清乾隆 銅鎏金鑲寶甪端香薰

拍品描述

英文品名：A QING QIANLONG GILT-BRONZE INCENSE BURNER IN THE FORM OF A LU DUAN, SET WITH PRECIOUS STONES 尺寸：H:18cm 銅鎏金。甪端香薰，昂首張口，獨角豎立，頸後鬃毛翻卷，身軀健碩，通體刻鱗片與火焰紋。背部開光，內鏤卷草紋，身上鑲綠松石、紅寶石為飾。四爪有力，下連方形鎏金底座，座邊飾蓮瓣與卷草。鎏金飽滿，為乾隆時期宮廷風瑞獸香薰。此件集鎏金、鑲寶、鏨刻於一器。鎏金為火鍍金：將金與水銀合成金泥，塗於銅胎，經炭火烘烤，汞蒸發，金層貼著器表，再以瑪瑙壓子壓光。鑲寶石者，先在器面鑽出與寶石形狀吻合的窩巢，將綠松石、紅寶石（或燒料）置入，邊緣捶揲包邊，謂實地鑲。乾隆朝宮造辦處造像、香薰多採此法，金碧崢嶸，與本件獸鱗、火焰紋相稱。 A gilt-bronze incense burner in the form of a luduan, head raised and mouth open, a single upright horn, mane curling behind the neck, body powerfully built and incised with scales and flame patterns. A panel on the back is pierced with scrolling vines; turquoise and ruby-coloured stones are set on the body. Four clawed feet stand on a square gilt base edged with lotus petals and scrolling vines. The gilding is full. This piece combines fire-gilding, gem-setting and chasing. Fire-gilding mixes gold with mercury into an amalgam, paints it onto the bronze, and heats it over a charcoal fire so mercury volatilises, leaving gold bonded to the surface, then burnishes with an agate tool. Stones are set by drilling a socket to fit each turquoise or ruby, or paste, and crimping the surrounding metal over it, a closed-set method. The Imperial Workshops under Qianlong used this technique extensively on images and incense burners, producing the brilliant gilding seen here, set off by the incised scales and flames.

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