Page 75 - Christie's, NYC Important Chinese Works Of Art Sept. 22-23, 2022

A Superb Pair of Qianlong Green

Jade Gu-Form Vases

“dragon and cloud” decoration now in the collection of the National Palace
清乾隆碧玉雙龍戲珠紋花觚一對 Museum, Taipei, depicting a five-clawed dragon amidst a sea of dense
clouds, with its front right leg seemingly trying to grasp a flaming pearl and
its front left leg reaching backwards.
Not only did the Qianlong emperor commission these gu-shaped jade vases
and have the finished works incised with Qianlong four-character marks,
there also seem to be surviving examples in other materials featuring almost
These two jade vases are each decorated with a striding dragon, one with identical form and design, such as a cloisonné enamel “dragon and lotus”
its head facing left and the other right, indicating that they were originally vase in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (Fig. 2), as
conceived as a pair. Though their form harks back to ancient bronzes, these well as a carved green archaistic beaker vase, gu, decorated with dragons
two were carved out of an exceptionally large and fine boulder, with their pursuing pearls and a matching gilt-bronze beaker vase sold at Christie’s
globular mid-sections decorated with the superbly rendered five-clawed Hong Kong in November 2012, lot 2255. Emperor Qianlong often made
[2]
dragons, a motif unseen in their bronze prototypes but typical of the design repeat orders or commissioned copies of a specific vessel in a different
and style of the imperial vessels from the Qianlong period. There are material, and this practice is well documented in the Palace archives. For
greenish-white jade vases with identical design and form in the Qing Court instance, in April of the ninth year of the Qianlong reign (AD 1744), one entry
Collection, and references to jade pieces similarly shaped and inscribed reads, “For the eunuch Hu Shijie to transmit the following edict: make a
have also been identified in the archives of the Zaobanchu (Imperial Office of cloisonné enamel copy of the garniture set of five sacrificial vessels on display
Works), attesting to the rarity and prestige of these masterpieces specifically in the main hall of the Cining gong (Palace of Benevolence and Tranquility).
made for the Qianlong court. Drawings should be submitted for Imperial perusal and approval beforehand.
Respect this.” As far as the current pair of vases is concerned, similar
[3]
Much like the current vases, a greenish-white jade “dragon” beaker vase works in greenish-white jade, cloisonné enamel and other materials have
(Fig. 1) from the Qing Court Collection and now in the Palace Museum, also been found in the Qing Court Collection, underlining Emperor Qianlong’s
borrows its form from bronze ritual vessels known as gu from the Shang and appreciation of and fascination with this particular type of vase.
Zhou periods. These vases bear identical decoration, and each is incised
on the base with a four-character mark reading Qianlong nian zhi in clerical The Qianlong emperor was arguably the most devout Buddhist among
script. Serving as the focal point of these vases, each globular mid-section Qing rulers, so it is little wonder that the imperial palace was scattered
features in high relief a five-clawed dragon striding through billowing clouds with numerous Buddhist shrines and altars, offering a fresh impetus to the
in pursuit of a flaming pearl, between a matching register of classic scroll design and production of various religious vessels. Viewed in this context,
bordered by bands of raised lines and further encircled by overlapping the current lot likely form, along with a pair of candlesticks and an incense
lappets. The mouth and foot rims are similarly decorated with a beaded burner, part of a garniture set of five altarpieces intended for the presentation
band between ruyi heads and scrolling tendrils, the latter framed by raised of flowers, lamps, incense sticks, etc. Jiaqing Emperor Enjoying Leisure in
lines. In October of the 45 year of the Qianlong reign (AD 1780), an entry Han-Style Robe, a painting in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing,
th
for the Ruyiguan (the Imperial Production Studios) in the Palace archives depicts the emperor seated on a wooden armchair carved with dragons. On
states, “As with the greenish-white jade gu-shaped vase decorated with a hongmu table by his side stands a gu-shaped vase holding a ruyi scepter,
lappets, the edict reads as follows: send it to the Ruyiguan to be incised with accompanied by a wooden stand inscribed with an imperial poem, showing
a four-character Qianlong mark.” It seems highly likely that the greenish- that the current lot could well have been display items in an imperial study.
[1]
white jade “lappet” vase mentioned here corresponds to the greenish-white While gu-form bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties had been ritual
“dragon” gu-shaped vase in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. wine vessels, some of them came to be used as flower vases at the Qing
Probably commissioned at roughly the same time as the Palace Museum court and inspired similar works in different materials (e.g. lacquer, ceramic
vase, the current pair use jade of an opulent dark tone, featuring a graceful, and wood) and forms, among which was the current lot, fashioned out of
well-defined form and exquisitely carved design, all trademarks of the jade, a material highly prized by the Qianlong emperor. In the Anthology of
sumptuous style of the imperial jades from the high Qing. It is worth noting Imperial Qianlong Poems and Proses, Emperor Qianlong once remarked,
that the “cloud and dragon” design in the bulging mid-sections of the Palace “This contemporary work is carved with select jade in an archaistic fashion,
Fig. 1 Jade gu-form vase with dragon and lotus decoration, Qianlong mark and Museum vase mentioned above and the current lot is also seen in porcelains. … While resonating with earlier bronzes such as zhong and ding, it is no
period (1736-1795). Palace Museum, Beijing, 故00098511. One such example is a white porcelain cup with overglaze red and gilt doubt far superior to surviving examples from the Xia and Shang dynasties.
圖一 青白玉龍紋花觚, 清乾隆, 北京故宮博物院藏, 館藏編號故00098511

清乾隆碧玉行龍紋瓶兩件，一器腹龍首往左，一方向往右，可見其為成對。器形仿高 碗，五爪龍前右肢前伸，做欲取珠狀，左前肢向後， 並有雲紋繚繞其間。 商周時期將青銅觚做為酒器，而至清宮部份青銅觚的用途已改做花器，並發展出漆
古銅器，但以碩大且精美的玉料琢製而成，器腹刻劃銅器所未見的流暢五爪龍紋， 器、瓷、銅，天然木雕…等材質樣式多變的花觚，而是對碧玉行龍紋瓶是以乾隆皇
顯示出乾隆宮廷樣式與風格。在清宮舊藏中可見相同紋飾、器形的青白玉瓶，且在 乾隆皇帝在玉花觚製成後，不但下旨在其上刻「乾隆年製」款，從實物來看，更有其 帝極為重視的玉器所製。乾隆於《詩文集》中提道：「今玉掄材仿古為，…詎必遙同
《活計檔》中，也可對查證同類器形與刻款的玉器，是乾隆宮廷製器中難得之佳品。 他材質作品之器形和紋飾都極為類似，如臺北故宮藏清乾隆銅胎琺瑯行龍番蓮紋瓶 鐘鼎識，端知遠勝夏商貽，包來禹貢曾無見，一以欣而一愧之。」故是對碧玉行龍紋
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(圖二)，以及香港佳士得於 2012 年 11 月所拍青玉龍戲珠紋花觚及鎏金銅花觚。 乾 瓶以前人無法取得的玉料，來仿製三代青銅器，且在紋飾、用途，甚至是意義上都
原為清宮舊藏，現藏於北京故宮博物院的清乾隆青白玉龍紋花觚 (圖一)，與是次拍 隆皇帝經常重覆製作，或以其他材質仿製特定的器物樣式，這點在 《活計檔》中亦 呈現出獨特的乾隆風格，一方面象徵著聖王統治年代的重現，更代表著乾隆朝嶄新
賣碧玉行龍紋瓶器形皆仿自商周青銅觚，兩者紋飾完全一致，且底部同樣陰刻隸書 有記載， 如乾隆九年（1744）四月，「太監胡世傑傳旨：照慈寧宮正 殿內供的五供 的盛世來臨。
3
「乾隆年製」四字款。兩件玉器的紋飾以腹部為中心，以浮雕的方式，生動表現五 款式，做掐絲琺瑯五供一分，先畫樣呈覽，准時再做，欽此。」 是對碧玉行龍紋瓶
爪龍行於雲霧之中，爪欲取火珠。腹部上方和下方採對稱裝飾，分別飾蕉葉紋、弦紋 在清宮舊藏中，不但有青白玉，更有銅胎琺瑯等類似款式，顯示乾隆皇帝對這類型 1 中國第一歷史檔案館、香港中文大學文物館合編，《清宮內務府造辦處檔案總匯》
和卷草紋；口沿和足部亦是以上下對稱裝飾，分別為卷草紋、弦紋、連珠紋，以及如 花觚的認可與喜愛。 冊 44（中國第一歷 史檔案館、香港中文大學文物館合編，2005），頁 44。
意雲紋。乾隆四十五年（1780）十月，《活計檔》〈如意館〉載：「青白玉蕉葉花觚一 2
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件，傳旨：交如意館刻『乾隆年製』。」 檔案中所載「青白玉蕉葉花觚」，極可能是 乾隆皇帝是清代帝王中最虔心禮佛者，宮廷遍布大小佛堂，同時帶動了各類佛教用 香港佳士得，2012年11月28日，拍品編號2255，清乾隆戲珠紋花觚及鎏金銅花
指北京故宮所藏青白玉龍紋花觚。是對碧玉行龍紋瓶製作時間應近於北京故宮青 器的製作與生產，故是對碧玉行龍紋瓶可能和一對燭臺、一件香爐，組成一組「五 觚一套。
白玉龍紋花觚，其色澤沈穩，形制端莊工整，雕刻精緻細膩，展現了盛清時期宮廷玉 供」之禮佛用器，用以安放花、燈、香等；北京故宮博物院藏嘉慶帝漢裝行樂圖，嘉 3 中國第一歷史檔案館、香港中文大學文物館合編，《清宮內務府造辦處檔案總匯》
器的皇家富麗風格。另外值得一提的是，北京故宮藏青白玉龍紋花觚及是件碧玉行 慶皇帝坐於一雕有龍紋的木椅上，其身旁紅几之上，放置一件帶有御題詩木座的花 冊 12，頁 343。
龍紋瓶器腹所刻雲龍紋，也可見於瓷器，如臺北故宮藏清乾隆白瓷紅彩描金雲龍紋 觚，觚內插一如意，可見是對碧玉行龍紋瓶在清宮，也極可能是書齋中陳設之用。

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