Page 147 - Sotheby's Sir Quo Wei Lei Collection Oct. 3, 2018

White jade imperial teapots are very rare and the present 御製白玉茶壺甚為珍罕，本品玉質卓絕，匠藝高深，成就佳
teapot is remarkable for the superb quality of its material and 作。壺身晶瑩剔透，表面光滑，應製於乾隆在位後期，清軍
craftsmanship. The spectacular translucency and smooth 西征平定準噶爾之後，滿清控制和闐、莎車二地，今新疆，
polish of the vessel suggest that it was made in the latter part 皆盛產玉石，使白玉供應大增。
of the Qianlong reign, when white jade boulders of exceptional
quality became more available in larger quantities after the 本品壺身扁圓，富有光澤，乃乾隆御器廠之典範。造型簡
Western campaigns, which subjugated the Dzungars and 樸，不加修飾，獨具匠心，盡顯白玉皎潔色澤。乾隆年間相
secured control over the jade-rich territories of Khotan and
Yarkand, modern-day Xinjiang. 類玉茶壺並非鮮見，惟器形不拘一格，與鏤空龍鈕蓋相襯之
品，則別無他例。一件白玉茶壺近例，壺身圓渾，然壺柄造
The current teapot, worked with a compressed globular 形與此略異，末端也呈捲曲之狀，瓣瓜式蓋鈕，2004年10月
body accentuated with a luminous sheen, is one of the finest 31日售於蘇富比，編號233。另一無款例，瓜棱狀壺身，羊
examples produced in the imperial workshops of the Qianlong 首為流，2017年10月3日售於蘇富比，拍品編號3613。
Emperor. Through the design of the seemingly plain and
undecorated body, the craftsman was able to demonstrate
the outstanding purity of the stone to its full extent.
Unmarked vessels with a rounded body are not uncommon
but jade teapots from the Qianlong reign are widely varied in
form and design and no related example of a cover decorated
in openwork with a ‘dragon’ finial appears to be recorded. See
a similar white jade teapot, well worked with a rounded body
and decorated on one side with a double-strapped handle with
similar everted scrolling ends, and surmounted by a cover
with a lobed finial, sold in these rooms, 31st October 2004,
lot 233. Another similarly unmarked teapot, superbly worked
with a lobed body and a spout fashioned in the form of a ram’s
head, was sold in these rooms, 3rd October 2017, lot 3613.