Page 12 - Bonhams Asian Art May 15-16 2023

12
A LARGE PALE CELADON JADE ‘EIGHT IMMORTALS’ TEAPOT
AND COVER
Late Ming Dynasty
Carved and well-hollowed from a single monumental piece of jade, The depiction of the Eight Immortals has a precedent in the Imperial
the rectangular body supported on a high square foot below angular late Ming jade pear-shaped ewer in the Palace Museum collection
shoulders, the body set with raised rectangular panels with curved illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
edges, one panel carved to depict four Immortals beneath a pine tree Museum, Jadeware, I, 1999, p.298, cat. no. 315 where four
and beside a deer, the reverse panel with the other four Immortals Immortals are similarly incised to each side. The style of both incised
beside a crane with peach tree branches overhead, the rectilinear carvings draws on carving in cinnabar lacquer of the period where
ear-shaped handle opposite an S-shaped spout, each emerging the treatment of the figures is closely related. See for example, the
between two confronting kui dragons incised to the raised panel, the octagonal lobed lacquer box from the Qing Court collection bearing
handle with a chi dragon naturalistically carved grasping the handle the Daoist Immortals illustrated in Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and
with head lowered to face the rim, the bifurcated tail nestled over Ming Dynasties. The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
a flange at the base of the handle, the spout entirely encircled in a Museum, Hong Kong, 2006, pp.252-253, no.200 and another sold in
clockwise direction by a wide-eyed dragon chasing a flaming pearl Bonhams Hong Kong 4 June 2015, lot 23 (fig 1).
and stepping off a bed of clouds, all dynamically carved and pierced
in high relief, the foot and rim with a key-scroll band repeated at The form of the present piece relates very closely to four square-form
the base of the cover, its four concave facetted sides narrowing to jade teapots in the Imperial collection, illustrated in Compendium of
a finial carved as Shoulao seated between a deer and crane atop Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, 7, Beijing, 2011, pp.90-
a rockwork throne, supported on a tightly fitting rectangular stand 93, nos.74-77. Of these no.75 is the most similar in shape, whilst
with pierced aprons carved to depict confronting kui dragons among no.76 incorporates the Shoulao figure complete with crane and deer
scrolling patterns. forming the finial, a feature also present on the pear-shaped ewer
28cm (11in) long (3). mentioned above.

£10,000 - 15,000 The present piece deviates from the published Imperial pieces by
HK$97,000 - 150,000 being significantly larger and by its more dramatic treatment of the
CNY85,000 - 130,000 dragons to the spout and handle. For a ewer with a related handle
with a naturalistically carved chi dragon sprawling over the handle,
Provenance see a ewer (yi) published in Geoffrey Wills, Jade of The East, no.105,
A London private collection amassed between the 1970s and 1990s p.121.
and thence by descent.

(fig.1) (detail)

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
10 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.