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The present vase illustrated in The Remarkable Collection of the Imperial Prince Kung of China, New York, 1913, lot 165.
The present vase is a fne representation of the art of the Imperial Qing Upon Yixin’s death in 1898, Pu Wei inherited the Imperial title of Prince Kung,
dynasty: the large size and fne quality of the stone refect the taste in jade as well as his grandfather’s sumptuous mansion in Beijing, which contained
carving of the time, and the motif of the smaller dragon climbing towards the his immense art collection. A year after the Qing Empire was overthrown
larger symbolizes canglong jiaozi or the wise older dragon teaching his son, in 1911, Pu Wei made the painful decision to sell the family treasures in this
which was a favorite theme of the Qianlong Emperor. This idea is echoed in mansion in order to raise funds for a military reinstatement of the Qing
the accompanying inscription, which based on a Qianlong imperial poem on dynasty, and entrusted them to the Japanese antique dealer Yamanaka
the subject of education. Sadajiro. He wrote in his diary on 17th January 1912: ‘There will be severe
regrets for this decision. A sacrifce of the family has to be made in order
Pu Wei (1880-1936) was the grandson of the frst Prince Kung, Yixin (1833- to extricate a troubled country. In this view, a dealer must be found for the
1898), who was the sixth son of the Daoguang Emperor, as well as one of the antiques to be turned into funds’. The 1913 sale of the collection in New York
most infuential fgures in China during the second half of the 19th century, featured 536 lots, and on 5-6 March in the same year a further 211 lots from
playing an important role in China’s domestic and international afairs. He Prince Kung’s collection were ofered in London.
was frequently invited by his brother, Emperor Xianfeng, to visit the Palace
so that they could view art and antiques together, and Prince Kung became The treasures from the Prince Kung collection stand as a testament to his
known as one of the most informed antique experts among the imperial own and his grandfather’s eforts to reverse the tide of history and preserve
princes. It was generally agreed that his collection was typical of those found the last Chinese imperial dynasty. They also evoke the lost splendors of the
in Qing palaces in terms of quality and variety. Qing period: the preface to the 1913 sale catalogue speaks eloquently of
their home in the Prince Kung mansion: ‘In a place like this one might spend
In 1851, Yixin was given an extensive mansion by the Xianfeng Emperor. This weeks in perfect contentment, enjoying nature and the great art collection’.
18th century mansion, which is now a museum, became known as the most
sumptuous in Beijing and was luxuriously furnished in the Qing style, with Pieces from the Prince Kung collection have always exuded prestige, from
jades and bronzes primarily housed in the great library. the frst 1913 sale when the top buyers of the day thronged the sale room.
For more recent sales, compare a jadeite ‘dragon’ vase sold at Christie’s
Hong Kong, 26 November 2014, lot 3357; a jade mountain sold at Bonhams
London, 17 May 2012, lot 54; and a pair of jade ‘bird’ boxes and covers sold at
Bonhams New York, 12 September 2016, lot 8039.
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