Yvett Klein
Senior Specialist
Lot 105
Three embroidered silk purses including an Imperial yellow purse, hebao Tongzhi to Guangxu period
13 March – 3 April 2025, 12:00 AEDT
Online, SydneySold for AU$3,690 inc. premium
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Three embroidered silk purses including an Imperial yellow purse, hebao
Tongzhi to Guangxu period
Varying sizes from 6.0cm to 9.0cm long (3).
Varying sizes from 6.0cm to 9.0cm long (3).
Footnotes
Provenance:
(the Imperial one) Linda Wrigglesworth, London, 3 Jun 1982 (receipt)
清同治至光緒 荷包三枚
包括：
御用黃綢「加官進爵•平沙落雁」荷包
鵝黃綢平金銀雙錢紋元寶形荷包
御用日常大紅綢盤金銀滿綉萬福壽桃紋荷包
傳承：
（御用荷包）倫敦 Linda Wrigglesworth，1982年6月3日（收據）
A set of Imperial Guangxu-era accessories in the collection of the Palace Museum includes a purse that closely resembles the Imperial purse in this lot. It features intricate embroidery using various techniques such as satin and encroaching stitches, and Peking knots, depicting "lion and cub" on one side and "hundred birds" on the other. According to the Palace Museum, traditional auspicious motifs are common in Qing dynasty embroidery, but pieces with completely different designs on each side are rare, even in the late Qing period when embroidered accessories are highly fashionable.
The techniques used in the Imperial purse in the current lot is even more intricate than the Palace Museum's piece. Featuring scenes of "Roosters" and "Wild Geese" on each side, the current piece exhibits a rich variety of colors and techniques, achieving an almost lifelike effect in the depiction of the birds and the plants. The roosters' necks and the wild geese' wing feathers display smooth and natural gradients, resembling real plumage. The "Roosters" motif is strikingly vibrant and vivid, while the "Wild Geese" design is subtle and elegant, creating two distinct worlds within a small space.
For the Palace Museum's purse in this discussion, see acc.no.故00070128-1-8.
故宮博物院藏中一組清光緒帝御用活計，包含與此組御用荷包極其類似一件，以直針、咬針、打籽等多種技法綉正背不同「太獅少獅」及「百鳥」紋樣。據故宮網站記載，傳統的吉祥圖案，是清代針黸活計中常見的，但兩面題材全異的活計，即便是在服裝織繡佩飾非常流行並崇為時尚的晚清，也並不多見。故宮這件「太獅少獅」荷包的綉工，比之本組中「加官進爵平沙落雁」由有不及之處：本件拍品用色用綫多樣且幾近寫實，公鷄頸部及大雁翅膀羽毛，漸變自然，光滑有如真實翎毛，及鳥類花卉形態，生動自然，而故宮荷包中對動植物的描摹，卻略有生硬。「加官進爵」艷麗奪目，「平沙落雁」淡雅清新，盈寸間見兩樣世界。故宮荷包，見故00070128-1-8。