Page 316 - Christie's Asia Week March 2024 Chinese Art

IMPORTANT CHINESE ART INCLUDING THE COLLECTION OF DOROTHY TAPPER GOLDMAN 重要中४藝術暨高曼珍藏

Property from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
1197
A RARE IMPERIAL INCISED AND GILT- The present set of spinach-green jade book leaves is remarkable for its Although Empress Xiao Kang Zhang passed away at the young age of
DECORATED JADE NINE-TABLET BOOK generous use of jade, meticulously carved inscriptions, and historical 24, she nevertheless achieved numerous advancements at the palace
DATED BY INSCRIPTION TO THE FIRST YEAR OF YONGZHENG, importance. Rare books of this kind from the Qing dynasty continued from a low-rank consort at the age of 13. According to Qing Shi Gao
CORRESPONDING TO 1723 an ancient tradition of recording secular and temporal rites. During (Draft History of Qing), published by Zhao Erxun in 1927, in the spring
the Qing period, palace regulations specified that jade books were of the 11th year of the Shunzhi period (1654), when Empress Xiao Kang
Composed of nine rectangular tablets including a cover plaque, with presented to an empress, empress dowager, or grand empress dowager, Zhang (née Tong Jiashi) was pregnant, the empress dowager saw light
inscriptions in Chinese and Manchu stating that the book was made in honor of sometimes in lieu of a gold book or seal, upon her appointment or shining from Xiao Kang Zhang’s sleeves as if dragons were protecting
Empress Xiao Kang Zhang (1640-1663), the Kangxi Emperor's mother. receipt of an honorary title. her. Thus, the Empress dowager predicted that Xiao Kang Zhang would
Each plaque 5¿ x 11¡ in. (13.1 x 29 cm.)
bring great fortune after giving birth to a son. Xiao Kang Zhang’s son
$200,000-300,000 The current jade book are dated to the eighth month of Guimao, eventually succeeded to the throne and became the Kangxi Emperor.
the first year of Yongzheng, corresponding to 1723. The inscriptions
PROVENANCE:
Helene Irwin Fagan (1887-1966) Collection. commemorate the conferral of an additional posthumous title on Similar jade books conferring titles of honor to late sovereigns are
Donated to the Legion of Honor Museum, San Francisco in 1975. Empress Xiao Kang Zhang (1640-1663), the paternal grandmother recorded, inscribed with further text outlining the achievements of the
of the Yongzheng Emperor. In the lengthy inscription, Yongzheng pertinent deceased emperor. The first of these examples is illustrated by
praises her extraordinary elegance, self-discipline, and exemplary W. Watson, Chinese Jade Books in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin,
management of the inner palace household. The emperor expresses 1963, p. 34, pl. 8, dated to 1648, which records a conferment by the
舊金山美術館珍藏
雍正元年（1723年） 孝康⒯ⅴ后玉ヮ՝ˏ組̏頁 endless longing for her guidance and adds the title of Wen Mu to the Emperor Shunzhi to his ancestor in the sixth generation. Another set
Empress, concluding the praises with displays of filial piety and wishes of ten jade tablets in the Shenyang Palace Museum was included in
Ϝ源 for universal peace for the next ten thousand years. The inscriptions the exhibition, Imperial Life in the Qing Dynasty, The Empress Place,
Helene Irwin Fagan 1887 1966
珍藏, ؟州 於1975年㈌與舊金山榮ق宮博ḵ館
on the present jade book are documented in Huangchao wenxian tong Singapore, and illustrated in the catalogue, p. 28, together with its
kao [Imperial Comprehensive Investigations based on Literary and original yellow silk book jacket. The Shenyang Palace jade book is dated
ח文 維雍正元年歲次Ⅸ卯Ջ月戊⁵朔㈻̣日巳酉孝孫嗣ⅴ帝臣胤禛ㄈ稽首՞ Documentary Sources], volume 240, published by the scholar-official to the first year of Qianlong (1736) and honors his great-grandfather,
拜˖〕慈範丕昭厚德衍無疆̃慶 音廣披深仁開有道̃長稽鉅Ք͠尊崇奉鴻名 Zhang Tingyu in 1787 during the Qianlong period. This publication the Emperor Shunzhi. A set of Kangxi-period jade books with similar
而揚扢金֪煥采玉՝增㍿欽惟孝康慈和莊懿恭惠崇天育聖⒯ⅴ后ঢ順同ⓡ̖元 records the rules and regulations at the Qing court from the founding carved gilt dragon decoration, consisting of five tablets, was sold at
ژ撰著幽閒̃度禁掖流芬著幽閒̃度禁掖流芳建雍肅̃儀宫庭㈯٪Գ宣内治★ of the Qing dynasty to the 57th year of the Qianlong reign (1785). Sotheby’s Paris, 16 December 2010, lot 264, and another book set of 10
ら而潔蘋蘩奉̢重闈愉惋而ي問視㌫節儉͠昭令ם澣濯成風本愷悌͠布弘庥慈 tablets was sold at Christie’s New York, 22-23 March 2012, lot 1805.
祥及ḵ╢生我聖祖仁ⅴ帝も應昌期毓成至德集萬方̃愛戴慶̩紀̃昇平₤➉承
ͺ始̃年正尊顯宜隆̃日仰體孝思於˙匱繼述維殷緬懷懿〢於無⒊顯揚益ֲㄈ
奉册寳増˖尊ソ曰孝康慈和莊懿恭惠温穆崇天育聖⒯ⅴ后;冀慈眷؟隆純禧洊
至奠清寧於ो海貽昌熾於萬年ㄈ〕

(detail)
314 315