Page 150 - Roger Kaverne Moving On part 2 Bonhams UK June 7, 2021

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A FINE PALE GREEN JADE ‘FISH-DRAGON’ VASE A FINE SPINACH-GREEN JADE ‘EIGHT BUDDHIST EMBLEMS’
18th century OPENWORK INCENSE BURNER AND COVER
Meticulously carved in the form of a fish dragon, emerging upright from Qianlong
rocks and tempestuous waves, the toothed mouth forming the mouth Of compressed globular form supported on a short spreading foot,
of the vase and joined to a flaming pearl, with large ruyi-shaped fins, the body superbly carved in low relief with the bajixiang beneath an
a smaller chilong clambering on its front, the stone of pale greenish- everted rim carved in openwork with foliate scrolls, the domed cover
white tone with minor grey and opaque white inclusions, wood stand. similarly carved in openwork, surmounted by a large peony flower-
15.3cm (6in) high. (2). head finial, the stone of rich dark-green tone with dark speckles.
14.3cm (5 5/8in) diam. (2).
£8,000 - 12,000
CNY72,000 - 110,000 £8,000 - 12,000
CNY72,000 - 110,000
Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價
Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價
十八世紀 青玉魚龍花插
清乾隆 碧玉雕八寶紋香蓋爐
The carp or liyu (鯉魚) transforming into a dragon long (龍) is
associated with the passing of the Civil Service examinations, hence Provenance: S. Bulgari, Rome (label)
forming the pun li yue long men (鯉躍龍門). According to traditional A European private collection
folklore, carp swim upstream in the Yellow River at Hunan towards Christie’s London, 7 November 2017, lot 31
the Dragon Gate waterfall at Longmen. It is said that the first carp
which successfully surpasses the rapids will transform into a fish- 來源：羅馬古董商S. Bulgari舊藏（標籤）
dragon yulong (魚龍). Such legend has led to the common saying 歐洲私人舊藏
that, ‘a student facing his examinations is like a carp attempting to 倫敦佳士得，2017年11月7日，拍品編號31
leap through the Dragon Gate’, which bears the metaphor for a poor
scholar who passes the Civil Service examinations and becomes See a similar example illustrated by Yang Boda, The Cream of China’s
a high official. For related examples of jade vases in the form of a Ancient Jade Article (1995), no. 178, a pale green jade example; and
carp, Qing dynasty, see one illustrated in Masterworks of Chinese Zhang Guangwen, Jasper Wares of Qing Dynasty Collected by the
Jade in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1970, no.25; and two Palace Museum and Manasi, 2014, no.65. See a related spinach-
examples illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace green jade incense burner and openwork cover, Qianlong/Jiaqing,
Museum: Jade 8, Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, nos.167 and 168. See which was sold at Bonhams London, 5 November 2020, lot 157.
a similar pale green jade dragon-fish vase, Qianlong, which was sold
at Christie’s London, 6 November 2012, lot 152. Another related pale
green jade double carp-dragon vase, Qianlong/Jiaqing, was sold at
Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 May 2019, lot 157.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
148 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.