PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Taiwan

Throughout history, agarwood has a significant role in culture and religions around the world. In ancient times, it was treated as political tributes between neighbouring kingdoms and was profoundly featured in religious literature, including Christianity, Buddhism, Daoism, and Islam. Since the Song and Ming dynasty, the value of agarwood has been on a par with gold. In the 8th Century, a giant piece of agarwood was given to Todai Temple as a tribute by Komyo Queen of Japan, and was later regarded as an important relic, honoured by major monarchs in the Japanese history.

Agarwood attained its fame by its distinct fragrance and its rarity. Found in South Asia, agarwood is classified by its colour, with green agarwood from Vietnam (Lot 678 and Lot 679) being the most precious type in the planet. Chen Rang in Ming Dynasty noted in his chronicle Haiwai Yishuo, “Qinan (Aquilaria crassna) has a soft and brittle texture, waxy in texture with a thin layer of oil. Green qinan has the greyish green colour of warblers and is the rarest of all...”

Grotesque wood sculptures are getting popular in the collectors’ circle. With slight modifications by skilled sculptors, these wood sculptures retained their original forms and their aesthetic value were enhanced to become graceful literati decorations. Made from Qinan, the rarest fragrant wood material, these grotesque sculptures become an invaluable collectibles.