† AN IMPERIAL GILT-BRONZE ABACUS, QIANLONG PERIOD

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† AN IMPERIAL GILT-BRONZE ABACUS, QIANLONG PERIOD Expert’s note The five-petaled blossoms are arranged in a nine-by-five pattern around the exterior sides, subtly symbolizing the Emperor's supreme status, making it an ideal tribute object intended for presentation to the Imperial Court. The phrase ‘jiu wu zhi zun’ meaning ‘the supreme authority of the nine and five’, denotes the exclusive status of the Son of Heaven. It originates from the Book of Changes (I Ching), where nine is the highest yang (masculine) number and five is the middle, ideal line of the hexagram, representing a flying dragon in heaven. Hence, it is likely that the present abacus was a tribute gift made directly to the emperor himself. China, 1736-1795. Lavishly constructed, the rectangular frame divided into an upper and lower deck with a beam, the beam and frame surmounted by an undulating band and adorned at each of the four corners with a floret inset with red and green paste, each deck with twelve rods piercing through bean counters, each counter of compressed globular form and centered with a brilliant multi-colored crystal and paste-inset band, all within a frieze of twenty-eight further florets bordering the outer edge of the frame. Dimensions: Size 15.2 x 9.8 cm This exceptionally refined abacus transcends its practical function, becoming a work of art in its own right through the incorporation of Western-inspired glass paste inlay techniques. The lavish decoration reflects the opulence and cosmopolitan character of the Qianlong period, when imperial workshops had access to an extraordinary range of materials and highly skilled artisans. Elaborately decorated calculating instruments of this type are exceedingly rare, and the present example appears to be an exceptional, possibly unique, creation within the corpus of Qing imperial luxury objects. While the imitation of Chinese styles, known as ‘chinoiserie’, was popular at European courts during the 18th century, there was also a vogue for fine works of art in European style at the imperial Chinese court in Beijing. Starting in the Kangxi reign, an increasing number of Jesuit artists were employed at the imperial court. Meanwhile, Guangzhou had become the main trading center with the West, and the first landing place for many Jesuit missionaries. Exposed firsthand to foreign objects and technology, Guangzhou craftsmen began to produce wares that adapted Western technology and designs to suit Chinese tastes. Craftsmen used colored glass-paste stones that cleverly imitated precious stones such as emeralds, rubies, sapphire and diamonds. The technique was borrowed from the West, where it was originally employed on small snuff boxes, pocket watches and clocks imported to China, but was quickly mastered by Guangzhou craftsmen. The abacus (suanpan) was an indispensable calculating instrument used by merchants, traders, and government clerks throughout Chinese history. The earliest references to such devices date to around the 1st century BC, as recorded in the Zhoubi Suanjing (The Arithmetical Classic of the Gnomon and the Circular Paths of Heaven). The present rectangular form, characterized by two decks and eleven rods, appears to have become established by the Ming dynasty and remained in widespread use thereafter. For further discussion of the history and development of the Chinese abacus, see The Abacus, Orientations, September 1970, vol. 1, no. 9, p. 46. Literature comparison: Compare a hardwood abacus with agate beads dated to the Kangxi period in the Palace Museum, Beijing, reference number 故00179219. 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.

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