Page 70 - Robert Youngman Collection Of Chinese Jade March 2019 Sotheby's

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A SPINACH-GREEN JADE ‘DRAGON’ ALMS BOWL
QING DYNASTY, 17TH / 18TH CENTURY
the deep rounded sides rising to a characteristically incurved rim, carved with a continuous frieze of a sinuous striding dragon chasing a ‘flaming
pearl’, against spiraled lingzhi-shaped clouds, all above swirling water forming the base and cresting along the edges of the foot, the stone of a
mottled deep-green tone with scattered black and russet inclusions

清十七 / 十八世紀 碧玉雕雲龍戲珠紋缽
Diameter 7 in., 17.8 cm
$ 40,000-60,000

PROVENANCE 來源
Anunt Hengtrakul, New York. Anunt Hengtrakul，紐約

With its continuous frieze of a dragon soaring above roiling waves, the present bowl is notable for its bold and striking carving combining
imagery of heaven and earth. The creature’s sweeping mane, whiskers and meandering body are echoed in the whirling, spiraling clouds,
creating a dynamic composition when viewed from any vantage point.
The present piece is rare for its use of low-relief carving, and the inclusion of a single dragon. The artisan has retained the powerful imagery
seen in bowls of this type, while simultaneously emphasizing the shape and quality of the stone. For an early Qing dynasty beige jade
example with a similar composition and profile, but with two dragons carved against a low relief ground, see The Complete Collection of
Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware, vol.3, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 165. A closely related bowl attributed to the 17th / 18th century,
also with two dragons, sold in these rooms, 19th March 2007, lot 17.
A mutton fat jade bowl attributed to the Kangxi period with a similar profile but carved with bats in higher relief is illustrated in Stanley
Charles Nott, Chinese Jade throughout the ages, London, 1936, pl. CI. See also two oval-shaped spinach-green jade examples with multiple
dragons sold in our London rooms, the first sold 18th June 1968, lot 151 and attributed to the 17th century, the second sold 1st July 1969, lot
53 and attributed to the 17th/18th century.
For late Ming dynasty examples which appear to be broader and shorter, see a bowl in the Maude Monell Vetlesen Collection illustrated in
Joan M. Hartman, Chinese Jade of Five Centuries, Tokyo and Portland, VT, 1969, pl. 8, and one included in the exhibition Jade as Sculpture,
Minnesota Museum of Art, Saint Paul, 1975, cat. no. 6.

68 SOTHEBY’S