Footnotes

Treasury 1, no. 182

翡翠羅蘭鼻煙壺

The Dwyer Lilac Jadeite

Jadeite; with a recessed foot

1770–1880
Height: 5.44 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.51/1.82 cm
Stopper: jadeite; gilt-bronze collar
Condition: workshop condition

Illustration: watercolour by Peter Suart

Provenance:
Gertrude ，
Edmund F. Dwyer
Christie's, London, 12 October 1987, lot 240
Published:
JICSBS, Summer 1984, front cover
and commentary on acquisition, p. 6
In Focus, Winter 1985/6, front cover
Arts of Asia, September–October 1987, p. 22
JICSBS, Autumn 1987, p. 2, top right
Christie's International Magazine, September–October 1987, p. 28
Antiques Trade Gazette, 7 November 1987, p. 18
JICSBS, Winter 1987, p. 27, fig. 4
Arts of Asia, January–February 1988, p. 127
Kleiner 1995, no. 105
Treasury 1, no. 182

Exhibited:
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, October–November 1984
British Museum, June–October 1995

Commentary
Western writers have usually cited the eighteenth century for the introduction into China of Burmese jadeite. The Chinese, on the other hand, believe that it was introduced during the seventeenth century (see discussion under Treasury 1, no. 187). We have never seen any jadeite carvings that could unquestionably lay claim to a seventeenth-century date, and only one, a snuff bottle in a distinctive and unique material carved in first-phase Suzhou style, which might possibly be from late in the century but is more likely to be from the first half of the eighteenth century (see discussion under Treasury 1, no. 187). Unfortunately the Burmese side of the equation is unknown to us—when it was first discovered there and to what extent it was worked locally as early as the seventeenth century. The truth may be that although the popular use of the material did not begin in China until the late Qianlong period, as suggested by the documentary evidence of Ji Yun and probably coinciding with the normalization of relations between China and Burma in 1784, (see Moss, Graham, and Tsang 1993, p. 122), small amounts of the material were available earlier through the normal cross-border trade that would have taken place regardless of official policy. Perhaps the material was first introduced into China during the seventeenth century but in quantities too small to have allowed recognizable surviving examples of carved material.
There is no reason why lavender-coloured jadeite of this type should not have been introduced into China during the late Qianlong period along with other colours of jadeite, although the majority of bottles and other carvings from the stone appear to be later. There is one bottle in the material which appears to be imperial and relates in style of carved detail to a group of glass bottles with Qianlong marks. It is a magnificent lavender and emerald-green material carved as a basket of flowers (see Sotheby's, New York, 5 June 1987, lot 165). None in this colour are known of the superbly hollowed series of earlier jadeite examples (see, for instance, Moss, Graham, and Tsang 1993, nos. 59–63), but this may have less to do with the availability of material during the late Qianlong period and more to do with the intensity of colour that would be sacrificed to super-hollowing. As a rule the majority of lavender jadeite bottles appear to be nineteenth or even early twentieth century, rather clunky and not very well hollowed, but there are exceptions and this is one of them. It is quite well hollowed, of unusually elegant form and impeccable formal integrity, and of a superb, even colour which is unusual for the material.

Specimens of lavender jadeite of this size are seldom without unpleasant flaws or areas of less attractive colouring. This example suffers from neither problem, with its evenly-marked crystalline material and intense colour, with only the slightest change to a hint of emerald-green in one area.

Others which appear to be of similarly impressive quality and material are published in Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 2, p. 24, Plate Y; Ford 1982, no. 11, and Kwok 1993, p. 94, no. 20 (an unusually pure and vibrantly coloured example which, coincidentally, has an almost identical stopper, although its rather large size for the bottle suggests it may not have been the original).

The present bottle was Eddie Dwyer's favourite among the favourites (see JICSBS, Summer 1984, p. 6).


德維爾氏紫羅蘭翡翠

翡翠；斂足

1770～1880
高：5.44 厘米
口經/唇經：0.51/1.82 厘米
蓋：翡翠，描金銅座
狀態敘述：出齋狀態

有彼德小話 (Peter Suart) 水彩畫

來源：
Gertrude Stuart
Edmond F. Dwyer
佳士德，倫敦，1987，10月12日，拍賣品號240
文獻：
《國際中國鼻煙壺協會的學術期刊》Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, 1984年夏期，封表、頁6 ，添置評論
In Focus (Gemological Institute of America Alumni Association 通訊）1985/86 年冬期，封表
Arts of Asia 1987年9月～10月，頁22
《國際中國鼻煙壺協會的學術期刊》Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, 1987年秋期，頁2 ，上右
Christie's International Magazine 1987年9月～10月，頁28
Antiques Trade Gazette 1987年11月7日，頁18
《國際中國鼻煙壺協會的學術期刊》Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, 1987年冬期，頁27 ，圖4
Kleiner 1995, 編號105
Treasury 1, 編號182
展覽：
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984年10月至11月
大英博物館, 1995年6月至10月
Israel Museum, 耶路撒冷, 1997年
香港大學美術博物館，1999年

說明：
西洋專家以為緬甸翡翠是十八世紀才導入中國的。中國專家卻認為是十七世紀導入的。我們還沒看到毫無疑問地定為十七世紀的翡翠器，只有佳士德紐約1993年10 月18日拍賣品號72，現為新加坡Grimberg珍藏所收的一件顯然為蘇州第一階段的翡翠鼻煙壺，雖然大概是十八世紀前半雕成的，但也有可能是十七世紀晚年的物品。明代以前的翡翠出土不多，顯然沒有文化上的意義，正如紀昀云，十八世紀初，他"幼時...雲南翡翠玉，當時不以玉視之"（《閱微草堂筆記》卷15）。明末，徐霞客《滇游日記》記載雲南西部已有加工、經營"翠生玉"，可是這種硬玉在內地顯然沒有吸引力。（以上見戴鑄明2005，頁71～72。）

這種紫羅蘭和其他種類的翡翠從乾隆晚年起輸入中國。蘇富比紐約，1987年6月5日拍賣品號165是一件紫羅蘭鼻煙壺，該壺有宮廷作坊的韻味，雕飾的風格也像一群帶乾隆款的玻璃煙壺。早一點的掏膛極其完整的翡翠煙壺中（參見Moss, Graham, and Tsang 1993, 編號59～63）沒有此種淺紫羅蘭紅色的，但是這可能是因為紫羅蘭挖得太徹底就會犧牲顏色的鮮潤品質。大多數的紫羅蘭鼻煙壺是十九世紀甚至二十世紀早期的形式頗笨重而掏膛拙劣的。本壺很獨特，掏膛完整、形式典雅、顏色均勻得當，在這規模的煙壺，亦云難得。其實，本壺是所謂"春帶彩"，紫中有少許綠色一片，也帶有值得玩味。

本壺是Eddie Dwyer 最喜愛煙壺當中的寶貝（參見《國際中國鼻煙壺協會的學術期刊》Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, 1984年夏期，封表、頁6 ）。Treasury 1， 頁461文中提供其他品質可比的煙壺的參考文獻，亦可參照。