Page 289 - Christies IMportant Chinese Art Sept 26 2020 NYC

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR, LOUISIANA
1776
A WHITE JADE 'MARRIAGE' BOWL
18TH-19TH CENTURY
The bowl is raised on four ruyi-form feet and flanked by a
pair of handles carved as large butterflies with outstretched
wings suspending loose rings. The semi-translucent stone
is of even white color.
6Ω in. (15.9 cm.) across handles
$25,000-35,000

This type of vessel is known as a 'marriage' bowl, and such
bowls, with their carefully chosen propitious decoration,
were popular at the Imperial Qing court. The use of
the butterflies on the handles of the present bowl is
highly auspicious, making it an appropriate object for a
marriage or birthday gift. The term for butterfly is hudie in
Chinese: hu is pronounced fu in some Chinese dialects
and thus provides a homophone for two words with similar
pronunciation - one meaning blessings and one meaning
riches. Die is a homophone for a word meaning ‘age of
seventy to eighty’, and thus stands for longevity, and it also
sounds similar to a word meaning duplicate, accumulate (detail)
or pile up. When two butterflies face each other, as they
do on the handles of this bowl, they suggest a ‘joyful
encounter’, which can be interpreted as marital happiness.

清十八/十九世紀 青白玉蝴蝶活環耳洗