Page 190 - Bonhams, Roger Keverne Moving on Part 1 May 11, 2021 London

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A VERY FINE AND RARE PALE GREEN JADE MARRIAGE BOWL
Qianlong
Superbly carved from a single piece of extremely pale whitish-green
jade, the deep bowl raised on curved rectangular feet, the sides with
two handles each formed as a single delicately-detailed butterfly with
two looping antennae curving over the spreading wings reaching
around the sides of the bowl, each suspending a single loose ring, the
interior intricately decorated in relief with blossoming flowers and a
smaller bud all set within a skilful and complex design of overlapping
and intertwining foliage, the plain exterior softly polished to optimize
the quality of the stone.
21.5cm (8 1/2in) wide.
£30,000 - 50,000
CNY270,000 - 450,000

Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價

清乾隆 青白玉雕花卉紋雙蝶耳活環洗

Provenance: acquired from John Sparks Ltd., London, on 29
November 1954
A European private collection and thence by descent
Bonhams London, 16 May 2013, lot 143

來源：原藏家於1954年11月29日購自倫敦古董商John Sparks Ltd.
歐洲重要私人舊藏，並由後人保存
倫敦邦瀚斯，2013年5月16日，拍品編號143

The quality of the jade of the present lot is evident in the craftsman’s
decision to intricately carve only the interior and handles, whilst
abstaining from adding any decoration to the exterior, thus allowing
a full appreciation of the natural quality of the stone. With its superbly
carved butterfly handles, it belongs to the category of ‘marriage’ bowls
which were popular at the Qing Imperial Court. The two butterfly
handles, suspending loose rings in mirror image, form a rebus for
‘joyful encounter’, (喜相逢 Xi xiangfeng), and by extension ‘marital
happiness’. For a related white jade incense burner and cover with
butterfly handles, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the
Palace Museum: Jadeware (II), Beijing, 2008, pl.27. See also a related
example in the Tianjin Museum, illustrated by Yu Ping, Shufang Zhong
de Yuqi, Beijing, 2010, p.76.

Compare also with a larger white jade ‘marriage’ bowl, Qianlong, with
butterfly handles but uncarved in the interior; and another slightly larger
white jade ‘marriage’ bowl, Qianlong, with butterfly handles but carved
in the interior with twin fish, which were both sold at Christie’s Hong
Kong, 1 June 2011, lots 3565 and 3641. For another smaller example
with butterfly handles formerly in the collection of Simon and Alan
Hartman, New York, see Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 November 2007,
lot 1503.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
188 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.