/十六世紀 剔黑金彩龍鳳呈祥高足盌

Provenance:
Parry Collection, London, and thence by descent

來源：
倫敦Parry家族舊藏，並由後人保存迄今

The remarkable style of carving on the present stem bowl is in continuation of Northern Song dynasty lacquerware. Compare a carved black lacquer rectangular tray reserved on yellow ground, illustrated by TaKagi KeitaKu, Chinese Lacquerware: An Odyssey of Connoisseurship, Tokyo, 2015, pp.4-5.

The workmanship on the stem bowl is exquisite in the refined design and detailing of the lappets on the peony blossoms, the leaves, and the feathers of the phoenix, to the sinuous design of the chilong. Also exceptional is the clever use of the 'negative' space, contrasting the brown lacquer design with the rich gilt ground. Such lacquerwares are exceedingly rare. See, however, a closely related black lacquer and gilt-ground bowl and cover, with similar design of phoenix and peony reserved against a gilt-ground, early 15th century, illustrated by Knapton Rasti Asian Art Ltd., Works of Art, London, November 2006, p.12, no.6.

For a similar design on a stem bowl, see Carved Lacquer, The Tokugawa Art Museum, Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, 1984, p.47, pl.56; and see a related brown, red and gilt lacquer dish, Ming dynasty, early 16th century, with related chilong and lingzhi band around the cavetto and a gilt-ground central medallion, in the Linden-Museum, Stuttgart, illustrated in Im Zeichen des Drachen, Munich, 2006, no.52.

Phoenix and peony, combining the 'King of birds' with the 'King of flowers' augur great blessings and prosperity and represent the saying of 'May there be wealth, rank and good fortune'. The chi-dragon and lingzhi, symbolise the wish for peace and benevolence during a long reign.

敞口撇足，鎏金為地，剔黑漆為飾，盌身雕有四鳳遊梭於纏枝牡丹之中，口沿治錦地紋。盌足兩條螭龍穿行於卷草靈芝間。所飾漆雕延續北宋時期風格，如一例黃地剔黑漆方盤，收錄於TaKagi KeitaKu著，《Chinese Lacquerware: An Odyssey of Connoisseurship》，東京，2015年，頁4-5。

本例設計精巧，雕工豐富細膩，花、葉、鳳羽以至螭龍的盤曲身軀，處處均顯匠心細節。對盌內壁的處理同樣不俗，所髹棕漆與外壁富麗的鎏金地形成了鮮明的對比，能與制在工藝與造型上相比之漆器相當罕見。參考一件十五世紀早期鳳穿牡丹紋帶蓋漆盌，同以剔黑金彩為飾，詳見Knapton Rasti Asian Art Ltd.，《Works of Art》，倫敦，2006年11月，頁12，編號6。

與該例紋樣相似之設計亦可見於《Carved Lacquer》，德川美術館，根津美術館，1984年，頁47，圖版56。另可參考德國斯圖加特林登博物館館藏一例十六世紀初明代鎏金漆盤，其折沿之下飾有與本例相近的螭龍及靈芝紋，其盤心開光亦雕於鎏金地之上，收錄於《Im Zeichen des Drachen》, 慕尼黑，2006年，編號52。

作為傳統吉祥圖案的鳳凰牡丹紋樣結合了鳥中之王與花中之王，寓意祥瑞富貴；螭龍與靈芝則象徵長治久安。