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A fine and rare white jade carving of a qilin Qianlong (2) image 1
A fine and rare white jade carving of a qilin Qianlong (2) image 2
Property from a Distinguished English Private Collection

英國顯赫私人收藏

(Lots 16-19)
Lot 16Ф,Y

A fine and rare white jade carving of a qilin
Qianlong

Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
4 June 2015, 10:30 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific Place

HK$400,000 - HK$600,000

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A fine and rare white jade carving of a qilin

Qianlong
Attractively carved as a charming mythical beast with twin horns reaching down its back, each towards a stylised lotus blossom issuing from a leafy stem gripped in its mouth, the front legs raised to show the characteristic hooves, the back legs tucked underneath the body beside the thickly curling tail, the matched green-stained ivory stand finely carved with foaming waves.
13.3cm (5 1/4in) wide (2).

Footnotes

清乾隆 白玉雕麒麟銜芝擺件

Provenance 來源:
An English private collection

英國私人收藏

The present lot is a testament to the finest quality of jade workmanship produced during the height of the Qing dynasty. The crisp treatment of the leaves and petals and on the finely incised thickly curling tail, serves to highlight the smoothly carved and even-toned stone of the mythical beast's body.

The representation of the qilin is reflective of Qing taste and sensibilities. Earlier representations of mythical beasts were commonly exaggerated in their grotesque, fearsome and mysterious nature. J.Rawson in Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pp.349-357 notes that early jades carved as mythical creatures primarily resembled tomb sculpture in their powerful form and protective function; however, by the Qing dynasty, such jades were the prized possessions of scholars and officials, intended for sumptuous display and discerning admiration. This shift can be seen in the present lot's smiling expression, its nose carved in the form of a bat, and the almost coquettishly raised left foreleg.

The present piece is comparable to the finest found in imperial collections: see two jade qilin carvings illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, nos.94 and 95.

A related pale green jade carving of a mythical beast from the Bernard Sunley collection was sold in our London rooms, 10 November 2011, lot 369.

此玉玉質溫厚，雙目炯炯有神，呈蓄勢待擊狀，長尾環曲，琢刻尤其細膩，整體雕工精湛，體現了清代玉器製造的全盛時期。

麒麟為清代常用題材之一。其他例子可參見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系：玉器（下）》，香港，1995年，編號94和95。Bernard Sunley舊藏一件青玉雕瑞獸也可作比較，見倫敦邦瀚斯，2011年11月10日，拍品369。

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