Page 74 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art November 2018

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A VERY RARE WHITE JADE ‘CONCH SHELL’ WATERPOT The conch shell is one of the Eight Buddhist Emblems or bajixiang,
18th century and is symbolic of the pervasive far-reaching sound of the Buddha’s
Naturalistically carved with a spiral point and a fluted body resting on a teachings, which awakens one from the deep slumber of ignorance.
base of finely incised swirling waves, the well-polished stone of a pale As conch shells were closely associated with Buddhist rituals, it is
white tone with faint milky-white inclusions. not common to find jade waterpots or brushwashers in this form as
11cm (4 3/8in) long. a utensil for the traditionally Confucian literati’s desk. The syncretic
religious observances of many scholars allowed crossovers of ritual-
£20,000 - 30,000 inspired vessels from various belief systems.
CNY180,000 - 270,000
There are ten white real conch shells, 18th century, used in Buddhist
rituals at Court in the collection of the National Palace Museum,
十八世紀 白玉海螺形水盂 Taipei, two of which are illustrated in Monarchy and Its Buddhist Way:
Tibetan-Buddhist Ritual Implements in the National Palace Museum,
Provenance: an English private collection Taipei, 1999, pp.154-155, no.65.

來源：英國私人收藏 See also a large white jade conch shell, 18th century, the exterior
carved in low-relief with the bajixiang, from the Walter and Phyllis
Shorenstein Collection, which was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1
December 2010, lot 2960. Compare also with a similar white jade
brushwasher in the form of a conch shell, Jiaqing, which was sold at
Sotheby’s London, 7 November 2012, lot 249.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
72 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.