.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The beautiful and unctuous white tone of this jade vase reflects Emperor Qianlong’s preference for superior Khotan ‘mutton-fat’ jade. Its form and decoration derive from the emperor's reverence for antiquity, which inspired the imperial workshops to produce archaistic jades in quantity, drawing creatively from bronze ritual vessels, achieving works that both demonstrate the pinnacle of Qing dynasty jade carving and resonate with the emperor's antiquarian taste. The present vase exemplifies this synthesis of technical mastery and archaistic aesthetic.
The animal-mask handles suspending loose rings are characteristic of archaistic jade vases from Qianlong period. The National Palace Museum, Taipei, preserves several related examples, see a white jade ewer of similar form decorated with bow-string and bearing the same mark, collection no. guwu003367N (fig. 1), illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji, vol. 6, Qing Dynasty, Hebei, 1992, p. 125. Compare further to a white jade vase and cover with animal-mask handles, also in the collection of National Palace Museum, Taipei, collection no. guwu006408N.
The animal-mask handles suspending loose rings are characteristic of archaistic jade vases from Qianlong period. The National Palace Museum, Taipei, preserves several related examples, see a white jade ewer of similar form decorated with bow-string and bearing the same mark, collection no. guwu003367N (fig. 1), illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji, vol. 6, Qing Dynasty, Hebei, 1992, p. 125. Compare further to a white jade vase and cover with animal-mask handles, also in the collection of National Palace Museum, Taipei, collection no. guwu006408N.