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Lot Essay
A large majority of archaistic jades from the Qianlong period were in essence carved in imitation of jades and bronze vessels from the Shang to Han dynasty, and many pieces that were produced in the Qianlong reign were slightly modified to suit the prevailing taste of the Emperor. The design of the present plaque is based on Han dynasty prototypes, such as the Western Han dynasty openwork plaque of similar shape in the Qing Court collection illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 40 - Jadewares (I), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 257, no. 215. Also illustrated, pp. 258-9, no. 216, is another plaque carved as a bi surmounted by the characters yi shou (for the benefit of longevity) carved in openwork.
An excavated plaque, very similar in design to the present plaque, which is dated to the Qianlong period, which also incorporates the three characters yi zi sun in the design, is in the National Museum of China, Beijing, and illustrated in Zhongguo guojia bowuguan guancang wenwu yanjiu congshu - yuqi juan, Shanghai, 2007, p. 340, no. 281. Another, of similar type, in the Qing Court collection, which incorporates the four characters, changyi zisun in the lower section, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 42 - Jadewares (III), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 158, no. 127. A Qianlong period plaque, very similar to this latter plaque, in the Oscar Raphael Collection is illustrated by James C.S. Lin in "The Collection of Qing Dynasty Jades in the Fitzwilliam Museum", Arts of Asia, May - June 2010, p. 114, no. 14. It, too, is carved with the four characters changyi zisun and inscribed liangzi yibai liushiba hao (liang-character series no. 168).
Three further plaques of this type have been sold at auction. The first, carved with four characters changyi zisun, inscribed with the same reign mark in li shu, clerical script, on the outer edge, and numbered renzi qishijiu hao (ren-character series no. 79), was sold at Christie's New York, 16 September 2010, lot 1094. The second, inscribed with the mark zhizi yibailiushijiu hao (zhi-character series no. 169), was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27 April 2003, lot 3, and was later included in the exhibition, A Romance with Jade from the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, no. 21. The third, with the characters yangzi erbai hao (yang-character series no. 200), from the collection of L. de Luca, was sold at Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 2805.
An excavated plaque, very similar in design to the present plaque, which is dated to the Qianlong period, which also incorporates the three characters yi zi sun in the design, is in the National Museum of China, Beijing, and illustrated in Zhongguo guojia bowuguan guancang wenwu yanjiu congshu - yuqi juan, Shanghai, 2007, p. 340, no. 281. Another, of similar type, in the Qing Court collection, which incorporates the four characters, changyi zisun in the lower section, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 42 - Jadewares (III), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 158, no. 127. A Qianlong period plaque, very similar to this latter plaque, in the Oscar Raphael Collection is illustrated by James C.S. Lin in "The Collection of Qing Dynasty Jades in the Fitzwilliam Museum", Arts of Asia, May - June 2010, p. 114, no. 14. It, too, is carved with the four characters changyi zisun and inscribed liangzi yibai liushiba hao (liang-character series no. 168).
Three further plaques of this type have been sold at auction. The first, carved with four characters changyi zisun, inscribed with the same reign mark in li shu, clerical script, on the outer edge, and numbered renzi qishijiu hao (ren-character series no. 79), was sold at Christie's New York, 16 September 2010, lot 1094. The second, inscribed with the mark zhizi yibailiushijiu hao (zhi-character series no. 169), was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27 April 2003, lot 3, and was later included in the exhibition, A Romance with Jade from the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, no. 21. The third, with the characters yangzi erbai hao (yang-character series no. 200), from the collection of L. de Luca, was sold at Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 2805.