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A LARGE AND IMPORTANT WHITE JADE 清乾隆 白玉雕年年有餘紋雙蝶活環耳洗
MARRIAGE BOWL, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG
PERIOD 來源
法國私人收藏
wood stand (2)
Width across the handles 11¼ in., 28.6 cm
PROVENANCE
French Private Collection.
Intricately carved from an attractive green stone, the present
bowl is awash with symbolism. The catfish, or nianyu, is
identified by its broad head and long whiskers. The first
character – nian – is a pun on the character for ‘year’, while
‘fish’ – yu – is homophonous with the word for ‘plenty’.
Read together, this graceful pair thus comes to represent
a blessing: niannian yuyu, ‘may you have year after year of
plenty’.
Compare a related oval marriage bowl in the collection of the
Fondation Baur, Geneva with relief catfish in the well of the
interior and large butterfly loose ring handles, illustrated by
Pierre-F. Schneeberger in The Baur Collection. Chinese Jades
and Other Hardstones, Geneva, 1976, pl. B11; and another,
of white jade and slightly later style, sold from the collection
of the Brooklyn Museum in these rooms, 17th March 2021,
lot 7.
⊖ $ 100,000-150,000

424 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11744 MARCHANT – CHINESE JADES 425