Page 105 - Sotheby's Asia Week March 2024 Chinee Art

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AN IMPERIAL INSCRIBED ZITAN-MOUNTED 東周 戰國 青玉蒲紋璧 連 清乾隆御題詩紫
JADE BI DISC, EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, 檀座
WARRING STATES PERIOD 《乾隆己丑仲春月上澣御題》字
mounted within an imperial Qianlong mark and period
circular zitan stand carved and gilt with an imperial poem
dated to Qianlong jichou year, corresponding to 1769, the 御題詩：
front fitted with a zitan boss to the center to secure the jade, 幽壙弗曾 伴土封如 脂猶是昔 年容白珩
decorated with a trigram qian filled in with gilt, the underside 非寶斯為 寶多穀多 因瑞在震 乾隆己丑仲春月上澣
of the stand and the boss inscribed with a yi character in gilt 御題
(3)
Diameter of bi 5 in., 12.6 cm 來源：
Diameter of stand 5½ in., 14.1 cm
法國私人收藏 (傳)
PROVENANCE
French Private Collection (by repute).
A related jade bi disc mounted in an imperially inscribed
wood stand with a very similar central boss securing the
bi, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in
Masterworks of Chinese Jade in the National Palace Museum.
Supplement, Taipei, 1973, pl. 4.
The single characters inscribed on the bases of the zitan
stand and boss on the present piece are in accordance
to a grading system in the Qing court collections. These
characters, notably jia, yi, bing (indicating the A, B, C
classifications respectively), denote the rank of a piece which
was usually bestowed by the Qianlong Emperor himself.
For relevant discussions and a Liao-dynasty jade bowl with
a similarly inscribed wood stand, see The All Complete
Qianlong: the Aesthetic Tastes of the Qing Emperor Gaozong,
Taipei, 2013, cat. no. II-2.10.
⊖ $ 60,000-80,000

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