Page 55 - Sothebys Speelman Gems of Chinese Art

the Ruyiguan, drew a design of a celadon jade
1 Gao Lian (Ming dynasty), Zhong Xing, ed., Zunsheng bajian [Eight
discourses on the art of living], vol. 15: yanxian qingshang jian, lun bi
washer and gave it to the Emperor. Other than
[On pens], Xianxueju revised ed., printed during the Wanli period.
these, some of the jade washers were tribute 2 The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum.
from local officials. In 1794, Dongchun asked his Jadeware (I), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 223.
3 Anxiang xian Wenwu Guanlisuo (Anxiang county cultural proper-
family members to bring to the palace a white ties management), ‘Hunan Anxiang Xijin Liu Hong mu [Western
jade washer, a spinach jade washer and a double- Jin Tomb of Liu Hong, Anxiang, Hunan]’, Wenwu/Chinese Cultural
Relics, vol. 11, 1993.
form washer. The same year, Zhu Gui from
4 The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum.
Guangdong paid tribute with a jade begonia- Jadeware (II), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 35.
shaped vase bottle, a pair of jade flowers, and 5 Quzhou shi Wenwu Guanli Weiyuanhui (Quzhou city committee of
cultural properties management), ‘Zhejiang Quzhou shi Nansong
five other jade washers. From all these records,
mu chutu qiwu [Excavation of Southern Song tomb at Quzhou city,
it can be deduced that jade washers had two key Zhejiang]’, Kaogu/Archaeology, vol. 11, 1983; illustrated in Gu Fang
functions: a utilitarian function to wash the brush, ed., Zhongguo chutu yuqi quanji [The complete collection of Jades
unearthed in China], Beijing, 2005, vol. 8: Zhejiang, fig. 227.
and a decorative function. All depended on the 6 Xu Lin, ‘Qian Yu mu chutu Yuan dai yuqi zongshu [An overview of
owner’s interests and needs. the Yuan dynasty jades excavated from the tomb of Qian Yu]’, The
National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, no. 193, 1999.
High quality jade material is itself a rare and 7 Shandong Museum and Archaeological Institute of the Shandong
Province, eds, Luhuangwang mu [Tomb of King Lu of the Ming
treasured resource. In ancient times, people dynasty], Beijing, 2014.
used it to create the most precious artefacts. 8 See note 1.
Therefore, jade is much more precious than 9 The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum.
Jadeware (II), op.cit., pl. 198.
other materials. The production of jade washers, 10 The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum.
with designs mostly derived from the rural Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1996, pls 163 and 164.
natural scenery, flowers, figures, animals, and 11 China First Archive and the Art Museum of the Chinese University
of Hong Kong, eds, Qinggong Neiwufu Zaobanchu dang’an zonghui
other subjects, can illuminate and bring life into [General collection of archival records from the Qing imperial
the scholar’s studio. Members of the literati, household department workshop], Beijing, 2005. All the Zaobanchu
huojidang [Records of the imperial workshops] listed below are
including the emperor himself and other high quoted from the above reference and would not be further listed.
officals, who pursue the ideal of a cultured and
leisured life, all treasure artworks of this high
quality.
GEMS OF CHINESE ART — THE SPEELMAN COLLECTION I 53