Lot 6045 A fine and very rare blue and white 'sanskrit' inscribed bell, Seal mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆　青花蓮紋梵文獸鈕鐘　《乾隆年製》款

A fine and very rare blue and white 'sanskrit' inscribed bell, Seal mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆　青花蓮紋梵文獸鈕鐘　《乾隆年製》款

HKD 3,000,000

3,000,000 - 9,000,000 HKD

未知

The bell is in very good condition. There is expected very light surface wear to the rim and occasional insignificant glaze nibbles to the tips of the beast's paws.

If a condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot, it is for guidance purposes only. Such condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alterations, or adaptations because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather a condition report is a statement of subjective, qualified opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For these reasons, any such condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. Prospective buyers should also refer to the Guide for Buyers at Auction which includes important notices concerning the type of property in this sale.

14.3 cm
来源：Collection of Y.C. Chen (1922-2012).
Christie's Hong Kong, 29th May 2013, lot 1937.
图录
说明：來源
陳玉階（1922-2012年）收藏
香港佳士得2013年5月29日，編號1937
Bells fashioned from porcelain are exceptionally rare, and those decorated in underglaze blue are particularly scarce. The present bell is notable for its meticulously painted 'pencilled' decoration, featuring bands of Sanskrit characters, likely Buddhist mantras that interspersed with delicate leafy lotus scrolls. This refined style of painting is closely related to a specific group of Qianlong period blue and white stem bowls, which share the same combination of lotus scrolls and Sanskrit characters; see a stem bowl of this type sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1698.
The form of the present bell, surmounted by a distinctive double-headed beast handle, where the four-character Qianlong seal mark is unusually split and placed on the base of the handle, draws inspiration from earlier Ming dynasty prototypes. Compare a blue and white bell with a similar handle dating to the Tianqi period (1621-1627), sold at Christie's London, 12th November 2002, lot 13; and another Tianqi bell of the same size and form in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 212.
For Qing dynasty examples of this form in other glazes, compare a Qianlong white-glazed bell in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 118; and a Kangxi period 'snowflake' blue-glazed bell from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated ibid., pl. 83. An identical blue and white bell to the present lot, formerly in the collection of Mrs S.K. de Forest, was sold at Christie's London, 15th May 2012, lot 389.
瓷製鈕鐘極為罕見，而青花作例則更為珍稀。本品以「線描」技法精心繪就，飾以梵文（應為佛教真言）及纏枝蓮紋，畫工細緻入微。此等流暢秀麗之繪畫風格，與一類乾隆朝青花高足碗極為相近，兩者皆飾以相類之蓮紋及梵文；參考一高足碗例，2007年11月27日售於香港佳士得，編號1698。
本獸鈕鐘頂部飾雙獸首鈕，「乾隆年製」四字篆書款罕見地分書於鈕座兩側，其器形實源自明代原型。比較一件飾相類獸鈕之明天啟（1621-1627年）青花鐘，2002年11月12日售於倫敦佳士得，編號13；北京故宮博物院亦藏有一件尺寸及器形相同之天啟作例，錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．青花釉裏紅（中）》，香港，2000年，圖版212。
至於清代其他釉色之相類器形，可參考北京故宮博物院藏一件乾隆白釉鐘，錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．顏色釉》，香港，1999年，圖版118；以及清宮舊藏一件康熙灑藍釉鐘，錄於前書，圖版83。與本品完全相同之青花梵文鐘，可參考 Mrs S.K. de Forest 舊藏一例，2012年5月15日售於倫敦佳士得，編號389。