Page 87 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art December 2015 Hong Kong

The present carving is a fine example of the craftsman’s ingenuity of This carving is particularly rare not only for its quality and craftsmanship
using different coloured areas of the semi-precious stone to optimise but also for the unusual use of the carnelian stone to create an object
the work’s visual appeal. The natural vibrant red areas of the stone, to be admired through handling, instead of the more typical hollowed
rendered into high relief carved bats, lingzhi and a tasselled wan vessel. In this lot, the master carver treated the carnelian stone much
emblem, juxtapose attractively against the creamy-white petals of the like related jade carvings; see for example a white jade double-
flowers. pomagranate group, Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court collection,
illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
Blossoming peonies, 富貴花 fuguihua, forms the pun for wealth, 富 Museum: Jadeware (II), Shanghai, 2008, pl.168.
貴花開 fugui huakai; bats, 蝠 fu, represent prosperity and the lingzhi
represents longevity; together with the wan symbol, they form 紅白雙色瑪瑙製。運用鏤雕及巧作技法，圓雕兩朵含苞欲放之牡丹花
the meaning ‘may you live ten thousand years of abundance and 蕾，一花蕾上雕蝙蝠、靈芝以及萬字紋，寓意福壽萬年。
prosperity’.
此擺件之雕工可對比參考清宮舊藏一件白玉雕雙石榴擺件，著錄於《故
宮博物院藏文物珍品大系：玉器（中）》，上海，2008年，圖168。

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