Page 48 - Christie's Irving Collection Lacquer Bronse jade and Ink March 2019

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L A C Q U E R • J A D E • B R O N Z E • I N K T H E R V I N G C O L L E C T I O N 髹金飾玉 - 歐雲伉儷珍藏

~ 802 A YELLOWISH-GREEN JADE RUYI SCEPTER 清十八世紀 黃玉饕餮紋如意
CHINA, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

The handle well carved with a dragon pursuing a faming pearl amidst 來源
魯氏父子有限公司，香港，1986年。
clouds, the terminal carved with an archaistic taotie mask, the stone of
歐雲伉儷珍藏，編號462。
yellowish-green color
12º in. (31.1 cm.) long, hongmu stand 黃玉材質溫潤，顏色酷似蒸熟的板栗色澤，於明清時期又有「甘黃玉」之稱，明
$120,000-180,000 高濂《遵生八箋》中講到：「玉以甘黃為上，羊脂次之。以黃為中色，且不易得，
以白為偏色，時亦有之故耳。」乾隆時期黃玉往往被用於最重要的仿古玉器，以
PROVENANCE
能工巧匠為之，可見其深受皇帝親睞。
P. C. Lu & Sons, Ltd., Hong Kong, 1986.
The Irving Collection, no. 462. 乾隆皇帝深受儒家以古為師的思想薰陶，又雅好收藏古物，因此對仿古玉器情
有獨鍾。有一部分玉器更是署有《乾隆仿古》的年款，以表明其推崇仿古的用
Yellow jade was highly regarded as early as the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD
心 ， 例如本場拍賣拍品805號。本件如意頭上飾饕餮紋，取自三代青銅器，柄
220) but rose to particular prominence during the Qianlong period (1736- 部以玉圭形收尾，取自三代玉器，处处迎合着乾隆皇帝好古的圣意。
1795). Yellow jade carvings are relatively rare compared to their spinach-
green or white jade counterparts. The material was generally reserved for 台北故宮博物院藏有一柄黃玉如意，紋飾與本器相近尺寸較大（長36.5公分）
the very fnest carvings and vessels of the Qianlong period, often carved ，唯柄中段突出自成一節，柄側有出戟，見《吉祥如意》，台北，1995年，頁93
with archaistic designs or forms. It is recorded in the Ming dynasty (1368- ，編號20。紐約佳士得2016年9月16日拍賣一例與台北故宮例如出一轍，拍品
1644) text Zun sheng bajian (Eight Discourses on the Art of Living) that 1291號。亦可比兩件黃玉如意，如意頭上緣出郭飾螭龍一條，其一於2011年5
yellow jade is considered the most valuable type of jade, superior even to 月12日在倫敦邦瀚斯拍賣，拍品81號，另一件於2011年11月30日在香港佳士得
mutton-fat jade. 拍賣，拍品3251號。
The Qianlong emperor’s great love of jade combined with his passion
for antiques resulted in his commissioning signifcant numbers of
archaistic jade items, some inscribed with the characters Qianlong fanggu
(Qianlong copying the ancient), such as lot 805 in the present sale. The
present ruyi scepter conveys an archaistic style in both motif and form.
The carving on the ruyi head resembles the taotie mask seen on archaic
bronzes and the handle terminates in a form that is reminiscent of an
archaic jade gui scepter.
Four closely comparable yellow jade ruyi dated to the eighteenth century
are known. One larger ruyi scepter (36.5 cm. long), with compartmentalized
decoration and openwork fanges on the handle, rather than the continuous
decoration of the Irving ruyi scepter, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei,
is illustrated in Auspicious Ju-I Scepters of China, Taipei, 1995, p. 93, no. 20.
A second example that is almost identical to the National Palace Museum
ruyi scepter was sold at Christie’s, New York, 16 September 2016, lot 1291.
Two other examples carved with chilong on the edge of the ruyi heads were
sold at Bonhams, London, 12 May 2011, lot 81, and Christie’s, Hong Kong,
30 November 2011, lot 3251.

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