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Lot Essay
In 1775 the Qianlong emperor came across an antique jade object. It had only remanents of a frame, and he wondered what it was. After some consideration he concluded:
This object has only a frame but no base. It must have had a metal lining before, which could contain charcoal and be used as an iron. The metal lining has long been missing. (Fourth Compilation of Imperial Poems, juan 25)
It is somewhat incredible to use jade for ironing, as the stone would certainly crack under the heat, and it would have been very expensive and impractical. It is therefore hard to judge whether Qianlong's surmise was correct. Probably the shape of the frame reminded him of the bronze irons from the Tang dynasty (fig.1), which he would certainly have seen before. In any case we know for a fact that the jade made an impression on him, since after 18 years, in 1793, he mentioned it again, this time deciding to make it complete by giving it a new metal lining:
The jade iron is missing its metal lining. I have long lamented it in a poem. Restoring it according to the example of the Han jade cong, it is now useful as an iron. Make the useless useful; obtain a whole by adding a half. I contemplate that, when making policy, one should use this as a parameter.
The present lot, bearing the above inscription, is most certainly the metal lining that the emperor had made for the jade 'iron'. The jade cong example that Qianlong mentioned is very probably the one now in the Palace Museum, Taipei (see Emperor Ch'ien-lung's Grand Cultural Enterprise, National Palace Museum, 2002, p. 108, III-1), for which he also made a cloisonne enamel lining so it can be used as a vase - 'Make the useless useful'. The emperor by no means intended to have the priceless jade used as an iron, not to mention that the 'metal lining' is also made of precious cloisonné enamels. The act is symbolic, and although ostentatiously so, it conveys his attitude in government, just as he said in the last sentence of the inscription - one should always use this (make the useless useful) as a parameter in making policies. This small cloisonne enamel container is a valuable cultural relic which gives us an insight to the Qianlong Emperor's philosophy.
This object has only a frame but no base. It must have had a metal lining before, which could contain charcoal and be used as an iron. The metal lining has long been missing. (Fourth Compilation of Imperial Poems, juan 25)
It is somewhat incredible to use jade for ironing, as the stone would certainly crack under the heat, and it would have been very expensive and impractical. It is therefore hard to judge whether Qianlong's surmise was correct. Probably the shape of the frame reminded him of the bronze irons from the Tang dynasty (fig.1), which he would certainly have seen before. In any case we know for a fact that the jade made an impression on him, since after 18 years, in 1793, he mentioned it again, this time deciding to make it complete by giving it a new metal lining:
The jade iron is missing its metal lining. I have long lamented it in a poem. Restoring it according to the example of the Han jade cong, it is now useful as an iron. Make the useless useful; obtain a whole by adding a half. I contemplate that, when making policy, one should use this as a parameter.
The present lot, bearing the above inscription, is most certainly the metal lining that the emperor had made for the jade 'iron'. The jade cong example that Qianlong mentioned is very probably the one now in the Palace Museum, Taipei (see Emperor Ch'ien-lung's Grand Cultural Enterprise, National Palace Museum, 2002, p. 108, III-1), for which he also made a cloisonne enamel lining so it can be used as a vase - 'Make the useless useful'. The emperor by no means intended to have the priceless jade used as an iron, not to mention that the 'metal lining' is also made of precious cloisonné enamels. The act is symbolic, and although ostentatiously so, it conveys his attitude in government, just as he said in the last sentence of the inscription - one should always use this (make the useless useful) as a parameter in making policies. This small cloisonne enamel container is a valuable cultural relic which gives us an insight to the Qianlong Emperor's philosophy.