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The poem included in Qing Gaozong Yuzhi Shiwen Quanji, vol. 3, juan 54, p. 15
本拍品御題詩錄於《清高宗御製詩文全集•御製詩三集》，卷54，頁15

This exceptionally impressive vessel, inscribed with a poem the source of the material as a gift from a Muslim region.
composed by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-95) and incised This is a reference to the Qing empire’s western expansion
with the Emperor’s reign mark, has an imperial connection of territory into Central Asia in the mid-18th century. The
that sets it apart from other jade ‘twin fish’ washers. Two newly acquired territory, known as Xinjiang, encompassed
other Qianlong-marked ‘twin fish’ washers inscribed with the the renowned jade-rich region of Khotan (Hetian), which
same imperial poem are known. Both of them are preserved could satisfy the court’s desire for high-quality and large
in the National Palace Museum, Taipei: the first (acc. no. 故- pieces of jade. The inscription, as well as the size and quality
玉-001519), closely related but with the poem incised in seal of the stone of the present washer, all indicate that the
script, was included in the Museum’s exhibition The Refined boulder used originated in Khotan. The second line of the
Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and poem remarks on the time-consuming process to create this
Pictorial Jades of the Ch’ing Court, National Palace Museum, vessel from the stone. By alluding to the careful planning and
Taipei, 1997, cat. no. 7; the second of spinach-green jade and superb workmanship of the design, this verse heightens the
set with a pair of looped handles (acc. no. 故-玉-003736). significant opulence and luxury of the present piece.
The poetic inscription on the present basin reads: As the inscription on the base suggests, this vessel was
A tribute from the Hui region, consciously carved in archaistic style, an aesthetic which
this vessel was made meticulously with the precious the Qianlong Emperor promoted during his reign. See, for
materials in mind. example, an archaic prototype from the Han dynasty (206
It was not a few groups of magpies, BC-AD 220), a bronze pan cast on the interior with a pair of
there placed a pair of fish. fish and an inscription (acc. no. 中銅001925N000000000)
Who shall strike the jia of the hero, in the National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei). Vessels
a letter from a faraway guest is hard to find. from the distant past, such as this bronze pan, provided
Zhong Fu (Inner Truth) is the manipulation of phenomenon, inspiration for the creation of a wide range of jade carvings,
I eagerly pursue the cultivation of moral virtues. including vases and censers, to cater to the Emperor’s
special taste for antiquities.
Dated Qianlong bingxu chun yuti (Inscribed in the Emperor’s
Own Hand, dated spring of the year bingxu) Compare a related greenish-white jade ‘twin fish’ washer,
Seals: Dechongfu (Sign of Virtue Within) incised on the base with an imperial poem from 1786, a
four-character Qianlong mark and two seals, and lacking
Composed by the Emperor in 1764, the poem is included in decoration on the exterior wall, sold in our Hong Kong
Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji / Anthology of Imperial rooms, 29th November 1979, lot 405. It entered the Irving
Qianlong poems and texts, Yuzhi shi san ji (Imperial poetry, Collection, and was later sold at Christie’s New York, 20th
vol. 3), scroll 54, p. 15. The first line of the poem describes March 2019, lot 806.

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