Page 80 - Nov. 27 2019 Christie's Hong Kong Desk Objects

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A RARE IMPERIAL INSCRIBED AND GILT- ᪺̗㡳ˣ೺ໞ䢰 ໞ䢱
DECORATED PALE CELADON ‘TEA POEM’ JADE ྽⽗㤎ἕט੧㕺Ǖ˖᪺⪱ǖだ↢
BOWL 㟊ࣇ厍ԳǮ㪏
QIANLONG YUTI MARK, DATED BINGYIN YEAR, CORRESPONDING
TO 1746 AND OF THE PERIOD 㬪ℱ⎾ݤߴ㱈דᏛǮᢐⱤࣿ៏᧦卿⎾ംऑᯒࣿ㘆㑷⽔ᝳݦ஄㫥⡠卿㜩㱈
The bowl is carved with rounded flaring sides raised on a circular 㲎㱬卿ݯ㧿ߴԳ㪏ᇙ㯪ǶӲ᳖ⳍǷ㉼厍ǸᢐⱤⰰӶൕ卿דᏛ㲞ӻᷛ卿៏
foot ring to a gently everted rim. The exterior is delicately incised ༰ঀⱥ⭨卿Ӳ৅᫢᳖⢞ǯἰսᐙ⭧㦡卿ᮣԠᐂ✠㫝ǯỉؒ㗦㷚ァ卿䀢ὸ
and gilt embellished with the Qianlong Emperor’s Imperial poem 㘘⊂ᵨǯ㑘≰ᷘմԱ卿ᬿᅙ㙴◲ቼǯՆ⼘᲼ഌࢮ卿जነӶज㊯ǯ㲦㲦ݛ
‘Sanqing cha’ (Tea of Three Purities) describing the virtues of tea ⧲㙬卿᰻᰻㫡᷐ḉǯڏ׭㚃ज㱓卿៣㘯㐃ᛞߣǯ᎛⯟㑤႔ᡪ卿㯄⛮ℱ႓
making, followed by a cyclical date bingyin (1746) and two seals, ㌹ǯ༠༌⪳リᶥ卿ऒᝲ⏭᎝ⅇǯ㕦㱇㑓ᄃ㱛卿ᙁू⯞Ὅ⛖ǯԳ㪏ӿ༖ཎ
Qian and Long. The interior is further carved with a finger citron, ᛌᇙ㯪ǯǹថཫ㟊ǸԳǹǮǸ㪏ǹ❨ᝧ஋Ǯᙹ㙄ⅸཎ⛌ǯ⎾ᄓߺߴǸഌ
prunus and pine. The semi-translucent stone is of a pale tone with ᳖Գ㪏ჺㅳǹݪໃ❨᪪ǯ
snowy inclusion and some minor russet streaks across the surface.
Ӳ᳖ⳍ࣊սדᏛǮ៏༰ǮᢐⱤӲ♎᳖৅卿սᮣ㫝ἰᾋԠⳍ৅ǯǶӲ᳖ⳍǷ
There is a six-character mark incised in gilt at the base.
6¿ in. (15.6 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box ㉼ߺᛓԳ㪏ࢦӬჺ☌႗ՆझྒྷԠ㪡卿ᙻ໸⯞㙘㫝卿ԆսݯἰᾋӲ᳖ⳍᛞ
Ꮢהǯ
HK$800,000-1,200,000 US$110,000-150,000
ǶӲ᳖ⳍǷ㉼ᙔ⎾ᝳ≢଍Ǯℱ଍ࣿᶜ଍Ꮢㅳǯ⋁ԋս≢⎾㖅അ卿Ԇᝳ㬪
The poem, composed by the Qianlong Emperor, is a eulogy on tea. It Ɽࣿ█⡚ݦ♎ǯℱ⎾ࣿᶜ⎾ߺ⏟ཌἃ⧎ǯजᬘ㖅Ӭ։⎑།ᘘ⻦ؼ㉂Ӭ։
has been mentioned that the Emperor Qianlong was an avid drinker of ⎊ℱߴǶӲ᳖ⳍǷ㉼ᙔ⎾卻⻦⽚厍3$*/ 卼卿ݯݎ⊐⇱㿃⎑ळݣ⻦卿
tea, and in the 11th year of his reign (1746), on his return from visiting Ԇ㖊ᙻ +PIO "ZFSTǶ$IJOFTF BOE +BQBOFTF 8PSLT PG "SU JO UIF $PMMFDUJPO
Mount Wutai, Shanxi province, his entourage rested to make tea
using fallen snow. In the brew, as well as Longjing tea leaves, were PG )FS .BKFTUZ 5IF 2VFFOǷ卿✄ ݺ卿ٳᘹ卿 ჺ厎औᝳݦ։ℱ⎾
the additions of prunus, pine nut kernels and finger citrus. It was this ㇦ᙻᐽ㐈厍Ӭ։჌⸌ℱߴǶӲ᳖ⳍǷ㉼ᙔ⎾ᝪ㇦ᙻ ჺ ᝲ ᚚ㲞
concoction that inspired the Emperor to compose the present poem. ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅⤔⽚ 厎Ӭ։┡ℱ⎾ߺ਑ᙻ ჺ ᝲ ᚚ
It is unusual to find inscribed tea bowls using jade material. The same 㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑ卿ᐽ৅⤔⽚ ǯ
poem was also applied to other media such as lacquer and porcelain
bowls, either decorated in underglaze-blue or iron-red. Compare the ≢⎾㛑֍卿जࣻ⩠झ࢈ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴㩴⻦Ӭ։㬪ⱤǶӲ᳖ⳍǷ㉼ᙔ⎾ࣿӬ
present lot with bowls bearing the same poem carved from jade, ։█⡚ǶӲ᳖ⳍǷ㉼ᙔ⎾卿ݯߎߣⶬ㢙ᙻǶԮजս᳖ᇵ厍ⳍ଍ǮⳍԿǮ
including: one carved from white jade in the Royal Collections Trust ⳍ⊺Ƿ卿झ࢈卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿எ‸⤔⽚ 卻█⡚⎾卼ࣿ㮰 卿 எ
(accession no. RCIN 11636), first acquired by Queen Mary (1867-1953), ‸⤔⽚ 卻㬪Ɽ⎾卼ǯ
and illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the
Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, vol. III, London, 2016; one with ᶜ⎾㛑֍卿Ⲗஇ⣠അߧՌক㩛‰֬⁞ࢷ⁒㱦⻦ᝳӬ։卿㖊ᙻ 4JS )BSSZ
a cover sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 November 2014, lot 2931; . (BSOFS卿Ƕ$IJOFTF -BDRVFSǷ卿ٳᘹ卿 ჺ卿எ‸⤔⽚ 厎औം
and a gilt spinach-green jade bowl sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30
November 2011, lot 2964. ⧻இ⯠㞖ྒྷՌᰲ⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦卿ࣥ "WFSZ #SVOEBHF Ⅷ⻦ԋՔᝳӬཌ卿ߒ
ᙻ $MBSFODF ' 4IBOHSBX卿Ǵ$IJOFTF -BDRVFST JO UIF "TJBO "SU .VTFVN PG
Compare the present lot with two ceramic examples included in the 4BO 'SBODJTDPǵ卿Ƕ0SJFOUBUJPOTǷ卿 ჺ ᝲ⽚卿எ‸ ǯ
exhibitions, Empty Vessels, Replenished Minds: The Culture, Practice,
and Art of Tea, National Palace Museum, 2002, and illustrated in the
catalogue, p. 152, no. 129 (an iron-red decorated bowl), and p. 153, no.
130 (blue and white bowl).
There are a few inscribed lacquer bowls dated to the same cyclical
Bingyin year: the first is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert
Museum, which is illustrated by Sir Harry M. Garner, Chinese Lacquer,
London, 1979, pl. 93; a related pair of bowls are in the Avery Brundage
Collection, now in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, and published
in Clarence F. Shangraw, ‘Chinese Lacquers in the Asian Art Museum
of San Francisco’, Orientations, April 1986, pl. 41.

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