A YIXING ‘TROMPE L’OEIL’ FIGURE OF A TAPIR, QING DYNASTY
China, 18th-19th century. Exquisitely potted from Yixing ceramic ware in imitation of an archaic bronze tapir from the Zhou Dynasty and superbly painted to simulate an ancient patina with malachite, cuprite, and azurite ‘encrustations’, as well as ‘wear’ and ‘damage’. The animal standing foursquare with an alert expression marked by wide round eyes and pricked ears, its body finely incised with archaistic scroll motifs.


Provenance:
From a private estate in New York City, United States.

Condition:
Good condition, with some minor actual wear, and possibly few small genuine chips and losses, occasional light scratches.

Weight: 598.1 g
Dimensions: Length 18 cm


The form and incised decoration of this figure

are based on ancient bronze prototypes
from the Eastern Zhou dynasty. These early bronzes were sometimes decorated with delicate inlay of precious metals and semi-precious stones. The identity of this particular animal has been much discussed and is variously described as a mythological animal, a rhinoceros, and a tapir. The latter seems the most likely candidate since the form has significant features in common with surviving species of tapir, and archaeology has shown that tapirs were indigenous to China in earlier times. These animals have long been extinct in China, but the Asian tapir has survived in small numbers in areas of Southeast Asia. It is interesting to note that even the bronze tapirs of the Eastern Zhou, as with the present figure, are shown with collars, which suggests that at one time there was a degree of domestication.


In the 18th century, the Chinese court developed a keen interest in trompe l'oeil decoration
, creating realistic imitations of various natural materials. This fascination was fueled by a desire to showcase the craftsmanship and technical prowess of imperial artisans. Artists and craftsmen excelled in producing works that imitated materials such as wood, stone, metal, and even textiles with remarkable precision. These trompe l'oeil creations adorned palaces, imperial gardens, and the residences of nobility, captivating viewers with their lifelike appearance and attention to detail.


Expert’s note:
Tapirs based on archaic bronze prototypes were made in a number of materials during the Qianlong period. Compare a yellow jade tapir dated to the Qianlong period at Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lot 12. Compare a pair of Imperial cloisonné and gilt-bronze figures of tapirs, with Qianlong marks and of the period, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 2 October 2018, lot 3408. Compare a bronze tapir-form vessel, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, at Christie’s London, 3 November 2020, lot 90. Compare a turquoise-glazed figure of a Tapir, dated to the Qianlong period, at Sotheby’s London, 17 May 2019, lot 428. Also note that the present lot must not be confused with copies made from the Freer-Gallery Tapir by Alva Museum Replicas Inc., New York, in the 1950s. These are made from a different type of earthenware, which is of much brighter color, and of course their décor is printed and not incised.


Literature comparison:

Compare a near identical example in bronze, dated ca. 5th century BC, 18.3 cm long, reportedly excavated at Li-yü, Shanxi province in 1939 and sold by C. T. Loo to Charles Lang Freer in 1940, now in the Freer Gallery of Art in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1940.23, illustrated by Jenny So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, p. 37, fig. 46, where the author notes that the “function of the Freer animal is uncertain, although four similar quadrupeds supported a square pan excavated from the nearby site of Shanxi Lucheng Luhe”, see ibid., fig. 47. Compare a closely related bronze tapir, dated 6th-5th century BC, 21 cm long, from the collection of Henry J. Oppenheimer and now in the British Museum, registration number 1947,0712.333, included in the exhibition International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, 1935-1936, London, ill. 136, pp. 11, and illustrated by Jessica Rawson, The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, fig. 88, where the author notes that the tapir “may have been one of the three or four animal-shaped feet for a basin or tray.”


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2012, lot 1251
Price: USD 182,500 or approx.
EUR 221,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare yixing archaistic animal-form water vessel, signed Chen Zhongmei
Expert remark: Compare the related form and Yixing pottery material, however modeled in an earlier style that does not seek to replicate the bronze material in trompe l’oeil fashion. The artist of this vessel, Chen Zhongmei, is recorded as working from the early 1600s onwards, but died at a young age and probably did not see the end of the Ming dynasty. Note the size (28 cm).




清代宜興陶貘


中國, 十八至十九世紀。精美的宜興陶瓷模仿周代的青銅貘的造型，並彩繪模仿古代包漿以及紅綠色“結殼”以及“磨損”和“損壞”。貘四足站立，表情警覺，圓圓的眼睛和豎起的耳朵，身體上刻有精美的古代雷紋。


來源
：
美國紐約私人舊藏。

品相
：
狀況良好，有一些輕微磨損、刻痕、小缺損和輕微劃痕。

重量：598.1 克
尺寸：長18 厘米


此貘的形體和刻紋
均以東周青銅器貘原型為藍本。這些早期的青銅器有時裝飾有精緻的貴金屬和半寶石鑲嵌物。考古學表明貘是早期中國的本土物種，在中國早已滅絕，但亞洲貘卻在東南亞地區少量倖存。 有趣的是，即使是東周的青銅貘，就像本尊一樣，也有項圈，這表明曾經有過一定程度的馴化。


十八世紀，中國宮廷對錯視畫裝飾產生了濃厚的興趣，對各種天然材料進行逼真的模仿
。這種迷戀源於展示御用工匠的工藝和技術實力的願望。 藝術家和工匠擅長以驚人的準確度製作模仿木材、石材、金屬甚至紡織品等材料的作品。 這些錯視畫作品裝飾著宮殿、皇家花園和貴族住宅，以其栩栩如生的外觀和對細節的關注吸引著觀眾。


專家注釋：
乾隆年間，貘以古代青銅原型為基礎，採用多種材料製成。比較香港邦瀚斯拍賣行的一件可追溯到乾隆時期的黃玉貘，2016 年11 月29 日，拍品12。比較香港蘇富比的一對帶有乾隆時期標記的皇家景泰藍和鎏金貘雕像，2018 年10 月，拍品3408。比較一件青銅貘形容器，帶有乾隆時期的標記，倫敦佳士得，2020 年11 月3 日，拍品90。比較一件綠松石釉貘，可追溯到乾隆時期，倫敦蘇富比拍賣行，2019 年5 月17 日，拍品428。另請注意，本拍品不得與紐約Alva Museum Replicas Inc. 於1950 年代從弗里爾畫廊貘的複製品相混淆。它們是由不同類型的陶器製成的，顏色更明亮，當然它們的裝飾是刻印的而不是切割的。


文獻比較：


比較一件幾乎相同的西元前五世紀青銅貘，長18.3 釐米，1939年出土於山西省李峪，1940年由C. T. Loo售於Charles Lang Freer，現藏於Freer Gallery of Art史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號F1940.23，見Jenny So，《Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections》，頁37，圖46，其中作者指出「雖然山西潞河古城遺址出土的四隻類似的四足動物支撐著一個方盤，但此動物的功能尚不確定」，參見同上，圖47。比較一件非常相近的西元前六至五世紀青銅貘，長21 釐米，曾藏於Henry J. Oppenheimer，現藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1947,0712.333，展覽於《International Exhibition of Chinese Art》，Royal Academy of Arts，1935-1936年，倫敦，圖136，頁11，以及見Jessica Rawson，《The British Museum Book of Chinese Art》，圖88，作者指出，貘“可能是盆或託盤的動物形狀足之一”。


拍賣結果比較：


形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2012年3月22日，lot 1251
價格：USD 182,500（相當於今日
EUR 221,000
）
描述：宜興紫砂仿古犧尊
專家評論：比較相近的外形、宜興紫砂材質，然而，它以早期的風格為藍本，並不試圖以錯視畫的方式複製青銅材料。 據記載，這件器物的創作者陳中美從1600年代初開始創作，但英年早逝，可能沒有看到明朝的衰敗。請注意尺寸 (28 釐米)。