Footnotes

十七/十八世紀 青玉鏤雕仿古紋三足卮

Provenance 來源:
An English private collection and thence by descent

英國私人收藏，並由家族繼承

The following ten jade carvings (Lots 30-39), formed part of a collection of Chinese works of art, largely assembled from the late 1950s to the early 1980s from leading Chinese art dealers in London, including most prominently Louis Joseph, Bluett's and Spink's during their peak period of activity. It is interesting to note that many of the jade carvings, some included in the selection offered in this sale and others previously sold, were acquired directly from the renowned dealer Louis Joseph who was based in fashionable Knightsbridge in London. Louis Joseph dealt as noted in his invoices in 'Old Furniture & Clocks, Jade & Ivory Carvings and Oriental Rugs'.

The jade carvings were collected during a period when the finest of Chinese ceramics and works of art were available due to the demise of the Qing dynasty that instigated the sale of objects from prominent Chinese and Manchu families and the dispersal of prominent first and second generation Western collections of Chinese art formed during the first half 20th century.

These pieces have adorned the family home and have been admired by three generations. It is now the hope of the family that others may partake in the pleasure of collecting and cherishing them.

以下10件玉雕（拍品30-39）來自英國私人收藏，是其藏品的一部份。該藏家從1950年代晚期開始至1980年代早期開始收藏，大部分藏品均來自倫敦知名古董商，其中最為人熟知的有Louis Joseph，Bluett's 以及斯賓克等。此圖錄所呈現的藏品則全部直接得自當時位於倫敦上流商業區騎士橋的Louis Joseph，其發票上經常可見"Old Furniture & Clocks, Jade & Ivory Carvings and Oriental Rugs"的英文字樣。

該藏家開始收藏時，正值清廷沒落，部份宮廷玉器在20世紀初期又流入市場，最後落入歐洲第一代及第二代中國藝術品收藏家手中。而該組玉雕由此家族世代收藏，至今已三代相傳。

The present lot with its intricate openwork interlocking sections is a masterful achievement of jade craftsmanship. In form it is inspired by Han dynasty jade cups; see for example a yellowish-green jade cup, zhi, Western Han dynasty, from Xuzhou Museum, Jiangsu Province, illustrated by J.C.S.Lin, ed., The Search for Immortality: Tomb Treasures of Han China, Cambridge, 2012, pl.58. The Qing jade craftsman adeptly carving the openwork sections, has elevated the cup from an ordinary utilitarian container to an extraordinary work of art to be handled and admired for its ingenuity.

Compare a reticulated jade incense holder, Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection, with similar interlocking geometric sections carved in low relief with gui dragons, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (II), p.41, pl.33; for another related interlocking pale green jade vessel, (attributed to the Yuan-Ming dynasty), see the Bluett & Sons, London catalogue by Wu Hung and B.Morgan, Chinese Jades from the Mu-Fei Collection, London, 1990, no.60.

此玉杯形制仿漢代酒器卮而作，參看江蘇徐州博物館藏一件西漢灰玉卮，見J.C.S.Lin編，《The Search for Immortality: Tomb Treasures of Han China》，劍橋，2012年，圖版58。但此玉雕卮用鏤雕技法將器身雕刻成「山」字形榫，相互交錯套連，更顯玉匠高超技藝。

清宮舊藏中亦有一件清代青玉雙聯夔紋熏筒，其鏤雕手法與此玉卮類似，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系：玉器（下）》，北京，頁41，圖版33。另見一件元/明清白玉杯，著錄於Wu Hung與B.Morgan，《木扉珍藏玉器》，Bluett & Sons，倫敦，1990，編號60。