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拍品专文
A Superb Pair of Qianlong Green Jade Gu-Form Vases
These two jade vases are each decorated with a striding dragon, one with its head facing left and the other right, indicating that they were originally conceived as a pair. Though their form harks back to ancient bronzes, these two were carved out of an exceptionally large and fine boulder, with their globular mid-sections decorated with the superbly rendered five-clawed dragons, a motif unseen in their bronze prototypes but typical of the design and style of the imperial vessels from the Qianlong period. There are greenish-white jade vases with identical design and form in the Qing Court Collection, and references to jade pieces similarly shaped and inscribed have also been identified in the archives of the Zaobanchu (Imperial Office of Works), attesting to the rarity and prestige of these masterpieces specifically made for the Qianlong court.
Much like the current vases, a greenish-white jade “dragon” beaker vase (Fig. 1) from the Qing Court Collection and now in the Palace Museum, also borrows its form from bronze ritual vessels known as gu from the Shang and Zhou periods. These vases bear identical decoration, and each is incised on the base with a four-character mark reading Qianlong nian zhi in clerical script. Serving as the focal point of these vases, each globular mid-section features in high relief a five-clawed dragon striding through billowing clouds in pursuit of a flaming pearl, between a matching register of classic scroll bordered by bands of raised lines and further encircled by overlapping lappets. The mouth and foot rims are similarly decorated with a beaded band between ruyi heads and scrolling tendrils, the latter framed by raised lines. In October of the 45th year of the Qianlong reign (AD 1780), an entry for the Ruyiguan (the Imperial Production Studios) in the Palace archives states, “As with the greenish-white jade gu-shaped vase decorated with lappets, the edict reads as follows: send it to the Ruyiguan to be incised with a four-character Qianlong mark.” [1] It seems highly likely that the greenish-white jade “lappet” vase mentioned here corresponds to the greenish-white “dragon” gu-shaped vase in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. Probably commissioned at roughly the same time as the Palace Museum vase, the current pair use jade of an opulent dark tone, featuring a graceful, well-defined form and exquisitely carved design, all trademarks of the sumptuous style of the imperial jades from the high Qing. It is worth noting that the “cloud and dragon” design in the bulging mid-sections of the Palace Museum vase mentioned above and the current lot is also seen in porcelains. One such example is a white porcelain cup with overglaze red and gilt “dragon and cloud” decoration now in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, depicting a five-clawed dragon amidst a sea of dense clouds, with its front right leg seemingly trying to grasp a flaming pearl and its front left leg reaching backwards.
Not only did the Qianlong emperor commission these gu-shaped jade vases and have the finished works incised with Qianlong four-character marks, there also seem to be surviving examples in other materials featuring almost identical form and design, such as a cloisonné enamel “dragon and lotus” vase in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (Fig. 2), as well as a carved green archaistic beaker vase, gu, decorated with dragons pursuing pearls and a matching gilt-bronze beaker vase sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in November 2012, lot 2255.[2] Emperor Qianlong often made repeat orders or commissioned copies of a specific vessel in a different material, and this practice is well documented in the Palace archives. For instance, in April of the ninth year of the Qianlong reign (AD 1744), one entry reads, “For the eunuch Hu Shijie to transmit the following edict: make a cloisonné enamel copy of the garniture set of five sacrificial vessels on display in the main hall of the Cining gong (Palace of Benevolence and Tranquility). Drawings should be submitted for Imperial perusal and approval beforehand. Respect this.” [3] As far as the current pair of vases is concerned, similar works in greenish-white jade, cloisonné enamel and other materials have been found in the Qing Court Collection, underlining Emperor Qianlong’s appreciation of and fascination with this particular type of vase.
The Qianlong emperor was arguably the most devout Buddhist among Qing rulers, so it is little wonder that the imperial palace was scattered with numerous Buddhist shrines and altars, offering a fresh impetus to the design and production of various religious vessels. Viewed in this context, the current lot likely form, along with a pair of candlesticks and an incense burner, part of a garniture set of five altarpieces intended for the presentation of flowers, lamps, incense sticks, etc. Jiaqing Emperor Enjoying Leisure in Han-Style Robe, a painting in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, depicts the emperor seated on a wooden armchair carved with dragons. On a hongmu table by his side stands a gu-shaped vase holding a ruyi scepter, accompanied by a wooden stand inscribed with an imperial poem, showing that the current lot could well have been display items in an imperial study. While gu-form bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties had been ritual wine vessels, some of them came to be used as flower vases at the Qing court and inspired similar works in different materials (e.g. lacquer, ceramic and wood) and forms, among which was the current lot, fashioned out of jade, a material highly prized by the Qianlong emperor. In the Anthology of Imperial Qianlong Poems and Proses, Emperor Qianlong once remarked, “This contemporary work is carved with select jade in an archaistic fashion, … While resonating with earlier bronzes such as zhong and ding, it is no doubt far superior to surviving examples from the Xia and Shang dynasties. It is deeply gratifying and humbling to know that works such as this were unseen in ancient cities like Fulai and unbeknownst to authors of classics such as Yugong.” Carved with a newly available material, the current lot is an archaistic piece inspired by bronzes from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, while incorporating new elements of decoration, function or even symbolic meanings all typical of the Qianlong reign, auguring the rise of a divine ruler and celebrating the unprecedented prosperity to come under Qianlong’s watch.
[1]The First Historical Archives of China and The Art Museum, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Qinggong neiwufuzaobanchu dang’an zonghui (The Compilation of the Qing Imperial Household Archives), 2005, Volume 44, p. 44.
[2]A carved green jade archaistic beaker vase, gu, and a matching gilt-bronze beaker vase sold by Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, Lot 2255, Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art.
[3] The First Historical Archives of China and The Art Museum, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Qinggong neiwufuzaobanchu dang’an zonghui (The compilation of the Qing Imperial Household Archives), 2005, Volume 12, p. 343.
These two jade vases are each decorated with a striding dragon, one with its head facing left and the other right, indicating that they were originally conceived as a pair. Though their form harks back to ancient bronzes, these two were carved out of an exceptionally large and fine boulder, with their globular mid-sections decorated with the superbly rendered five-clawed dragons, a motif unseen in their bronze prototypes but typical of the design and style of the imperial vessels from the Qianlong period. There are greenish-white jade vases with identical design and form in the Qing Court Collection, and references to jade pieces similarly shaped and inscribed have also been identified in the archives of the Zaobanchu (Imperial Office of Works), attesting to the rarity and prestige of these masterpieces specifically made for the Qianlong court.
Much like the current vases, a greenish-white jade “dragon” beaker vase (Fig. 1) from the Qing Court Collection and now in the Palace Museum, also borrows its form from bronze ritual vessels known as gu from the Shang and Zhou periods. These vases bear identical decoration, and each is incised on the base with a four-character mark reading Qianlong nian zhi in clerical script. Serving as the focal point of these vases, each globular mid-section features in high relief a five-clawed dragon striding through billowing clouds in pursuit of a flaming pearl, between a matching register of classic scroll bordered by bands of raised lines and further encircled by overlapping lappets. The mouth and foot rims are similarly decorated with a beaded band between ruyi heads and scrolling tendrils, the latter framed by raised lines. In October of the 45th year of the Qianlong reign (AD 1780), an entry for the Ruyiguan (the Imperial Production Studios) in the Palace archives states, “As with the greenish-white jade gu-shaped vase decorated with lappets, the edict reads as follows: send it to the Ruyiguan to be incised with a four-character Qianlong mark.” [1] It seems highly likely that the greenish-white jade “lappet” vase mentioned here corresponds to the greenish-white “dragon” gu-shaped vase in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. Probably commissioned at roughly the same time as the Palace Museum vase, the current pair use jade of an opulent dark tone, featuring a graceful, well-defined form and exquisitely carved design, all trademarks of the sumptuous style of the imperial jades from the high Qing. It is worth noting that the “cloud and dragon” design in the bulging mid-sections of the Palace Museum vase mentioned above and the current lot is also seen in porcelains. One such example is a white porcelain cup with overglaze red and gilt “dragon and cloud” decoration now in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, depicting a five-clawed dragon amidst a sea of dense clouds, with its front right leg seemingly trying to grasp a flaming pearl and its front left leg reaching backwards.
Not only did the Qianlong emperor commission these gu-shaped jade vases and have the finished works incised with Qianlong four-character marks, there also seem to be surviving examples in other materials featuring almost identical form and design, such as a cloisonné enamel “dragon and lotus” vase in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (Fig. 2), as well as a carved green archaistic beaker vase, gu, decorated with dragons pursuing pearls and a matching gilt-bronze beaker vase sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in November 2012, lot 2255.[2] Emperor Qianlong often made repeat orders or commissioned copies of a specific vessel in a different material, and this practice is well documented in the Palace archives. For instance, in April of the ninth year of the Qianlong reign (AD 1744), one entry reads, “For the eunuch Hu Shijie to transmit the following edict: make a cloisonné enamel copy of the garniture set of five sacrificial vessels on display in the main hall of the Cining gong (Palace of Benevolence and Tranquility). Drawings should be submitted for Imperial perusal and approval beforehand. Respect this.” [3] As far as the current pair of vases is concerned, similar works in greenish-white jade, cloisonné enamel and other materials have been found in the Qing Court Collection, underlining Emperor Qianlong’s appreciation of and fascination with this particular type of vase.
The Qianlong emperor was arguably the most devout Buddhist among Qing rulers, so it is little wonder that the imperial palace was scattered with numerous Buddhist shrines and altars, offering a fresh impetus to the design and production of various religious vessels. Viewed in this context, the current lot likely form, along with a pair of candlesticks and an incense burner, part of a garniture set of five altarpieces intended for the presentation of flowers, lamps, incense sticks, etc. Jiaqing Emperor Enjoying Leisure in Han-Style Robe, a painting in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, depicts the emperor seated on a wooden armchair carved with dragons. On a hongmu table by his side stands a gu-shaped vase holding a ruyi scepter, accompanied by a wooden stand inscribed with an imperial poem, showing that the current lot could well have been display items in an imperial study. While gu-form bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties had been ritual wine vessels, some of them came to be used as flower vases at the Qing court and inspired similar works in different materials (e.g. lacquer, ceramic and wood) and forms, among which was the current lot, fashioned out of jade, a material highly prized by the Qianlong emperor. In the Anthology of Imperial Qianlong Poems and Proses, Emperor Qianlong once remarked, “This contemporary work is carved with select jade in an archaistic fashion, … While resonating with earlier bronzes such as zhong and ding, it is no doubt far superior to surviving examples from the Xia and Shang dynasties. It is deeply gratifying and humbling to know that works such as this were unseen in ancient cities like Fulai and unbeknownst to authors of classics such as Yugong.” Carved with a newly available material, the current lot is an archaistic piece inspired by bronzes from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, while incorporating new elements of decoration, function or even symbolic meanings all typical of the Qianlong reign, auguring the rise of a divine ruler and celebrating the unprecedented prosperity to come under Qianlong’s watch.
[1]The First Historical Archives of China and The Art Museum, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Qinggong neiwufuzaobanchu dang’an zonghui (The Compilation of the Qing Imperial Household Archives), 2005, Volume 44, p. 44.
[2]A carved green jade archaistic beaker vase, gu, and a matching gilt-bronze beaker vase sold by Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, Lot 2255, Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art.
[3] The First Historical Archives of China and The Art Museum, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Qinggong neiwufuzaobanchu dang’an zonghui (The compilation of the Qing Imperial Household Archives), 2005, Volume 12, p. 343.