Page 90 - Christie's London May 14, 2019 Chinese Works of Art

There are very few extant large jade carvings of horses from the early periods – the large Han dynasty jade head and partial torso of a horse in the collection of
the Victoria and Albert Museum, London being an exception – partly a function of the availability of large jade boulders. The vast majority of larger jade horses
date to the late Ming and Qing dynasties, but even compared to most of these the current horse is unusually large. The authors of the exhibition catalogue Jade
Throughout the Ages, London, 1975 suggest the possibility that all the fne jade fgures of horses and bufaloes in the exhibition ‘... once had their place in the
pavilions of the various palaces in Peking.’ The authors go on to say: ‘The horses in particular are remarkable for their intense observation and their powerful
stylisation of artistic form, by means of which the artist has succeeded wonderfully in conveying the alert strength of the animal despite its fundamental
attitude of repose.’ (Jade Throughout the Ages, op. cit. p. 118). This is especially interesting since the current jade horse has much in common with two of the
exhibited horses (nos. 391 and 394) as well as being made from an impressively large and attractively colour piece of jade.
When this horse was sold in London in 1956, it was noted that it had previously belonged to Prince Kung (Gong). Prince Gong (1833-98), whose personal name
was Yixin , was one of the most infuential fgures in China during the second half of the 19th century. It was he who, after the Convention of Beijing in 1860,
proposed the establishment of the ofice of Zongli Yamen, which would be the ofice responsible for foreign relations during an especially turbulent period of
Chinese history. As head of the Zongli Yamen and later as Prince Counsellor (yizhiwang) to Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) and Empress Dowager Ci’an
(1835-1881) Prince Gong played an important role in China’s domestic and international afairs. However, he supported modernization and reform, which in
time brought him into confict with Empress Dowager Cixi, and in 1884 he was removed from ofice and spent the remainder of his life in retirement.

Following the death of their father the Daoguang Emperor in 1850, many had believed that Yixin, as the more able brother, would be named as successor, but
instead his elder brother, Yizhu (1831-61, the Daoguang Emperor’s fourth son) was named, and it was he who ascended the throne as the Xianfeng Emperor
(r. 1850-61) – the reign title meaning ‘prosperity for all’. Their father’s will, under which Yizhu became emperor, however, raised Yixin to the status of Qinwang ,
Imperial Prince of the First Rank, and thenceforth he had the title of Prince Gong – the name meaning ‘respectful’. Prince Gong therefore had all the privileges
that went with his new status, and, in addition, in 1852 the Xianfeng Emperor rewarded his brother’s perceived loyalty by bestowing upon him one of the
largest residential compounds in Beijing’s Inner City near Qianhai Lake. This palatial residence came to be known as Prince Gong’s Mansion. The mansion had
been constructed by a favourite of the Qianlong Emperor, Heshen (1750-99), who became so powerful and arrogant that he had buildings in his compound
built in such close resemblance to palaces in the Forbidden City that they were amongst the crimes listed when Heshen was indicted by the Jiaqing Emperor
(r. 1796-1820). However, despite their contravention of court building regulations, the halls in the mansion were so exquisite that the structures remained intact
long after Heshen’s own demise. When the mansion was gifted to Prince Gong, he furnished it in the most luxurious style and it became known as the most
sumptuous residence in Beijing.

Prince Gong amassed a truly remarkable collection of art. He appears to have had very refned tastes and also the rank and means by which to acquire the
fnest objects. His grandson Pu Wei (1880-1936), who was also known as Xiao Gongwang (Prince Gong, Junior), inherited both the title and the mansion from
his grandfather in 1898. In 1912, a year after the fall of the Qing dynasty, Pu Wei decided to sell the majority of the treasures in the mansion in order to raise
funds to help restore the Qing. On the 17th January, 1912, Pu Wei wrote in his diary:

‘There will be severe regrets for this decision. A sacrifce of the family has to be made in order to extricate a troubled country. In
this view, a dealer must be found for the antiques to be turned into funds.’
In the end the family entrusted their treasures to the Japanese dealer Yamanaka Sadajiro. In 1913 American Art
Association in New York sold 536 lots on behalf of Yamanaka & Company between 27 February and 1 March, from
a catalogue entitled: The Remarkable Collection of the Imperial Prince Kung of China: A Wonderful Treasury of
Celestial Art, while a further 211 lots were sold in London on 5-6 March 1913. In the Preface to the New York
catalogue there was an evocative description of Prince Gong’s mansion:
"His spacious Pekin mansion is at the northwest of the Imperial palace, surrounded by a lofty, solid wall,
with a group of tall, aged and imposing trees within, and presents an impressive spectacle. It was
sealed from the time of his departure until the visit of the purchasers of his art collection last summer,
and there was great formality in procuring entrance. In the great dining-room everything remained, by
his orders, precisely as when he left, even to a half-smoked cigarette.
Passing through one gate after another of this Imperial abode of Prince Kung, the visitor fnds a
straight row of buildings accommodating from three to four hundred of the Prince's followers, and the
quarters of the household force. In a central location is a great building in the form of a temple pavilion,
the reception-room for distinguished visitors. One passes along the veranda to the left to the great dining
saloon, and across a central garden toward the right is a small library, with exhibition rooms.
In the rear section of this building, across the center of the garden, is the great library, where, besides the numerous books
to left and right, mainly bronzes and jades were shown. Leaving this library at a short distance, one came to a large,
solid-looking two-story building in the form a letter L, which might be called the Fine Arts Museum, containing a
countless number of precious treasures.
Through the treasure house, and by the way of a stone arch, one entered a garden flled with trees and
fowers of foreign lands, around the Tea House, the Waiting Pavilion, and the Moon View Arbor. In a place
like this one might spend weeks in perfect contentment, enjoying nature and the great art collection."
One may easily imagine the current magnifcent jade horse displayed either in the Prince’s library or in
the building which housed more of his treasures. Given the tactile quality of this remarkable jade horse,
perhaps he might have had it in his library, so that it was closer to hand.

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