Bonhams 1793 : A small white jade vase and cover Mid Qing dynasty

24 Nov 2012 14:00 CST Hong Kong
Timeless and Translucent: The Harold E. Stack Collection of Chinese Jades
Back to auction 20826

A small white jade vase and cover

Mid Qing dynasty
The fine white stone naturalistically worked in the form of a compressed vase supported on a short splayed foot, the body gently waisted at the neck and surmounted by a domed cover, each main facing facade featuring three intertwined chi dragons, flanked by a pair of mythical beast handles issuing forth loose rings, the stone of a pale greenish-white colour.
12.4cm high. (2).

Sold for HK$ 200,000 inc. premium

Footnotes

Provenance 來源:
Billy Rose collection
Friedlander & Sons, Seattle, 19 February 1975

Billy Rose (6 September 1899 - 10 February 1966), born William Samuel Rosenberg, was a Jewish American theatrical showman, impressario and lyricist. He started his career as a Broadway producer, then moved on to become a successful theatre and nightclub owner.

For a similar jade vase and cover from the Qing court collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware II, Hong Kong, 2008, p.24, pl.18. Compare also a closely related but larger vase and cover with a plain design in the Songzhutang collection, illustrated in Virtuous Treasures. Chinese Jades for the Scholar's Table, Hong Kong, 2008, p.43, no.3.

清中期青玉獸耳活環螭虎紋扁瓶

玉質青白，半透明狀，局部有白斑。瓶身扁平形，兩面均淺浮雕三長身螭虎，首尾相盤。傘形蓋鈕，瓶頸內斂，頸兩側為獸吞式耳，耳下掛活環，蓋及口沿刻一周迴紋。

清宮玉器中，此類器形帶有凸雕者多為早期作品，而在清中期作品中較為少見。據西雅圖亞洲藝術商Friedlander & Sons提供資料可知，該扁瓶來自知名歌劇演員比利洛斯（Billy Rose），比利1899年9月6日出生，1966年2月10日逝世，在歌劇演繹及經營中非凡一身。他最早從歌劇演員、填詞家、演出經紀人一舉成名成為當時百老匯最知名的歌劇出品人之一，在他逝世後，以其命名的「比利洛斯歌劇院」（今內德蘭德歌劇院）一共演出了三十多場歌劇和芭蕾舞表演。比利因為身形較小，他自己也對小件東西尤其著迷，本圖錄中拍品編號201及202均來自比利私人收藏，也是其所喜愛藏品風格的最好例證。

參看北京故宮博物館藏一件清中期青玉獸耳活環梅花詩句扁瓶，張廣文編，《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系：玉器（下）》，上海，2008年，頁24，圖版18。另見香港松竹堂藏一件清乾隆白玉蓋瓶，其瓶身素面無紋但器形與本扁瓶相似，參閱香港大學美術博物館，《閣有天珍：中國文房玉雕》，香港，2008年，頁43，圖版3，均屬清宮玉器中清中期風格的同類器作品。