Page 82 - Bonhams Hong Kong The Skinner Moon Flasks

The form and decoration on the present jade vase are in direct 碧玉玉質，有深色及淺色斑。無蓋，橢圓口，頸微收，頸兩側作螭龍
continuation of the taste for archaistic forms and designs strongly 耳，鼓腹，斂腰，橢圓圈足。頸部飾蟬紋，腹部飾獸面紋，近足處飾
advocated by the Qianlong emperor. Aiming to ‘restore the ancient 蟬紋一周，足底內心陰刻「大清嘉慶仿古」六字隸書書款。
ways’, the Qianlong emperor wished to reinstate the intrinsic qualities
of simplicity, sincerity and happy exuberance of the ancient cultures. 乾隆至嘉慶初期，為宮廷玉器生產之高峰，此期間宮廷藏玉品種俱
For this purpose, he instructed the court to collect drawings of 全、用料講究、工藝精湛，為後朝所不能及。此件碧玉壺為嘉慶時期
antiquities, such as the ‘Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities’ (Xi Qing Gu 宮廷陳設用玉，其紋飾沿襲乾隆皇帝慕古敏求之風，形制或參照《西
Jian 西清古鑑), which served as sources of designs for the production 清古鑑》仿製青銅壺而來，其雕工亦與前朝相比不分伯仲，極有可能
of contemporary vessels; see Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of 為嘉慶早期作品，亦為嘉慶皇帝在審美及藝術情趣上追慕其父皇的實
the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the 證。
Ch’ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pp.49-50. The form and decoration of the
present vase combined with the use of the fanggu mark, meaning 對比北京故宮博物院清宮舊藏一件「大清嘉慶年製」款碧玉獸面紋仿
‘imitating antiquity’, previously used during the Qianlong reign on 古壺，其獸面紋與本瓶類似，著錄於《故宮博物院藏品大系：玉器編
archaistic jade vessels, draws a direct link between the two reigns and 10》，北京，2010年，圖20。另見清宮舊藏一件碧玉仿古方壺，同
can be construed as homage by the Jiaqing emperor to his father. The 樣刻「大清嘉慶仿古」款，著錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系：玉
similarity in form and style of carving indicates the present vase was 器（下）》，香港，1995年，圖150；乾隆一朝類似之例，見《The
made early in the Jiaqing reign and possibly in the same jade ateliers Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade》，倫敦，2013年，圖版25。
producing vessels for the Qianlong emperor.
佳士得香港曾售出一件清乾隆碧玉雕仿古壺，可資參考，2016年11月
Compare a related spinach-green jade vase, hu, da Qing Jiaqing 30日，拍品3374。
nianzhi mark and period, carved around the central register with
taotie masks, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace
Museum: Jade 10 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2010, pl.20; see also a
square spinach-green jade square archaistic vase and cover, Jiaqing
fanggu mark and period, from the Qing Court collection, illustrated
in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum:
Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl.150; compare also a spinach-
green jade square archaistic vase and cover, Qianlong fanggu mark
and period, similarly carved with a taotie mask central register between
cicada-blades bands and with kui dragon handles, illustrated in The
Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, London, 2013, pl.25

A related but larger spinach-green jade archaistic vase, hu, Qianlong
mark and period, with loop handles, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong,
30 November 2016, lot 3374.

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