Page 58 - Important Chiense Ceramics and Works of Art, Christie's.pdf

2911 Continued

The censer is carved from an exceptional boulder of high ᫉‐սӳԧ⩧┣ഌ⎏⨿ℱᙠ㫌↱⩧Ꮀ卿ᓋ⮃㇧ᙃ卿⠢㫌⡿↱卿
shui fen or “water content”. This precious material, with its ⇰ᷪ㘻㘲卿ἃ⨿ℱ଍ԋԠᥑ৅ǯ
remarkable degree of translucency has been regarded as the
most valuable and rarest of all the many classifications for ⩀⨿ங᳖ࢦӮӽ⡕㮵ᯎჺ㧿⊐⤗⊖᱁ݣԋஇ卿⋁ᛞ⩀⨿അἃ⎑
jadeite. Once polished, jadeite material with high shui fen ༀᏒᝳ卿᱁ᘶߪᭆ㧿≾ཐǯ⯇Գ㪏Ⴝ㧷ං卿ૃጻǮ㙣ݏǮ়
is so vitreous, it can be described as liquid in quality. It has ㎒ǮऱᯎǮݏ⤁Ǯ໿⢴Ӯׅ⎑Ⴝࣿळ൉ٛமཌ⩀⨿ካᝳℒ㤃卿
been noted that unlike other precious stones which reflect
and refract light, jadeite of this quality is most appealing as it ༂໶কਦ㏲ս⩀⨿ᘘ⻦㎒ܝ׹ヹ㞔㏏ࡥ卿ᘢ⩀⨿ࣽ♑ԠἃǸ⎑
appears to absorb the surrounding illumination and glow from །ℱǹǮǸႽℳℱǹ卿ݯ஠ׅި㳍ᙻप♎༾⒢Ԡӳǯ
within.
ᚚទ՗㛢ᝳ㜐㱦Ⅷ⻦Ӭ։ℱ㐏Ǯ㙁௛ம⯝ទ‐जᬘԠ׾卿㱦
Given the rarity, quality and value of the jadeite boulder used ᙹ໸ჺἃԳ㪏卿ⶬ㢙ᙻ ჺ՗㛢߅‸Ƕ▭ݎᙔࢇɃȹɉȵ
for this substantial censer, it is quite remarkable that the ȡȢ厀᭦㙭ȹ⧻Ƿ卿㮰 ǯऔംᚚទྒྷԋਦᝯ⯠⻦Ӭ։⨿ℱ
rough stone was used for a single object and not carved into
smaller ornaments. ‐卿ऱ᧙㫌എ⃹ཐ⃹㟏卿ℱᙠ┣ഌᜆ⇰卿໸ჺᛮ᳖卿ज㏱ᬘ
㖅卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚卻ވˏ卼ǯ
While most jade and jadeite censers are carved with a variety
of archaistic themes around the body, the lapidary craftsmen ݻजᬘ㖅ᙇ։⡠㱈㯸ַ⎏⨿ℱ‐卿Ӭ։ ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ
chose to leave the body of this vessel plain and polished it to ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚厎Ӭ։ἃᇍཿలݎ⊂⯠⻦卿 ჺ ᝲ
an attractive sheen to emphasise the beauty and colour of the ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚厎Ӭ։ἃ5 # 8BMLFSఫ㞖ᝯ⯠
material.
⻦卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰ⼖༛ᬘᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚厎Ӭ։ἃݐ
Compare to a jadeite censer of very similar colour and design ߧഏ⼵⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⯠⻦卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰ⼖༛ᬘᐽ㐈卿
from the Yurinkan Museum, Kyoto, attributed to the Qianlong ᐽ৅ ⽚ǯ
period by the museum, and illustrated in A Look to Our
Ancestral Culture-Eternal Beauty, Kyoto, 2014, p. 65. Another սӳᏒ㘚׾ຽ㫍὞ཨ༿Ǯᬘ׾प⊿卿ֿ⯝ទᐽ৅Ӭ᧙卿गսཐ
closely related censer of similar quality and form, previously 㞔㫌ߴ⡠㱈㇏Ꮴݏ⡵⎏‐೅卿ս߃㰆⩀⨿ℱ㐏⎏ݏᷪࣿ᭢ߎ卿
from Yamanaka Shokai, Osaka, was sold at Christie’s Hong
Kong, 31 May 2010, lot 2089 (fig. 1). ӻ⊇ᙠமӶⵙ卿㊦ἃ㙤໶㏟ݽⅧ㇬㐃⅊Ԡ⁒ǯ
Compare also with a censer of very similar form and colour
sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 April 2004, lot 967. This
censer compares very favourably with another important
censer carved from similar material, included in the
Jingguantang collection and sold at Christie’s Hong Kong,
3 November 1996, lot 601. Although the proportions of the
censers differ, there are many similarities including the quality
and style of the carving of the finials and handles, and the
decision to leave the majority of the vessel undecorated.
There are further two important jadeite censers from
American museum collections which exhibit many similarities,
suggesting they too were crafted at the same workshop,
the first from the T.B. Walker Foundation, sold at Sotheby’s
Hong Kong, 17 November 1988, lot 299; the other from the
Cleveland Museum of Art collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong
Kong, 30 October 1992, lot 381. The carving of the Buddhist
lion finials on all four censers are very closely related, the pairs
of felines are depicted with the similar features and manes
standing above the tall domed covers. The imposing animal
mask handles exhibit the same boldness and crisp lines, the
proportions of the ring handles are very closely related as well.
Further similarities can be made when comparing the tripod
feet, and the polish of each vessel.

fig. 1 Sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 31 May 2010, lot 2089
எӬ 㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑ ჺ ᝲ ᚚᐽ৅ ⽚

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