Page 178 - Bonhams Chinese Art London May 2013

fig. 1 A white and green jade brush, Qing Dynasty; image courtesy
of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

The Property of a Lady 女士藏品 Invoice

142
A rare white and spinach-green jade brush
Zheng Da Guang Ming mark, 18th/19th century
The pale green jade cylindrical brush incised and gilt with four
characters, surmounted by a circular spinach-green jade finial carved
as a chilong curling around to bite its own hind legs, the shaft tapering
gently towards a spinach-green jade holder shaped with a narrow rib
at each end and fitted with the brush hairs, wood stand.
The jade altogether 25cm (9 7/8in) long (2)
£8,000 - 10,000
HK$94,000 - 120,000 CNY75,000 - 94,000

十八/十九世紀 白玉「正大光明」杆碧玉提筆

Provenance: acquired from Spink & Son Ltd., London, on 18 October
1951
An English private collection

來源：1951年10月18日購於倫敦Spink & Son Ltd.
英國私人收藏

Finial The four-character inscription on the present lot, Zheng Da Guang Ming,
meaning ‘Upright and pure in mind’ appears to relate to the same four-
character inscription on a plaque above the throne in the Qianqinggong
in the Forbidden City, suggesting that the present brush may also have
been intended for use in the Qianqinggong. The Zheng Da Guang Ming
plaque was used by the Yongzheng Emperor as a hiding place for a
scroll containing the name of his chosen successor, written in his own
hand and only to be revealed after his death. The intention was to avoid
conflict and jealousy within the Imperial court while the Emperor still
lived, and to ensure a smooth succession after his death.

Compare two related jade brushes from the collection of the Palace
Museum, Beijing, both with white jade shafts and spinach green
jade finials, but one undecorated and the other carved with a
mountain scene, illustrated in Classics of the Forbidden City: Scholar’s
Paraphernalia, Beijing, 2009, nos.6 and 10 respectively. Another
similar jade brush inscribed Yu zhi zhi hui wan shi li, is illustrated in
the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 9 - Qing
Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl.32 (see fig.1 above).

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