Page 94 - Sotheby's Important Jades, Amber & Hardstones Oct. 3, 2018

Figures of this type are known to have been produced under 乾隆年間，曾下命製作一套類似生肖擺件，原環置「萬年
the direct commission of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795). 甲子盒」內，中央放玉方匣，刻「乾」字卦，象徵乾隆，
Originally stored inside a box known as wannian jiazi he, the 十二生肖，護佑天子，各守一方。《活計檔》有載，乾隆
figures were placed around a central rectangular jade box
四十八年（1783年）五月二十一日，一組白玉十二生肖隨
carved with the Daoist qian trigram, a symbol of the Qianlong
Emperor; thus they appear to have represented celestial 函由蘇州呈獻進宮，同年十二月十日，成套移入懋勤殿。
guardians protecting the emperor in all directions. According
to the Archive of the Imperial Workshop, on the 21st day of the 錢九如於〈萬年甲子盒〉一文提及，乾隆帝十全武功，唯
5th month of the 48th year of Qianlong reign (corresponding to 金川最難攻克，此套為記金川之役大捷而造；見《紫禁
1783), a complete set of twelve white jade zodiac figures and 城》，1992年，第5期，頁5。白玉生肖亦存乾隆帝之文人
their boxes were delivered to the Imperial Court from Suzhou, 風骨；依萬年甲子銘文，生肖主題溯至仇遠（1247-1326
all of which was placed in Maoqin Dian (Hall of Merit and
年）著作《金淵集》，其中章句化用十二生肖名號，《永
Diligence) on the 10th day of the 12th month of the same year.
樂大典》有所收錄。
Qian Jiuru in ‘Wannian Jiazi he’, Forbidden City, 1992 (5), p.
5, suggests that the creation of this group of objects was 當今世上，成套白玉十二生肖見藏於各地重要博物館及私
to commemorate the milestone victory of the Jinchuan 人之手。比較一例，與此套尺寸相當，德安堂雅蓄，曾
suppression, the most difficult of the Ten Great Campaigns
of the Qianlong period. It also embodies the Emperor’s inner 展於《玉緣：德安堂藏玉》，故宮博物院，北京，2004
literati spirit, as the zodiac theme, according to the poetic 年，編號76。另一例，Alan and Simone Hartman 伉儷
inscription on the wannian jiazi, was inspired by the works 舊藏，載於 Robert Kleiner，《Chinese Jades from the
of talented Chou Yuan (c. 1247-1326), whose Jin Yuan Ji Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman》，香港，1996
comprised of phrases that deliberately incorporated names
年，圖版111，後售於香港佳士得2006年11月28日，編號
of the twelve zodiac animals into individual registers and was
recorded in the Yongle Dadian [Yongle Encyclopaedia]. 1416。一套相類，尺寸較小，乃清宮遺珍，現仍貯北京，
錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．玉器（下）》，香
Complete sets of white jade twelve zodiac figures are held in
important museums and private collections worldwide; see a 港，1995年，圖版111。且有一套尺寸較大，售於紐約蘇
set of similar size, from the De An Tang collection, included in 富比1995年9月23日，編號256。紐約大都會藝術博物館
the exhibition A Romance with Jade, Palace Museum, Beijing,
藏還有一套，青白玉作，藏品編號02.18.730a-I。
2004, cat. no. 76; and another from the collection of Alan
and Simone Hartman, illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese
Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong
Kong, 1996, pl. 111, and sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th
November 2006, lot 1416. See also a set of similar figures,
but smaller in size, from the Qing Court collection and still in
Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures
of the Palace Museum. Jade Ware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl.
111; a larger set sold in our New York rooms, 23rd September
1995, lot 256; and a set carved from pale celadon jade, in
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no.
02.18.730a-I.

92 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比