Page 34 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art June 2015 Hong Kong

Property from a Distinguished
English Private Collection

英國顯赫私人收藏

LOTS 16 - 19

16 Y Ф The present lot is a testament to the finest quality of jade workmanship
A FINE AND RARE WHITE JADE CARVING OF A QILIN produced during the height of the Qing dynasty. The crisp treatment
Qianlong of the leaves and petals and on the finely incised thickly curling tail,
Attractively carved as a charming mythical beast with twin horns serves to highlight the smoothly carved and even-toned stone of the
reaching down its back, each towards a stylised lotus blossom issuing mythical beast’s body.
from a leafy stem gripped in its mouth, the front legs raised to show
the characteristic hooves, the back legs tucked underneath the body The representation of the qilin is reflective of Qing taste and
beside the thickly curling tail, the matched green-stained ivory stand sensibilities. Earlier representations of mythical beasts were commonly
finely carved with foaming waves. exaggerated in their grotesque, fearsome and mysterious nature.
13.3cm (5 1/4in) wide (2). J.Rawson in Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London,
1995, pp.349-357 notes that early jades carved as mythical creatures
HK$400,000 - 600,000 primarily resembled tomb sculpture in their powerful form and
US$52,000 - 77,000 protective function; however, by the Qing dynasty, such jades were the
prized possessions of scholars and officials, intended for sumptuous
清乾隆 白玉雕麒麟銜芝擺件 display and discerning admiration. This shift can be seen in the present
lot’s smiling expression, its nose carved in the form of a bat, and the
Provenance 來源: almost coquettishly raised left foreleg.
An English private collection
The present piece is comparable to the finest found in imperial
英國私人收藏 collections: see two jade qilin carvings illustrated in The Complete
Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (III), Hong
Kong, 1995, nos.94 and 95.

A related pale green jade carving of a mythical beast from the Bernard
Sunley collection was sold in our London rooms, 10 November 2011,
lot 369.

此玉玉質溫厚，雙目炯炯有神，呈蓄勢待擊狀，長尾環曲，琢刻尤其
細膩，整體雕工精湛，體現了清代玉器製造的全盛時期。

麒麟為清代常用題材之一。其他例子可參見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品
大系：玉器（下）》，香港，1995年，編號94和95。Bernard Sunley
舊藏一件青玉雕瑞獸也可作比較，見倫敦邦瀚斯，2011年11月10日，
拍品369。

32 | BONHAMS