Asaph Hyman
Global Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
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The Property of a Lady
Lot 63
A rare pale green jade vase and cover 18th/19th century
11 November 2010, 10:30 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £24,000 inc. premium
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A rare pale green jade vase and cover
18th/19th century
The tapering ovoid vase rising to the high shoulders, waisted neck and galleried rim, surmounted by a domed cover, finely carved with a border of lotus-petal panels below the blossoming peony finial, the sides flanked by a pair of peony-blossom handles suspending loose rings, raised on a splayed foot encircled by lotus-petal panels, superbly carved in low relief with four bats in flight above crested waves crashing on rockwork, finely incised with a later Imperial poem with Qianlong Yu Zhi mark, the stone of pale green tone with mottled inclusions on one side, wood stand.
20.2cm (8in) high (3).
The tapering ovoid vase rising to the high shoulders, waisted neck and galleried rim, surmounted by a domed cover, finely carved with a border of lotus-petal panels below the blossoming peony finial, the sides flanked by a pair of peony-blossom handles suspending loose rings, raised on a splayed foot encircled by lotus-petal panels, superbly carved in low relief with four bats in flight above crested waves crashing on rockwork, finely incised with a later Imperial poem with Qianlong Yu Zhi mark, the stone of pale green tone with mottled inclusions on one side, wood stand.
20.2cm (8in) high (3).
Footnotes
Provenance: a European noble family collection, by descent to the present owner
The later Imperial poem reads:
Wei su hong liu
Yuan yuan cong shou yu
Chang dao lai jing ji shi pai
Yin zi xia fang bi lang san
Men che qing tian yi se mang
Huan ying zhan haomiao hui hai
Fan wang yang
Yu rui qian ling qi
yao fu sheng shi zhang lian
Yi yun man ying huang lang ri
Fu guang jia ying fu cang hao
Chun xi zhu fu xiang cheng ping
Zheng qixiang zhi zhi
Ding wu jiang
Qianlong yu zhi
Going upstream in a powerful current
The deepest roots of the ancestral burial ground
Extend to pass through Jishi
Leading oneself from distant places blue waves three
Gates pass through clear sky of vast even color
Large domain ocean look into the vast distance where the rivers converge on the sea
Floating on the vast body of water
Jade's auspiciousness one thousand ages carved
Precious stone marks a golden age manifest connection
Rippling clouds unrestrained image flash bright sun
Float light excellent respond trust azure vast sky
Pure joy show good fortune and auspiciousness owing to peace
Request scene rule extremely
Set without boundaries
Qianlong yu zhi
The present vase is partly inspired in its rendering of the open flowerheads and the lotus petal panels by Mughal jade craftsmanship, known in the 18th century by the Qianlong Emperor as 'Hindustan' jade. This style was incorporated into the long tradition of Chinese jade craftsmanship as exemplified in the subject matter of 'Four Bats above Waves', representing the four high points of a man's life, also known as the 'Four Happinesses'. See P.Bjaaland Welch, Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery, Tokyo, 2008, p.113:
Sweet rain after a long drought.
Meeting an old friend in a foreign place.
The wedding night in the nuptial chamber.
The sight of one's name on the golden placard.:
Sweet rain after a long drought.
Meeting an old friend in a foreign place.
The wedding night in the nuptial chamber.
The sight of one's name on the golden placard.