Page 187 - Bonhams, Roger Keverne Moving on Part 1 May 11, 2021 London

291
A VERY FINE WHITE JADE VASE
Qianlong
The flattened baluster vessel rising from a stepped
foot to a tapering neck flanked by a pair of archaistic
chilong handles below the splayed rim, the semi-
translucent stone of even white colour with an icy vein.
15cm (6in) high.

£20,000 - 30,000
CNY180,000 - 270,000
Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve.
本拍品不設底價

清乾隆 白玉雙螭耳瓶

Provenance: Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 September
1992, lot 755 (part lot)
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2014, lot 3043

來源：香港佳士得，1992年9月29日，拍品編號755
（部分）
香港蘇富比，2014年4月8日，拍品編號3043

This superb vase derives its shape from an ancient
bronze hu vessel, with the stylised dragon handles
seemingly inspired by those found on Eastern Zhou
bronze vessels.

The Qianlong emperor proposed to ‘restore ancient
ways’, referring to the view of ancient culture as
having intrinsic moral qualities of sincerity, simplicity
and happy exuberance. For this purpose the emperor
instructed the Court to collect drawings of antiquities,
such as the Xi Qing Gu Jian (Catalogue of Xiqing
Antiquities). Jade carvers were thus encouraged to
move away from the ‘new style’ by studying archaic
bronze vessels in the Qing Court Collection or in
illustrated woodblock prints, and adapting them to
the medium of jade; see Chang Li-tuan, The Refined
Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic
and Pictorial Jades of the Ch’ing Court, Taipei, 1997,
pp.49-50.

Compare with a white jade vase, Qing dynasty of
similar shape, illustrated in Compendium of Collections
in the Palace Museum: Jade, vo.10, Beijing, 2011,
p.149.

A related white jade vase displaying similar chilong
handles, Qianlong, was sold at Sotheby’s London, 18
November 1998, lot 923.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue. ROGER KEVERNE LTD: MOVING ON | 185