Page 97 - 2019 OctoberSur Quo Wei Lee Collectim Important Chinese Art Hong Kong

Deceptively simple in its refined form and restrained decoration,
the technical prowess and artistic imagination of jade carvers
during the Qianlong period is displayed in this magnificent vase.
The form of this piece draws inspiration from archaic bronze wine
vessels, gu, made in the Shang (16th century-c.1046 BC) and
Western Zhou (c.1046-771 BC) dynasties, skilfully adapted to suit
the refined taste of the Emperor. The robust shape of the bronze
prototype was transformed into a graceful barbed silhouette that
resembles the upper view of an open flower, and the bold designs
of the original, which were meant to increase their dramatic
appearance, are replaced by undecorated surfaces. The result is
a vase that appears modern yet steeped in classical symbolism,
and one that also epitomises the aesthetic ideal of elegant
simplicity.
The present vase represents one of the most graceful and
successful reinterpretation of the bronze gu shape and
epitomises the antiquarian nature that characterises jade
carvings of this period. An erudite scholar and passionate
collector of antiques, the Qianlong Emperor’s love for the
past was grounded in his admiration for Chinese history and
influenced by Confucian philosophy, which emphasised the
study of history in the pursuit of virtue. The Qianlong Emperor
actively influenced jade production, criticising the ‘vulgar’ style
popular in the 18th century as excessively ornate, and urging
craftsmen to study antique vessels and adapt them to the jade
medium. The Xiqing gujian [Catalogue of Xiqing antiquities],
which was compiled by court artists between 1749 and 1755,
and comprised line drawings of some 1500 objects in the
imperial collection, was circulated among craftsmen who were
encouraged to take inspiration from it.
Vases of this elegant form and such restrained decoration are
rare. A celadon jade vase of this form but fashioned with four
handles, was sold in our London rooms, 27th June 1974, lot 35;
a spinach-green jade example with two handles was sold in our
London rooms, 11th May 2011, lot 300; and another of larger size,
from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, is illustrated in
Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 10:
Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl. 80.
Barbed vases are also known carved with taotie masks on the
raised mid-section. Compare a vase in the De An Tang collection,
included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade, Palace Museum,
Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 126; and another from the collection of
Major R.W. Cooper, sold twice at Christie’s London in 1963 and
2008, and most recently at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December
2010, lot 3059.
The barbed shape of this vase, which combines graceful curves
and sharp ridges, was also experimented on vases of stouter and
broader proportions, which were inspired by archaic bronze zun.
See for example a vase also with animal-head handles, in the
Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated op. cit., pl. 49.