Page 180 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

THE PROPERTY OF AN ENGLISH FAMILY
英國家族藏品
171 Y
A RARE PALE GREEN JADE ‘FIVE HOLY
MOUNTAINS AND FOUR RIVERS’ BOX
AND COVER
18th century
The straight sides carved with various craggy
mountains surrounded by crashing waves
beneath key-fret border, the flat cover carved
in low-relief with five archaic characters
representing the Five Holy Mountains, the
underside of the cover carved with a further
four characters wu yue si du, between writhing
chilong, the stone of even pale green tone with
milky white inclusions, huanghuali stand.
8.5cm (3 3/8in) wide (3).

£5,000 - 8,000
CNY44,000 - 70,000
十八世紀 青白玉雕「五嶽四瀆」蓋盒

Provenance: Lady Montague Burton,
Harrogate, and thence by descent

來源：英國哈羅蓋特Montague Burton夫人舊
藏，並由後人保存迄今

The underside of the cover is inscribed with the
171 characters wu yue si du (五嶽四瀆), the Five
Great Mountains and Four Rivers. The Sacred
Mountains of China are divided into several
groups. The Five Great Mountains (五嶽) refers
to five of the most renowned mountains in
Chinese history, and they were the subjects of
Imperial pilgrimage by emperors throughout
ages. They are associated with the supreme
God of Heaven and the five main cosmic
deities of Chinese traditional religion.

According to Chinese mythology, the Five
Great Mountains originated from the body of
Pangu (盤古), the first being and the creator
of the world. Because of its eastern location,
Mount Tai is associated with the rising sun
which signifies birth and renewal. Mount Tai is
believed to have been formed out of Pangu’s
head. Mount Heng in Hunan is believed to be
a remainder of Pangu’s right arm, Mount Heng
in Shanxi of his left arm, Mount Song of his
belly, and Mount Hua of his feet.

See a ceremonial jade tablet, gui, with similar
characters of the Five Holy Mountains, with
172 a wood base dated to the Qianlong reign,
illustrated in the Compendium of Collections
THE PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN 清中期 黃玉帶皮飾蓮紋盌 in the Palace Museum: Jade, 8, Beijing, 2011,
FAMILY 歐洲家族藏品 p.30, no.7; and another gui ceremonial tablet
Provenance: a European private collection, with similar characters, p.33, no.10. The same
172 * and thence by descent characters of the ‘Five Mountains’ can also
A YELLOW AND RUSSET JADE BOWL be seen carved on the panels of a zitan chair,
Mid Qing Dynasty 來源：歐洲私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今 Qing dynasty, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu
Deftly carved rising from a short straight foot quanji: Gongyi meishu bian, vol.11, Beijing,
to a flaring rim, carved around the exterior Compare with a related pale green bowl with 1996, pl.184.
in shallow relief with two blossoming classic floral motifs carved around the exterior, 18th
lotus borne on meandering scrolls, the century, illustrated by J.Ayers, Chinese and
translucent stone of yellowish-green tone with Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of
russet-brown striations. 12cm (4 3/4in). Her Majesty the Queen, vol.III, London, 2016,
p.796, pl.1856.
£5,000 - 8,000
CNY44,000 - 70,000
For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
178 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.