Page 61 - Christie's Irving Collection Lacquer Bronse jade and Ink March 2019

Archaistic jade rhytons of this type have their antecedents in jade 玉觥為仿古器，仿漢代玉角形盃造型，其風格來自漢與西域的文化交流，深受中
rhytons of Han-dynasty date, such as the example from the Han-dynasty 亞來通杯的影響。廣州西漢南越王墓出土一件青白玉角形盃，即為此種造型，
tomb of the King of Nanyue, illustrated by Jessica Rawson in Chinese Jade 見J. Rawson著《Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing》，倫
from the Neolithic to the Qing, British Museum, 1995, p. 70, fg. 61. That 敦，1995年，頁70，圖版61。南越王墓例器身為動物角的造型，向下收束、外翻
vessel (18.4 cm. high), which was inspired by a Western Asian form, is in the 作分岔的螭龍尾鋬。宋、明、清歷代的仿古玉觥則多飾高浮雕龍紋，有的更刻有
shape of a horn that rises from a twisted, bifurcated tail-form handle at the 圓雕龍作鋬，如本件玉觥所示。
bottom and is incised around the sides with scroll decoration. By the Song
and Ming dynasties and into the Qing dynasty, this shape was modifed and 故宮博物院藏有一件清中期碧玉觥，載於楊伯達編，《華夏古玉．鑑賞篇》，
the sides were carved with bands of decoration inspired by that found on 卷11，1996年，圖版38。故宮例器形、紋飾和本件玉觥都十分相似，唯缺螭
bronzes and jades of the Eastern Zhou and Han dynasties, often with the 龍形鋬。無獨有偶，像故宮例這樣器形、紋飾均與本器相同但是無鋬的玉觥
addition of chilong carved in high relief around the sides, and sometimes 另有兩例：H.T. Hodgson先生珍藏一件，載於展覽圖錄《Chinese Jade
with a dragon-form handle, as on the present rhyton. Throughout the Ages》，倫敦，1975年，編號447，圖錄中指出該件玉觥上刻
有一首乾隆詠玉觥的御題詩，作於1792年；另一件為白玉質，載於《中國藝術品
This type of later, archaistic rhyton is exemplifed by a dark green jade 經眼錄-埃斯肯納齊的回憶》， 倫敦，2012年，235頁，圖版151。故宮博物院藏
example of mid-Qing date in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by 有一件白玉觥，以螭龍作鋬，見上述楊伯達編，《華夏古玉．鑑賞篇》，卷11，圖版
Yang Boda, ed., Chinese Jades Throughout the Ages - Connoisseurship of 40。亦可比紐約佳士得於2017年3月17日拍賣一例，拍品1081號。該白玉觥亦以
Chinese Jades, vol. 11, Qing Dynasty, 1996, pl. 38, that has a similar shape 圓雕龍作鋬，並且器底和本件玉觥一樣作張口的龍頭狀。
and very similar archaistic decoration on the body, but does not have a
dragon-form handle. Like the Palace Museum example, two other jade
rhytons of the same shape and with the same decoration as the present
rhyton, but also without a handle, have been published. One is a pale grey
jade rhyton in the collection of Mr. H. T. Hodgson which was included
in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition, Chinese jade throughout the
ages, London, 1975, no. 447, where it is dated Qianlong period, and where
it is noted that it is incised below the rim on the interior with a eulogistic
poem with a date corresponding to 1792. The other is a white jade example
illustrated by Giuseppe Eskenazi in A Dealer’s Hand: The Chinese Art World
Through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012, p. 235, pl. 151. A white
jade rhyton, also from the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by Yang Boda,
ibid., pl. 40, which has a similar shape, but diferent archaistic decoration on
the body, does have a dragon-form handle, but of a chi dragon rather than
the long dragon of the present rhyton. See, also, the white jade example with
similar decoration on the body and a similar dragon handle, sold at Christie’s,
New York, 17 March 2017, lot 1081, that also has the head of a makara or
dragon that forms the bottom of the vessel.

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