QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details

A WHITE JADE 'BAT' WASHER
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
The petal-form washer is finely carved with elegant upright lobed sides. The interior is hollowed out to form a bat in flight with a beribboned coin. The exterior is carved in low relief with a stylized bat and an angled ribbon. The stone is of an even white tone.
4 3/8 in. (11.2 cm.) wide, hongmu stand

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

The openwork decoration of a bat and two coins represents the rebus fushou shuangquan (May you possess both blessings and longevity). According to Teresa Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2006, p. 169, no. 7.3.8, “while the two bats represent blessings, the two ancient coins are a pun for ‘completeness’.”
White jade washers of this elegant form are well sought-after. The present washer may be compared to a white jade washer of similar form with ring handles and raised on four cloud-form feet, dated to mid-Qing dynasty, illustrated in Zhongguo Yuqi Quanji (The complete collection of Chinese jade), vol. 6, Shijiazhuang, 1991, p. 219, no. 320.

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