Page 108 - Nov. 27 2019 Christie's Hong Kong Desk Objects

fig. 1 Sold at Christie's Paris, 15 December 2010, lot 106
எӬ Ⴃ㿰צ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚

2847 Continued

The poem can be translated: 㘺ᛓӬ㲛Գ㪏Ԩࣆჺ卻 卼Ꮢ㯪⎏ᇙㅳ㉼卻ⶬ㢙ᙻ᳖㵶໵ᇙㅳ㉼ᙔݥ
㫀✄Ն㫀卿࣍ԬࢦݨԠԬ卼ᚘ㐫✖✢ℱ㐏⠢⧻卿ݳ㿽߅✖✢⡠㱈Ԗ㯪ǯ
Fantong and Kunlun are of the same mountain range,
Carried by river to Khotan, bearing the jade essence. ᧄᡲἃǶ᭢⣌᯷Ƿԋ⎏ྒྷल卿⏟۔ἃᚲ؆ྒྷ卻࣊࿼ၨ卼⎏Ӭᘒ⬛卿ݯӳ
Who is depicted on it, may I ask? ℱ⒢⊐ᯇ᭢ޔ߱Ӵ׹ߪক㨯ᯇᄍӳ卿㐏㞔⠢⧻౑♑ℱԋԠ⠢卿㉼ओ⏜ᓞ
Probably Beigu of Xiliang, speaking of immortal affairs. 㿽ᚺ᫉✖✢Ꮢ⊇ℱឬ࣊ἃⅧ㏟⎏ᯇ⊄ຽᙠǯ㇛ᢌ࣊㇛ᶴ㙣೥㇛ᢌຽᙔ卿
This poem was composed by Qianlong in 1795. In it he speaks of the ࣽ⽚എᥑ⏻՞卿۔㊯ձᝪᖬǶ㿩㢶⡵ᝧǷ卿ݯӳ㉃㖊ᝳӬׅմ՞卿ഌ໹
fine quality of the jade material of the brush pot, as well as the subject 卻ԋՌऒஇ卼⎏࢈㍽ຽǯᎵ㉓ᛓ୬ἃഌ໹⯝ক㨯஠⤏⏟㘆卿Գ㪏㊘ἃ᫉
matter depicted on it. According to Shuijingzhu, an ancient book of ✖✢ӳ⎏մ՞፽؝ᛓ㇛ᢌຽᙔᏒᓽߪ⎏࢈㍽ຽǯ✖✢㯪लǶᧄᡲմؗǷ卿
topography, Fantong is the name of a mountain forming part of the
Kunlun mountain range. The jade roughs from this mountain, carried ᫉⽔մؗ࣊Ǹմ՞Ԡ㖤ǹԠ⨒卿⩧㬳ᑨᝳݦׅ▵մְؗǯ
by river, are deposited on the riverbed of Khotan. These jade pebbles, of ℱ✖✢ᛓႽℳᡪӳ㏟㞒⎏ᙔݰ卿⊇ᙠ⩱ᔭ卿႙⻱⥝ㅻ卿ᘢᙇ㞔Ӷഅ卿⩧
which the current brush pot is made, are considered the best quality of
jade material after this long and arduous process. Xiliang is the name ჌ᝳᇙ㯪㉼⎏✖✢ᝤᛓ㺨ᬝ㿋㈍卿ᇖ㘆ჺ׹⎏ᐽ㐈㏱ᙠ⢴㈷卿ஙႪౚӳ
of a Western Han Dynasty Daoist, sobriquet Taji Zhenren (True Man ᱁㘻⎏׾ຽ卿⥙ᙇӶᝯ㑖㙞ࢦഅ։卿ᙇ㞔༰ᬘℱ∵㇝ཐ⎏അǯஙℱӳߴ
of Supreme Ultimate). He is said to have written a document Huangjin ໃ⎏႙⻱卿㫙ᄟ㬳჎㵶卿⩧ӻӬ߅㢿卿ལ㙄ࣥᝳ⎏଍⎵ԮᔭᬇԻǯ⬒ㄴ
Sushu (Letters on Yellow Brocade), in which is recorded an immortal Գ㪏⎑Ⴝ⏭ӳ卿উ႙ࢎߴໃ⎏଍⁒卿ഌ㛢ᛓℱԋ⠢৅卿Ꮢսㅳה⎏㰍㪬
Beiguzi from Dayuan (modern day Ferghana Valley of Central Asia).
Qianlong thinks the elderly man depicted on the current brush pot, Ԯᝤഌ卿⬒ࡠ֌⩢⎐ἃℱࢎԋ㵶ᏛǯԳ㪏୨ࢦݪჺ⎏ӳ㋢ᨯལ㉃㖊卿⋁
presumably because of Khotan’s proximity to Dayuan, is most likely ᛞἃԻ㇝ㅳהℱݺ卿㫬㇝ᝯߴໃ⎏ℱࢎ卿⩧ൈዪ㱦ㅏगᝳ୨ׅᝯߴໃ卿
Beiguzi. ୨ׅԋࣽगᝳݦׅ⎏᭢ᴽ⬒ㅳהℱݺ卿⩠ጳߪǸዂ⠢⤞ℱ႙ᙹ⬒ࡠ֌ǹ卿
Ӷ⬒ங՗ԋᑋ՞卿㫬㇝উ⼖႔⥫㙁ங⋁஠⠢㚁ൃᏛݨ՞ݣ༈ǯऒջ⬒⊬
Jade brush pots are precious objects on the desk of an Imperial
scholar. They are extremely wasteful to make, using a whole block of Ӵඊल⎏ℱࢎӶഅ卿ֿᛓԳ㪏⎑Ⴝ࣐⁞ߣ݈㉓ཇ㧰ߴໃ⎏ൈዪ㱦ℱࢎប
jade pebble. They are also quite laborious, especially a brush pot with ᆭஙה৅ӳ⊬Ӵඊल卿㘺ᛓ᳖ង༈ԋℱࢎޢ㉓ஙℱ଍ӳ⧤ल⎏਒Ӭ׾
such intricate design as the current one. It is for this reason that jade ຽ卿ज㇦ஙℱ଍ӳߴໃ⎏႙⻱卿ᛓԳ㪏ᝬἃ㐫㐃⎏Ӭ㧰⻱ワǯ
brush pots are very rare, while those inscribed with imperial poems
are extremely rare. Spinach jade is one of Qianlong’s favoured material ┡ℱᛓԳ㪏㤃ዴ⎏ℱ♎卿⁞ߣ੧᫆ս໦ㅳהᡪ߿ᇙ⊇⎏✖✢ǯ᫉✖✢ཨ
for making brush pots. The current example is unusually small and ༿ຉཎजዴ卿ங჌ᇙ㯪㉼⎏┡ℱ✖✢ԋ㫙ᇑӬ㇦卿㵲㞔㫍ཎ卿ֿݯ㫌႙
delicate, and probably the smallest Imperial inscribed brush pot in ᥑݯ⡿⮏㌌♾卿ᇖ㘲㫌ߪ଍ヿഅ㙤ࢦྉ卿⏜ज⯝ӳԧ⎏⛛㫌ᬘ⫒卿౑♑
existence. Although it is small in size, its carving is particularly fine,
with the design rendered on multiple planes of carving in the thickness Ӭ⢞ǯ㉹ᬘ㖅Ⴃ㿰צ೥ᇑ ჺ ᝠ ᚚᐽ߅卿ᐽ৅ ⽚Ӭ։ᇙ
of only 1 cm, comparable to top quality bamboo brush pots. Compare to 㯪㉼Ƕ㇛ஊ㪿㫀Ƿ┡ℱ✖✢卿ᛓ㘆ჺ׹ႪౚӳᏒ㇦ཨ༿ᝬഌ⎏ᇙ㯪㉼┡
the Imperial inscribed spinach jade brush pot sold at Christie’s Paris, 15 ℱ✖✢卻ॲː卼卿⯝ទ✖✢ӬഌӬཎ⏟Մ㖜ᛇǯ
December 2010, lot 106 (fig. 1), decorated with ‘The Literary Gathering
of West Garden’. It is perhaps the largest Imperial inscribed brush pot
in existence, and provides an amusing contrast to the current example.

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