Page 174 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art, Hong Kong Dec 3 2021

fig. 1 Collection of the Yiheyuan fig. 2 Collection of the National Palace Museum
圖一 頤和園藏品 圖二 國立故宮博物院藏品

2999 Continued

The original rough boulder of the present brushwasher would have been The imagery of dragons emerging out of clouds is a popular theme
of considerably large size. It is interesting to note the artist's ability in disseminated from Southern Song dynasty paintings traditionally
working the natural irregular form of the boulder to convey an overall attributed to the renowed artist Chen Rong (circa 1189-1259).
ethereal theme of dragons emerging out of dense clouds, permitting a Compare a handscroll painting attributed to Chen Rong depicting
portrayal of inquisitive dragons resting their heads just above the mouth a single dragon striding out of misty clouds, in the Palace Museum
rim of the vessel. The interior is well hollowed whilst the thick sides are collection, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo Huihua Quanji, Zhejiang
carved in high relief on the exterior to provide the viewer with a sense Renmin Meishu Chubanshe, vol. 4, 1999, p. 171, no. 132; and another
of depth created by the multiple layers of clouds. depicting nine dragons by the same artist in the Boston Museum of
Fine Art, illustrated, op. cit., pp. 166-9, nos. 127-130. The dragons on
The unusual treatment of the whirlpool on the underside where it forms the Boston handscroll are variously portrayed rising out of crested
the base of the vessel appears on earlier jade carvings dating to the waves, clambering on jagged rocks, half-submerged in clouds and in
16th/17th century Ming dynasty period, such as the white jade mythical pursuit of a pearl. All these attributes clearly provided the inspiration
dragon-tortoise shaped water container, included in the exhibition, Arts for later works of art, particularly in scholar's objects, such as present
from the Scholars Studio, University of Hong Kong, 1986, p. 158, no. 131; brushwasher.
and a large spinach-jade bowl from the Bamble North collection, sold at
Sotheby's London, 18 June 1968, lot 150. 洗青白玉質，內掏空，圓形斂口。外壁隨形高浮雕雲龍紋，三條龍俯伏
The earliest example of this form of wave-like base on jade is a massive 於器口，虎視眈眈地看着對岸的火珠，龍身隱顯於層層疊疊的靈芝雲海
wine basin measuring 493 cm. across the body, carved in shallow relief 之中。底部較平，雕水渦紋，浪花四濺。此器運用高浮雕技法雕琢而成，
with mythical sea creatures on the exterior, and known as the Dushan 運刀如筆，意到筆成。北京故宮博物院研究員楊伯達先生認為，此洗是
dayuhai, the 'Du Mountain Wine Sea'. This basin, used as a wine vessel,
was believed to have been commissioned by Khubilai Khan, who 「外白內青」或「半白半青」，屬於地質學上由白玉過渡到青玉的典型
placed it in the Guanghan Palace on the Hill of Myriad Years, located 標本。
on an island on Beihai Lake in Beijing. The vessel disappeared during
the turbulent transitional years between the Yuan and Ming dynasty, 這種洗形玉器源自蒙古汗盛酒的海。現今位於北海公園中的元代瀆山大
although its existence was known during the Ming period. The basin 玉海應為此類高浮雕雲龍洗之靈感來源。瀆山大玉海原為忽必烈之玉
was later rediscovered by Emperor Qianlong in 1745, who found priests 器，明至清初期間，被移至西華門外的真武廟，曾被道人用作菜甕。乾
using it as a container for preserved vegetables. Qianlong was so 隆十年（1745 年），瀆山大玉海被重新發現，乾隆皇帝以千金易得，將
impressed with the basin that he composed three poems based on the
vessel and had the text inscribed onto the vessel. 大玉海移回宮內，並於其腹內刻製三首御製詩及序文，述說其外型特色
及來歷。清宮舊藏的玉洗中多有類似這件雲龍玉洗者，如頤和園珍藏刻
It is rare to find such massive jade brush washers decorated elaborately 有御題詩一件（圖一）、台北故宮博物院所藏一件（圖二）。另有私人
with powerful dragons emerging out of clouds. A brushwasher of
even larger size (55 cm. long), dated to the Qianlong period, inscribed 珍藏一例、畢曉普贈于大都會博物館一例、Lever 女士珍藏一例，及香
with an Imperial inscription is preserved in the Yihe Yuan, Beijing, and 港佳士得 2007 年 5 月 29 日拍賣一例，拍品 1401 號。
illustrated in The Treasure of Imperial Jade – The Collection of the Qing
Court Special Exhibition, Beijing, 2018, no. 50 (fig. 1). Compare also
to two other brushwashers decorated with similar motif, one of pale
celadon jade in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
(fig. 2); and another grey jade brushwasher of much smaller size (19
cm. diam.) in a Hong Kong private collection which was exhibited in
The Treasure of Imperial Jade – The Collection of the Qing Court Special
Exhibition, Beijing, 2018, no. 42. Other Qianlong examples include the
large green jade vessel, formerly from the H. R. Bishop collection, now
in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 30; the white jade example in the
collection of Lady Lever, illustrated by S. C. Nott, Chinese Jade, London,
1936, pl. C1; and a spinach-green brushwasher dated to the Kangxi
period, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29 May 2007, lot 1401.

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