Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
Lot 29Y
A VERY RARE CARVED HUANGHUALI 'FOUR SCHOLARLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS' CIRCULAR BOX AND COVER 17th century
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£6,000 - £8,000
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A VERY RARE CARVED HUANGHUALI 'FOUR SCHOLARLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS' CIRCULAR BOX AND COVER
17th century
The circular and slightly domed cover meticulously carved with a scene of scholars engaged in playing the guqin, appreciating painting, writing calligraphy and playing weiqi, all amidst an elegant garden setting with cranes, bamboo, gnarled rocks and trees with pavilions in the background.
14cm (5 1/2in) diam. (2).
The circular and slightly domed cover meticulously carved with a scene of scholars engaged in playing the guqin, appreciating painting, writing calligraphy and playing weiqi, all amidst an elegant garden setting with cranes, bamboo, gnarled rocks and trees with pavilions in the background.
14cm (5 1/2in) diam. (2).
Footnotes
十七世紀 黃花梨雕「琴棋書畫」圖蓋盒
The Four Scholarly Accomplishments (qin, qi, shu, hua 琴棋書畫) represented the ideal cultural refinement of a Chinese scholar-official. Qin (琴) refers to mastery of the guqin, an instrument associated with self-cultivation and moral integrity. Qi (棋) denotes skill in Go (圍棋), a game of strategy reflecting intellectual depth. Shu (書) signifies calligraphy, revered as both a means of expression and a reflection of one's character. Hua (畫) represents painting, particularly literati-style brushwork, which conveyed scholarly ideals and a deep appreciation for nature. Together, these pursuits embodied the Confucian gentleman's aesthetic and philosophical aspirations.
The 'Four Scholarly Accomplishments' was a popular theme among artists and was depicted in paintings, which may have served as inspiration for the design of the present box. See a set of four Song dynasty scroll paintings entitled 'The Eighteen Scholars' (宋人十八學士圖) in the Palace Museum, Taipei, showing scholars engaging in the 'Four Arts' (acc.no.故畫00856-859).
Similar boxes and covers carved in wood are rare, however, related examples in lacquer exist. A cinnabar lacquer circular box and cover, late Ming dynasty, showing scholars engaged in chess and calligraphy, in the Qing Court Collection, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares if the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Shenzhen, 2006, p.246. A cinnabar lacquer tray, mid-Ming dynasty, illustrated in Ibid., pp.108-109, also has scholarly figures carved in a similarly intricate and small scale.