Page 121 - Important Chinese Art Hong Kong April 2, 2019 Sotheby's

Sotheby’s New York, 9th/10th October 1987, lot 186. 白玉蓋瓶，光瑩亮潔，潤若凝脂，瓜藤綿延，彩蝶翩
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 1st November 1999, lot 566 Striking 翩，細緻絕美且寓意祥瑞。紋飾線條柔和自然，刀法
for the brilliant and even hue of the white jade stone, this 層次豐富，突顯琢玉工藝高超臻妙。
vase is superbly carved with an auspicious motif of melon
vines and butterflies. The carver’s proficiency with the 乾隆帝愛玉，當朝玉雕藝術進而發展至巔峰。先帝雍
medium is evident in the skillful rendering of leaves and 正在位期間，玉材供應不足，乾隆中期，攻克準噶爾
tendrils that gently sway in a most naturalistic manner. His
exceptional skill is further displayed in his ability to fashion 部，納新疆天山、和闐一帶於疆土，得豐沛玉料資
the stone in various levels of reliefs, from the deeply carved 源，中國玉雕工藝遂蓬勃發展。新疆天山地區，每
leaves to their thinly incised veins, and the detailed wings of 年向朝廷貢玉四千斤，玉料進宮後，發配由造辦處玉
the butterflies. 作、蘇州玉作坊，或兩淮、長蘆兩鹽政之玉活，雕琢
Jade carvings reached an unprecedented peak in quality and 宮廷用玉器。
quantity as a result of the Qianlong Emperor’s outspoken
passion for carved jade. The successful annexation of the 此類玉雕活環耳蓋瓶，並綴祥瑞紋飾者甚稀，著錄亦
Tianshan region around Hetian and Khotan in modern 不見相似瓜瓞綿綿紋與雙蝶耳白玉蓋瓶。「綿綿瓜
Xinjiang province secured access to the raw material. 瓞」意謂子孫萬代，出自《詩經》。蝴蝶與瓜藤紋
While his predecessor, the Yongzheng Emperor, had been 飾，並有慶賀新年之意，「年年吉慶」。蝴蝶亦載道
faced with a severe shortage of good quality nephrite, large 學意含，即莊子夢蝶之典故。
quantities of fine jade became available to the court from
the latter half of the Qianlong reign onwards. While initially it 比較北京故宮博物院藏一件碧玉瓜瓞綿綿雙蝶耳
was stipulated that all mined jade from the Tianshan region
reached the court in Beijing, it was later established that an 瓶，無活環，琢乾隆年製款，錄於《故宮博物院藏
annual tribute quota of 4,000 catties (2,000 kilos) was to be 品大系．玉器編10．清》，北京，2011年，頁61。並
supplied. Once in the palace, jade boulders were dispatched 參考一件葫蘆形玉瓶，瓜瓞綿綿紋與本品相似，綴
to the Palace Workshop (Zaobanchu) in Beijing, to the 「大吉」雙字，刊於 Robert Kleiner，《Chinese Jades
workshops of Suzhou, or those belonging to the Huai and form the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman》，香
Changlu Administrations. 港，1996年，圖版149。
Vases of this form carved with this auspicious motif are rare
and no other closely related example appears to have been
published. Melons and butterflies form the wish for many
descendants (guadie mianmian), a pun also mentioned
in the Book of Odes (Shijing). The motif is also related to
the New Year when butterflies and melons represent the
wish niannian jiqing (‘Auspicious happiness year after
year’). Butterflies are also related to the Daoist philosopher
Zhuangzi (Mencius), who dreamt he was a butterfly flying in
a carefree manner and enjoying the nectar from flowers.
A spinach-green jade vase carved with melons and
butterflies, but lacking the loop handles and with a four-
character Qianlong reign mark and of the period, in the
Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Compendium of
Collection in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 10, Qing Dynasty,
Beijing, 2011, pl. 61. Compare also a double-gourd vase
carved with similarly rendered leaves, but also with the daji
(good luck) characters, illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese
Jades form the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong
Kong, 1996, pl. 149.

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