J.J. Lally & Co., Oriental Art / New York City, New York
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ELEGANTLY MADE: Art for the Chinese Literati
March 13-27, 2020
23.
AN IMPERIAL HUNTING KNIFE AND SCABBARD
Qianlong Period (1736-1795)
made for ceremonial use at the Manchu court, the well-honed slender steel blade with incised and gilt three-clawed dragons near the hilt on both sides, the white jade handle polished to a high gloss and decorated at both ends with bands of faceted square ruby-red glass inlays, the top of the handle inlaid with an eight-petal florette, the close-fitted gold scabbard formed as openwork floral scroll engraved with fine details throughout, decorated to match with ruby-red glass collars at either end and an eight-petal florette at the base, further embellished near the open end with a small florette inlaid with clear glass petals around a ruby-red glass center, the open end with ropetwist rim and a protruding dragon-head tab fitted with a loop for suspension.
Length overall 12 1⁄2 inches (31.4 cm)
Knife 10 11⁄16 inches (27.2 cm)
Scabbard 8 7⁄8 inches (22.5 cm)
Provenance
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 8 April 2010, lot 1812
Shuisongshi Shanfang Collection
Compare the Qianlong imperial knife with jade handle and gold scabbard decorated with turquoise, coral and lazurite inlays in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by Ho and Bronson, Splendors of China’s Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, p. 201, no. 248, with the author’s comment: “The use of personal knives at meals was a mark of Manchu identity. When eating sacrificial pork, not only men but also women were expected to cut up their own meat.” A similar knife and scabbard suspended from an imperial court belt is illustrated in the same catalogue, op. cit., p. 59, fig. 52 and another is shown in a detail image from an official portrait of the Qianlong emperor in full regalia, op. cit., p. 59, fig. 53.
Ceremonial court belts of the Qing dynasty emperor with all suspended accessories including similar knives in fitted scabbards in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, are illustrated in Qing dai fushi zhanlan tulu (Catalogue of the Exhibition of Ch’ing Dynasty Costume Accessories), Taipei, 1986, pp. 114-115, nos. 32 and 33.
清乾隆 御製白玉柄金鞘掛刀 總長 31.4 厘米
刀 27.2 厘米 鞘 22.5 厘米
來源 香港蘇富比 2010 年 4 月 8 日，拍品第 1812 號
水松石山房藏
