A very rare and exquisite archaistic rhinoceros horn 'double-ram' vessel, zun


Signed Bao Tiancheng, 17th centuryExquisitely carved after the Shang dynasty archaic bronze prototype, in the form of twin rams conjoined at the centre, rising from their shared four feet with rounded hooves, each with a full convex body decorated in relief with archaistic C-scrolls flanked by stylised wings, the heads set in opposite directions, with well detailed facial features flanked by twisted horns, between a square section forming the neck of the well hollowed vessel, with a curved lipped rim and further decorated in relief with confronted S-scrolls flanking a ruyi-head, the horn of dark-honey and chocolate tones, zitan stand, two boxes. 8.8cm (3 1/2in) high (4).
|十七世紀 犀角雕仿青銅雙犧尊「鮑天成」篆書刻款Provenance:Yamanaka & Co., 1940Gary Mack Collection, 1982Songzhutang Collection, USAngela Chua Collection, Hong KongExhibited:Hong Kong Museum of Art, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth: Gems of Antiquities Collections in Hong Kong, 2002–2005 Published and Illustrated:World Journal, New York, 30 March 2003, p.23Hong Kong Museum of Art brochure, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth: Gems of Antiquities Collections in Hong Kong, 2003Metal, Wood, Water, Fired and Earth: Gems of Antiquities Collections in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2004, no.68來源：日本山中商會，1940年美國Gary Mack收藏，1982年松竹堂收藏香港蔡劉木蘭女士收藏展覽：2002-2005年間於香港藝術館《金木水火土：香港文物收藏精品展》中展出出版及著錄：《世界日報》，紐約，2003年3月30日，頁23香港藝術館展覽冊，《金木水火土：香港文物收藏精品展》，2003年《金木水火土：香港文物收藏精品展》，香港藝術館，2004年，編號68Bao Tiancheng is recorded in Li Wufang's list of carvers as having been born or worked in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province during the late Ming dynasty. One rhinoceros horn cup signed by him is dated to the Wanli period, indicating his period of activity. In a late Ming text Taoan mengyi ('Memoir of the Clay Studio'), the author Zhang Dai wrote:'Among the unparalleled craftsmanship of Wuzhong...the rhinoceros horn carving of Bao Tiancheng...can be safely regarded as unmatched in the hundred years past and to come.'The present vessel, signed Bao Tiancheng, is numbered amongst a small group bearing the mark of the master carver. Jan Chapman notes six rhinoceros horn cups and vessels signed 'Bao Tiancheng' or 'Tiancheng', of various forms and illustrates three examples, but which does not include the present lot; see J.Chapman, The art of rhinoceros horn carving in China, London, 1999, pp.83, 122-124, figs.56, and 120-122; see also a rhinoceros horn ewer and cover, signed Bao Tiancheng, late Ming dynasty, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn, Hong Kong, 2002, pp.128-129, no.117. See also a further rhinoceros horn example signed Bao Tiancheng, carved in the form of a 'Zhang Qian' raft, signed Bao Tiancheng, which was sold at Christie's Paris, 15 June 2004, lot 60. In addition to this group noted by Chapman there are three rhinoceros horn ear-cups, signed Bao Tiancheng: the first, is the cup Lot 5 in this catalogue; the second, also from the Angela Chua Collection, is illustrated by T.Fok, Connoisseurship of Rhinoceros Horn Carving in China, Hong Kong, 1999, p.106, no.58; and the third, from the Fowler Museum, Los Angeles, was sold at Christie's London, 7 November 2006, lot 53. The form of this remarkable zun vessel is based on late Shang dynasty bronze zun of double-ram shape; for two examples see R.W.Bagley, Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Cambridge, Mass., 1987, pp.121-122, figs.173 and 175. Whilst there are many examples of archaistic rhinoceros horn cups in the form of jue, gu, ding and fangding, as well as champion-cups, it would appear that no other archaistic rhinoceros cup of this 'double-ram' zun form is recorded. For such archaistic examples see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn, Hong Kong, 2002, nos.132-135, 204-207. Similarly shaped vessels inspired by antiquity were also produced in other materials; see an archaistic gold and silver-inlaid bronze 'double-ram' vessel, zun, Ming - early Qing dynasty, which was sold at Christie's New York, 18-19 September 2014, lot 1039. See also a related yellow jade 'sanyang' zun vessel, Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 10 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2010, p.83, no.54.鮑天成，明代江蘇吳縣人，為著名犀角雕名家，所作犀角器風格多樣，有鹿杯、螭虎龍杯、張騫乘搓、雙螭耳仿古螭虎紋壺、刻字羽觴杯等。張岱於《陶庵夢憶》中有云：「吳中絕技，陸子岡治玉，鮑天成治犀，周柱治嵌鑲，趙良璧治錫，朱璧山治金銀，馬勛、荷葉李治扇，張寄修治琴，範昆白治三弦子，俱上下百年，保無敵手。」鮑天成被明人稱為吳中絕技之一，可見其犀角作品在當時已被文人賞識。Jan Chapman曾在其著作《中國的犀牛角雕刻藝術》中提到六件帶有「鮑天成」或「天成」款的犀角雕傳世品，其中三例錄在此書，見同上，倫敦，1999年，頁83、122-124，編號56、120-122；另見北京故宮博物院藏一件明晚期犀角雕雙螭紋執壺，刻「鮑天成製」陽文款，錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：竹木牙角雕刻》，香港，2002年，頁128-129，編號117。亦參看巴黎佳士得曾售出一件帶「鮑天成」款犀角雕張騫乘搓，2004年6月15日，拍品60。除了Jan Chapman提到以上六件，目前所知犀角雕帶「鮑天成」款之羽觴式耳杯，傳世品中有三件，其中蔡劉木蘭女士藏兩件，一件為本場拍賣拍品5號，第二件錄於霍滿棠，《中國犀角雕刻珍賞》，香港，1999年，頁106，圖58；第三件為洛杉磯福勒博物館舊藏，後售於倫敦佳士得，2006年11月7日，拍品53。此類器型仿上古青銅雙犧尊，其青銅器原形可參考賽克勒舊藏二件商晚期之例，見R.W.Bagley，《Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections》，劍橋，1987年，頁121-122，圖173及175。仿古犀角杯更多見於其他造型如爵、觚、鼎、方鼎及鷹熊杯等，此器以青銅雙犧尊為造型甚為罕見，目前傳世品中並未見有相同之例，可見本拍品為犀角藝術中稀有的珍品。其他仿古造型之犀角杯，可參考北京故宮博物院藏品，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：竹木牙角雕刻》，香港，2002年，編號132-135，204-207。類似於本拍品的仿古雙犧尊造型亦見於其他材料，如紐約佳士得曾售出一件明到清早期的錯金銀銅雙犧尊，2014年9月18-19日，拍品1039。另北京故宮博物院藏清宮舊藏一件清代黃玉三羊尊可資參考，錄於《故宮博物院藏品大系：玉器編10清》，北京，2010年，頁83，編號54。