A rare pale green jade 'bixie' water dropper and cover 17th century
Lot 8*
A rare pale green jade 'bixie' water dropper and cover
17th century
Sold for £48,050 (US$ 62,565) inc. premium

Lot Details
A rare pale green jade 'bixie' water dropper and cover 17th century
A rare pale green jade 'bixie' water dropper and cover
17th century
The pale stone of even tone, boldly formed as a crouching bixie, its head turned to the left with bulging eyes beneath thickly twisting brows, the mouth formed with a deep circle hollowed from the stone between two large fangs, two stylised wings rising from the front legs and a thick twisted bifurcated tail sweeping over the hind legs, the body of the beast fully hollowed and a small opening on the back with a stopper carved with a smaller coiled mythical beast.
13.4cm (5¼in) long (2).

Footnotes

  • Provenance: Rare Art Inc., New York, 8 October 1977

    Exhibited: Minnesota Museum of Art, Rare Art Jade Exhibition, 1975, no. 7

    十七世紀 青玉雕辟邪式硯滴

    來源: 於1977年10月8日購自紐約Rare Art Inc.

    展覽: 於1975年美國明尼蘇達州美術館Rare Art Jade Exhibition展出，並著錄於圖錄編號7

    Jade was frequently used for scholarly objects in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, including brush rests, brushwashers, seal paste boxes and water droppers such as the present lot. Compare a similar water dropper from the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Scholar's Paraphernalia: Classics of the Forbidden City, Beijing, 2009, no.251.

    Another similar jade water dropper in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, is illustrated by J.C.S.Lin in The Immortal Stone: Chinese jades from the Neolithic period to the twentieth century, Cambridge, 2009, p.57, Catalogue no.46, where the author notes that Gao Lian's Zun sheng ba jian (Eight Discourses on the Art of Living) contains a description of a white jade bixie made by Lu Zigang, the famous jade carver from Suzhou, with an archaic design and a hollow body to contain water. Such an object is likely to be similar to both the Fitzwilliam piece and the present lot.
Activities
Auction information

This auction is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future auctions, please contact the specialist department. If you have queries about lots purchased in this auction, please contact customer services.

Buyers' Obligations

ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.

If you have any complaints or questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest customer services team.

Buyers' Premium and Charges

For all Sales categories excluding Wine, Coins & Medals and Motor Cars and Motorcycles:
A successful bidder at this sale will be required to pay Bonhams 1793 Limited ("Bonhams") a premium calculated as follows:

25% on the first £50,000 of the Hammer Price
20% from £50,001 to £1,000,000 the Hammer Price
12% from £1,000,001 of the Hammer Price

VAT at 20% will be payable on the amount of the premium.

The premium is payable for the services to be provided by Bonhams in the Buyer's Agreement which is contained in the catalog for this Sale and for the opportunity to bid for the Lot at the Sale.

Payment Notices

Payment in advance: by cash, check with banker's card, credit card, bank draft or traveler's cheque.

Payment at collection: by credit or debit card.

Credit card charges: a surcharge of 2% is applicable when using Mastercard, Visa and overseas debit cards.

Shipping Notices

For information and estimates on domestic and international shipping as well as export licenses please contact Bonhams Shipping Department.

Lot symbols
* Import low rate

VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.
Contacts
  1. Customer Services (UK)
    Customer services
    Bonhams
    Work
    Work +44 20 7447 7447
    FaxFax: +44 20 7447 7401
  2. Shipping (UK)
    Logistics - Shipping
    Bonhams
    Work
    Work +44 20 7468 8302
    FaxFax: + 44 20 7629 9673
Similar Items