17th Oct, 2024 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
90
Ɏ A RARE CARVED CHENXIANGMU (ALOESWOOD) CARVING OF A MOUNTAIN WITH A SCHOLAR PAINTING ON THE ROCK FACE, LATE MING TO EARLY QING DYNASTY
Sold for €5,742
including Buyer's Premium
China, 17th-18th century. The aloeswood ‘rock’ is beautifully shaped in the form of a vertical mountain peak, finely carved in varying levels of relief and openwork, the cliff face hanging over a pierced rocky base with intricately carved undergrowth and undercut pine tree supporting two scholars leaning over to watch a third painting the cliff wall next to his attendant, the distinctive grain skillfully heightened and ingeniously incorporated into the carving to give the appearance that the painter is moving his brush in a bold fluid stroke, his wizened face bearing minutely incised heavy wrinkles and a long beard.
The wood is of a rich tone and intense aroma.
Provenance: From an English private estate.
Condition: Very good condition with extensive old wear, some natural weathering and other imperfections, and expected age cracks.
Weight: 387 g (excl. base) and 514 g (incl. base)
Dimensions: Height 26.1 cm (excl. base) and 27.5 cm (incl. base)
With a matching boxwood base dating from the same period. (2)
Chenxiangmu, also known as aloeswood or eaglewood, is a resinous wood from the Aquilaria tree, an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. The tree frequently becomes infected with a parasitic fungus or mold, Phialophora parasitica, and begins to produce an aromatic resin in response to the attack, a fragrance that permeates the wood, and which has made it highly treasured in China, Japan and Tibet. Because of its rarity, the wood is typically only found in small segments of usable material, and those that date to the Qing dynasty are traditionally pieced together to make small scholar's articles, such as brush pots or wine cups. Older examples were more likely to be made from sections of relatively larger size, but they were more vulnerable to cracks and flakes.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2023, lot 327
Price: HKD 192,000 or approx. EUR 23,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare carved chenxiangmu ‘pine’ group, early Qing dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related mountain form and manner of carving, similarly with varying levels of relief and openwork. Note the different size (42 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2012, lot 4007
Price: HKD 2,180,000 or approx. EUR 347,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An imperial carved and inscribed aloeswood boulder, Qianlong cyclical Xinyou year corresponding to 1741.
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject with scholars beneath a rocky cliff. Note this aloeswood boulder is signed, dated, and of different size (13 cm).
China, 17th-18th century. The aloeswood ‘rock’ is beautifully shaped in the form of a vertical mountain peak, finely carved in varying levels of relief and openwork, the cliff face hanging over a pierced rocky base with intricately carved undergrowth and undercut pine tree supporting two scholars leaning over to watch a third painting the cliff wall next to his attendant, the distinctive grain skillfully heightened and ingeniously incorporated into the carving to give the appearance that the painter is moving his brush in a bold fluid stroke, his wizened face bearing minutely incised heavy wrinkles and a long beard.
The wood is of a rich tone and intense aroma.
Provenance: From an English private estate.
Condition: Very good condition with extensive old wear, some natural weathering and other imperfections, and expected age cracks.
Weight: 387 g (excl. base) and 514 g (incl. base)
Dimensions: Height 26.1 cm (excl. base) and 27.5 cm (incl. base)
With a matching boxwood base dating from the same period. (2)
Chenxiangmu, also known as aloeswood or eaglewood, is a resinous wood from the Aquilaria tree, an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. The tree frequently becomes infected with a parasitic fungus or mold, Phialophora parasitica, and begins to produce an aromatic resin in response to the attack, a fragrance that permeates the wood, and which has made it highly treasured in China, Japan and Tibet. Because of its rarity, the wood is typically only found in small segments of usable material, and those that date to the Qing dynasty are traditionally pieced together to make small scholar's articles, such as brush pots or wine cups. Older examples were more likely to be made from sections of relatively larger size, but they were more vulnerable to cracks and flakes.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2023, lot 327
Price: HKD 192,000 or approx. EUR 23,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare carved chenxiangmu ‘pine’ group, early Qing dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related mountain form and manner of carving, similarly with varying levels of relief and openwork. Note the different size (42 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2012, lot 4007
Price: HKD 2,180,000 or approx. EUR 347,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An imperial carved and inscribed aloeswood boulder, Qianlong cyclical Xinyou year corresponding to 1741.
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject with scholars beneath a rocky cliff. Note this aloeswood boulder is signed, dated, and of different size (13 cm).
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