Page 117 - Sotheby's NYC September 21 2022 Important Chinese Art

Exquisitely carved, the present vase is testament to the Skillfully adapted to suit the refined taste of the Emperor,
technical perfection achieved by the imperial workshops the elegant form of this vase draws inspiration from
during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The five-clawed archaic bronze wine vessels, hu, flanked with lug handles to
dragons carved on each side, amidst scrolling clouds and each side. The robust shape of the bronze prototype was
enclosed within central medallions, are juxtaposed with transformed into a graceful silhouette, acting as a canvas for
the vase’s refined and simple form, subtly alluding to the the central medallions. The bold, powerful dragon carved in
unquestionable and imperial authority of the Qianlong relief fills up the space, whereas the rest of the vase is void
Emperor. of decoration. The result is a vessel that appears modern yet
steeped in classical symbolism.
During the Qing dynasty, especially during the reign of
Qianlong, the production of imperial jade carvings in China Ferociously portrayed and coiled around the ‘Flaming Pearl’,
soared to new heights. Through successful territorial the frontal dragon exerts its forceful presence. Able to control
expansion, political stability and soaring economic growth, the rain and breathe clouds and fire in Chinese mythology,
the Empire acquired an unprecedented amount of wealth and the dragon became associated with imperial power as early
the imperial workshops recruited the best artisans to cater as the Han dynasty. From the Ming dynasty onwards, the
to the increasing demands of the Emperor and the court. In imagery of a five-clawed dragon became inseparable from
1759, the 24th year of Qianlong, the Qing Empire’s victory the association of imperial might. The fearsome portrayal
over the Dzungar and Muslim rebellions marked a pivotal of the dragon on the present vase is, thus, indicative of the
point in the production of jade carvings. The victory allowed artistic language adopted by the workshop to reinforce
access to the jade-rich territories in Khotan and Yarkant, Qianlong’s rule as imperial, powerful, legitimate and
where the geological setting was extremely favorable for the ubiquitous.
formation of high-quality nephrite. Khotan jade, renowned for Compare a closely related spinach-green jade vase and
its translucency and extreme hardiness, was highly prized. cover, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (accession no.
The Emperor’s passion for jade and the court’s access to 故玉002725N000000000) (fig. 1). Similarly carved with a
unprecedented quantities of the raw material ushered in a five-claw dragon amidst the clouds in a central medallion,
new age of jade carving, pushing the craftsmen’s technical but with mythical beast handles suspending loose rings,
and creative capacities to new heights. the vase is inscribed with a six-character Daqing Qianlong
An erudite scholar and passionate collector of antiques, the fanggu mark to the base. For other closely related examples,
Qianlong Emperor’s love for the past was grounded in his see three covered vases, all with handles suspending loose
admiration for Chinese history and influenced by Confucian rings, one formerly in the Collection of Hebert R. Bishop,
philosophy, which emphasized the study of history in the now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession nos
pursuit of virtue. The Qianlong Emperor actively influenced 02.18.606a, b) (fig. 2); another, previously in the Vint Family
jade production, criticizing the ‘vulgar’ style popular in the Collection, exhibited in International Exhibition of Chinese Art,
18th century as excessively ornate, and urged craftsmen to Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, cat no. 2839, sold at
study ancient vessels to incorporate archaic elements into Christie’s New York, 3th December 2008, lot 2606; the third,
their own creations. The Xiqing gujian [Catalogue of Xiqing sold at Christie’s London, 29th June 1959, lot 53. See one,
antiquities], which was compiled by court artists between lacking a cover, included in the 75th Anniversary Exhibition
1749 and 1755, comprised line drawings of some 1,500 of Post-Archaic Chinese Jades from Private Collections,
objects in the imperial collection, and was circulated among S. Marchant & Son, London, 2000, cat. no. 14. Lastly, a
the craftsmen who were encouraged to take inspiration covered example of similar decoration, but with loose
from it. rings suspending from elephant-head handles, was sold at
Christie’s New York, 2nd December 1989, lot 250.

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