Page 88 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art June 2015 Hong Kong

The present vase in its low relief design incorporating taotie masks and 玉質青白色，純淨溫潤。器為仿古造型，扁方體，瓶身兩側有獸耳，
the mythical beast handles, is inspired by archaic bronzes of the Shang 腹部呈梯形，方形足，覆鬥式蓋，長方形鈕。頸部及腹部兩面浮雕饕
dynasty. This is consistent with the Qianlong emperor’s fascination with 餮如意紋，瓶口、蓋口及瓶底各飾迴紋一周。
archaic and ancient objects. Chang Li-tuan notes in The Refined Taste
of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of 乾隆皇帝慕古如痴，在藝術上極力倡導「復古」及「仿古」，強調玉
the Ch’ing Court, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1997, p.49 that the 器應向古器物學習，即謂「玩物仍存師古情」。為讓宮廷造辦處領會
Qianlong emperor proposed to ‘restore ancient ways’, suggesting that 其要求，乾隆皇帝將內府收藏古器物的圖錄，如《西清古鑑》交付玉
jade carvers turn to antiquity for models, which would enable them 工為新製玉器時造型及紋飾提供藍本。見張麗端著，《宮廷之雅：清
to imbue their designs with simplicity and honesty, and so achieve 代仿古及畫意玉器特展圖錄》，1997年，頁49。
refinement and elegance. The ‘ancient ways’ referred to the intrinsic
values of sincerity, simplicity, and happy exuberance. 此件饕餮紋獸耳瓶玉質溫潤，用料講究，雕工精湛。相似的帶有饕餮
紋的玉雕瓶，見維多利亞及阿伯特博物館藏一例，著錄於M.Wilson，
The present vase is particularly noteworthy for its fine quality of 《Chinese Jades》，倫敦，2003年，圖版109。另見一例乾隆白玉
jade stone and impressive size. The process of its carving on the 瓶，著錄於《Age of Glories: An Exhibition of Important Chinese Arts
exterior and the hollowing of the deep interior would have entailed a from Collections on Both Sides of the Taiwan Strait》，北京，2009
significant amount of wastage of the prized stone, making this vase an 年，圖版38。另見一例器形類似的乾隆白玉獸耳活環耳瓶，著錄於霍
exceptionally prized object. As such, it would have probably adorned 滿棠，《韞玉生輝：松竹堂珍藏玉器》，香港，2011，圖版135。
the interior of one of the imperial palaces or the home of a high-ranking
official.

For a related white jade vase and cover, Qianlong, with taotie design
and a similarly shaped finial, from the Victoria and Albert Museum,
London, see M.Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 2004, pl.109; see
also a related white jade vase and cover, Qianlong, with a similar
finial, illustrated in Age of Glories: An Exhibition of Important Chinese
Arts from Collections on Both Sides of the Taiwan Strait, Beijing,
2009, pl.38; for a further white jade vase and cover, Qianlong, with
the surface kept plain and with elephant ring handles, see T.Fok, The
Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong,
2011, pl.135.

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