Lot 73
RARE AND LARGE CHINESE IVORY-GROUND SILK EMBROIDERED 'CHRISTOGRAM' PANEL
QING DYNASTY
Auction: 07 November 2025 from 10:00 GMT
Description
清 大型象牙白地刺繡花鳥庭院基督教符號橫幅
of rectangular form, lower larger register in three square panels, the centre decorated with a pagoda with an altar offering six candles flanking a goblet below a Christogram ‘IHS’, flanked by two panels decorated with phoenixes and flowers, all below a rectangular panel decorated with birds, flowers and butterflies, surmounted with a cotton band
Dimensions
131cm x 223cm
Provenance
Private English collection, London; according to the current owner, “it belonged to Mrs Vera Hood, who was previously from the Tate and Lyle family, Manor Farm, Bledington, near Chipping Norton. It’s been in the family for a long time and has been stored in a drawer.”
英格蘭私人收藏, 倫敦；據藏家所述：「此件原屬於維拉・胡德夫人（Mrs Vera Hood），她曾是泰特—萊爾（Tate and Lyle）家族的一員，來自布萊丁頓莊園，靠近英格蘭牛津郡奇平諾頓。此物在家族中已傳承許久，一直存放於抽屜之中。」
Footnote
This Chinese Canton School large panel was likely custom-made for an altar table of a monastery. The central panel with two ‘IHS’ initials stand for a Christian monogram for Jesus Christ, derived from the first three letters of the Greek word for Jesus (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ). The Chinese-style pagoda topped with three crosses strongly indicates the religious usage of this panel.
Compare to two related Chinese silk embroidered hangings, Guangzhou (Canton), for the Western export market, Qing Dynasty, early 19th century, sold at Sotheby's London, 23 May 2023, lot 29. One of the former was possibly from the same set as a panel in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accession no. E.1-1980.
此粵繡大屏極有可能是為一座基督教教堂供桌特別訂製的桌圍。橫幅的中央方格飾以「IHS」字母，此為基督教象徵耶穌基督的聖名縮寫，源自希臘文「ΙΗΣΟΥΣ」前三個字母。中式寶塔上方三個十字架進一步顯示此繡屏之西方宗教用途。
兩件清代十九世紀初相關的粵繡掛屏，售於2023年5月23日倫敦蘇富，拍品29，其中一件或可能與現藏於維多利亞與艾伯特博物館之相似粵繡掛屏出自同一組作品，館藏號E.1-1980。