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Lot Essay
The censer is of compressed globular form, supported on three short lion-mask feet and flanked by a pair of prominent dragon-head handles suspending loose rings. The body is boldly carved in high relief on one side with a Buddhist lion playing with a brocade ball, The fitted cover is surmounted with a Buddhist lion with a young cub.
The present censer is carved from an extraordinary jadeite boulder boasting a rare glacier-green hue and a remarkable degree of translucency. Beyond its sublime material, the vessel stands out for its clever, asymmetrical decorative design and seamless architectural proportions. While showcasing the masterful skill of craftmanship with the carving of the finial, handles and the side, the lapidary craftsmen also cleverly leave one side of the body of this vessel plain and polished it to an attractive sheen to emphasis the beauty and colour of the material. The low-profile cover is meticulously integrated to sit almost flush against the rim, an alternative to the more conventional high-domed covers, this integrated cover creates a cohesive, streamlined silhouette rarely achieved in stone carvings of this magnitude.
Given the rarity, quality and value of the jadeite boulder used for this substantial censer and its well fitted cover, it is quite remarkable that the rough was used for a single object and not carved into smaller ornaments. For a jadeite bowl carved from a boulder of similar hue to the present censer, see an example in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (fig. 1).
Exceedingly rare in both its design and material, this censer represents a virtually unique masterwork of imperial lapidary art. Compare to a similar jadeite censer carved with dragon handles, a lion-form finial and more elaborate feet, formerly in the collection of Yamanaka Shokai, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31 May 2010, lot 2089 (fig. 2). Compare also a censer with a plain body, peony-form finial and subtle russet inclusions, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2022, lot 3053. For a jadeite censer of equally exceptional quality but of a fangding form, formerly in the Baron Fujita Denzaburo Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, lot 30 October 2025, 808 (fig. 3).
A gemological certificate from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory Limited confirms the present lot is natural green jadeite.
The present censer is carved from an extraordinary jadeite boulder boasting a rare glacier-green hue and a remarkable degree of translucency. Beyond its sublime material, the vessel stands out for its clever, asymmetrical decorative design and seamless architectural proportions. While showcasing the masterful skill of craftmanship with the carving of the finial, handles and the side, the lapidary craftsmen also cleverly leave one side of the body of this vessel plain and polished it to an attractive sheen to emphasis the beauty and colour of the material. The low-profile cover is meticulously integrated to sit almost flush against the rim, an alternative to the more conventional high-domed covers, this integrated cover creates a cohesive, streamlined silhouette rarely achieved in stone carvings of this magnitude.
Given the rarity, quality and value of the jadeite boulder used for this substantial censer and its well fitted cover, it is quite remarkable that the rough was used for a single object and not carved into smaller ornaments. For a jadeite bowl carved from a boulder of similar hue to the present censer, see an example in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (fig. 1).
Exceedingly rare in both its design and material, this censer represents a virtually unique masterwork of imperial lapidary art. Compare to a similar jadeite censer carved with dragon handles, a lion-form finial and more elaborate feet, formerly in the collection of Yamanaka Shokai, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31 May 2010, lot 2089 (fig. 2). Compare also a censer with a plain body, peony-form finial and subtle russet inclusions, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2022, lot 3053. For a jadeite censer of equally exceptional quality but of a fangding form, formerly in the Baron Fujita Denzaburo Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, lot 30 October 2025, 808 (fig. 3).
A gemological certificate from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory Limited confirms the present lot is natural green jadeite.