A BAMBOO CARVED 'FIGURES AND RAFT' GROUP 18th century (3)A BAMBOO CARVED 'FIGURES AND RAFT' GROUP18th century Intricately carved depicting a raft carrying an Immortal sitting cross-legged with a ruyi, with a seated attendant in similar pose on the other side, accompanied by two attendants paddling the long oar, the top of the raft masterfully carved as a winding gnarled peach tree, with a wine jar on the bow, the wood of amber brown tone under a layer of clear lacquer, stand and box. 20cm (8in) wide. (3).十八世紀 竹雕仙人乘槎賀壽擺件Wine vessels carved in the form of a raft with various materials were often created during the Yuan and Ming dynasties. See for example a silver 'Zhang Qian Riding a Raft' cup with the mark of Zhu Bishan in the National Palace Museum, illustrated in The Literati's Ordinaries: A Proposal of Life from the 17th Century, Taipei, 2019, p.130; and a rhinoceros horn 'Immortal Riding a Raft' cup from the early Qing dynasty in the same collection, made by Youtong, illustrated by Chi Jo-hsin, Jiangxin yu xiangong. Mingqing diaoke zhan. Xiangya xijiao pian, Taipei, 2009, no.30.The Immortal represented in the present lot derives from the tale of the famous Han dynasty explorer and official envoy Zhang Qian. Zhang, often depicted like a Daoist immortal, was the first official diplomat to bring back information about Central Asia to the Han court. According to legend, his travels were in search of the source of the Yangzi River, the origin of the Milky Way, where he met the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl and brought back the stone that holds the loom, and the means of making wine from grapes, hence this subject matter was popular on wine-pouring vessels.Compare to a 17th century carved bamboo-root log raft sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3 April 2018, lot 3664; and see also a Qianlong period Imperial white jade carving of Zhang Qian on a raft, sold in these rooms, 29 May 2018, lot 37.取竹根一節，鏤空雕仙桃一樹盤亙成木槎，槎尾圓雕一仙翁半趺伽坐，手持如意，面帶笑意，身旁有另一童子持如意趺伽而坐，桃樹兩側各圓雕童子划槳，船頭立一酒缸，所雕四位人物開臉圓潤，皆面露笑意，通體罩清漆，久成琥珀色。 木槎元明代以來常作為酒器雕刻之題材，各種材質皆有槎形的酒器。如台北故宮藏元明之際朱碧山款「張騫乘槎」銀槎，以及清早期尤通作犀角雕仙人乘槎杯，分別見於《小時代的日常：一個十七世紀的生活提案》，台北，2019年，頁130及《匠心與仙工：明清雕刻展象牙犀角篇》，台北，2009年，圖版30。此一題材源自明晚期流行之張騫乘槎的典故：張騫奉漢武帝旨尋覓黃河源頭，至天河遇見牛郎、織女，並帶回支機石，所乘便是一木槎。本件竹雕木槎雖然已褪盡酒器之功用，其仙人手持如意的裝束以及鏤空雕桃樹之風格，皆與前提到之犀角雕仙人乘槎杯一脈相承。 另可參考一件十七世紀竹根雕仙家承槎售於香港蘇富比，2018年4月3日，拍品編號3664。又可參考一件清乾隆御製白玉雕張騫乘槎，其人物開臉，乃至桃樹雕琢與本件有相通處，2018年5月29日售於香港邦瀚斯，拍品編號37。