A superb white jade 'landscape' vase and cover, hu
Qianlong
The even white stone intricately worked in the form of a flattened hu-shaped vase, rising from a splayed foot to high shoulders, the waisted neck flaring to a galleried rim, surmounted by a plain cover, flanked by a pair of stylised dragon heads suspending loose rings, the body superbly worked with a continuous landscape scene of luxuriant branches of flowers issuing from rockwork, the foot with a keyfret border, the neck worked on each side with a stylised taotie mask, wood stand.
20cm high. (3).
The even white stone intricately worked in the form of a flattened hu-shaped vase, rising from a splayed foot to high shoulders, the waisted neck flaring to a galleried rim, surmounted by a plain cover, flanked by a pair of stylised dragon heads suspending loose rings, the body superbly worked with a continuous landscape scene of luxuriant branches of flowers issuing from rockwork, the foot with a keyfret border, the neck worked on each side with a stylised taotie mask, wood stand.
20cm high. (3).
Sold for
HK$ 4,560,000
inc. premium
Footnotes
- 清乾隆 白玉雕連景花林龍耳活環扁瓶
Provenance來源:
Edward Choate O'Dell, Baltimore, 1940s
Vases of archaic bronze form fashioned from the finest white nephrite represent the pinnacle of quality in the Qianlong period. Archaism was highly fashionable at the Imperial court, encouraging artisans to utilise archaic motifs such as the 'taotie' mask in the decoration of vessels.
This superb vase derives its shape from an ancient bronze 'hu' vessel, but with much more stylised dragon handles than would be found on an Eastern Zhou bronze vessel. For a white jade vase with similar dragon handles from the Qing court collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, see Jadeware (III). The Complete Collection of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 65. See also another closely related white jade 'plum blossom' vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Shanghai, 2008, pg. 24, pl.18.
The outstanding workmanship on this vase is encapsulated by the skill with which the stone is worked into a continuous scene unfolding around the exterior of the main body, utilising the subtle natural flaws in the stone to dictate the natural contours of the landscape.
Lot heading
Chinese Jade from the John and Berthe Ford Collection (lots 389 to 428)
Category: Asian Art / Chinese Works of Art
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