Page 177 - 2019 OctoberSur Quo Wei Lee Collectim Important Chinese Art Hong Kong

Fashioned from a boulder of impressive size, this vase pays
testament to the Qing court’s keen interest in antiquity, which
gave rise to a distinctive aesthetic taste that dictated jade
production in the 18th and 19th century. The flattened high
shouldered form of this vase is a reinterpretation of bronze
hu vessels, while its crisp geometric scroll that terminates
in two confronting kui dragons was inspired by motifs on
bronzes of the Zhou dynasty (c.1050-221 BC). These were
combined with ringed handles in the form growling lions and a
standing lion on the cover modelled in the round, which add a
contemporary feel.
A vase of similar proportions and carved with a related
motif of confronting chilong, was sold at Christie’s London,
28th/29th June 1984, lot 114; a spinach-green jade example
was sold at Christie’s Rome, 13th November 1973, lot 223;
another of slightly larger proportions, from the collection of
Dr John N. Loomis, was sold twice in our New York rooms,
28th February 1980, lot 268 and 28th/29th November 1994,
lot 61; and a pair of facetted form, were sold at Christie’s New
York, 3rd June 1988, lot 112. A similar motif is also found on
the neck of a spinach-green jade vase in the Palace Museum,
Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace
Museum. Jade, vol. 10: Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2010, pl. 16.