Footnotes

十八/十九世紀 青白玉雕花卉紋夔龍柄執壺

Provenance 來源:
An English private collection and thence by descent

英國私人收藏，並由家族成員繼承

Exquisitely crafted jade vessels such as the present teapot and cover are amongst the most impressive and eye-catching objects in the imperial collections, for the opulent use of the precious jade stone, the exquisite form and accomplished carving. The delicacy of the floral stems reaching across the smoothly carved and evenly toned body is a masterful demonstration of the finesse and sensitivity of the craftsman, exemplary of jade craftsmanship at its peak.

Food and drink vessels made of jade were extremely cherished treasures from as early as the Han dynasty, particularly as they required great expense and wastage of precious jade to produce. M.Wilson in Chinese Jades, London, 2004, p.38, records an anecdote of the Song dynasty ruler, Emperor Huizong, expressing concern about his desire to use jade cups being viewed as extravagance, and a cunning courtier suggesting that such use was an important emblem of his power in comparison to the rival Qidan dynasty. The author also notes that 'of all food and wine vessels, the ewer is the most difficult to make.... [such pieces] would this have been more valuable and rare than porcelain ones...', see ibid., p.44.

The chrysanthemum, juhua 菊花, and plum blossom, meihua 梅花, forms the auspicious synergy of the 'Two Friends of Winter', suihan eryou 歲寒二友. Both motifs symbolises longevity as they remain constant despite the inclement weather. The combination of these two elements can also be read as meishou 眉壽, whereby the plum blossom is a pun for eyebrow, mei 眉; a long eyebrow is considered a sign of longevity. Bats, fu 蝠, can also be read as fu 福, which forms the pun fushou 福壽, which literally translates as 'prosperity and longevity'. Similarly, the narcissus, shuixian 水仙, is a pun for 'immortality', and when combined with the imagery of plum blossoms as carved on the teapot cover, they form the pun tianxian gongshou 天仙供壽, which literally translates as 'May the heavenly immortals honour you with longevity'.

Several examples of white jade teapots and covers dated to the Qing dynasty, including one with related treatment of the mythical beast head handle as the present lot, are illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 10: Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, nos.131-135. See also a white jade teapot and cover, Qianlong, from the collection of Andrew K.F.Lee, illustrated in Virtuous Treasures: Chinese Jades for the Scholar's Table, Hong Kong, 2007, Catalogue, no.23.

Compare a related white jade teapot and cover, Qianlong, but of plain exterior, sold at Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury, 18 May 2011, lot 471.

青白玉質，瑩潤溫澤，壺唇口，扁圓身，壺流微彎，夔龍式柄，圈足微撇。壺身一面淺浮雕山石梅花，另一面雕牡丹，壺蓋亦雕刻花卉紋與壺身呼應。

清宮中有大量玉雕宮廷日用器，但執壺的數量相對較少。玉雕飲食器皿，因雕刻多費玉料，自漢代起就稀世如珍。劉明倩指出：「宋徽宗嗜愛以玉杯飲酒，視其為權利象徵，以震懾契丹。玉雕器皿製作艱難，其價值多勝於瓷製品。」見《Chinese Jades》，倫敦，2004年，頁38-44。

相似之例，見北京故宮博物院藏數件玉雕執壺，其中一件亦採用夔龍形柄，見《故宮博物院藏品大系，清代玉器10》，北京，2011年，圖版131-135。另參看一例清乾隆白玉雕執壺，著錄於《閣有天珍: 中國文房玉雕》，香港，2007年，編號23。另一件清乾隆白玉雕光素執壺於英國威立士售出，2011年5月18日，編號471。