Page 14 - March 23, 2022 Sotheby's NYC Fine Chinese Works of Art

The present lot illustrated in Jades of the
T.B. Walker Collection at the Walker Art
Center, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis,
1952, p. 77.
本拍品錄於《Jades of the T.B. Walker
Collection at the Walker Art Center》，沃克藝
術中心，明尼阿波利斯，1952年，頁77

The present piece is remarkable not only for the robust 16th May 2012, lot 196. The same motif is depicted on a
form of the ‘dragon-carp’, but also the beautiful yellow jade green jade flower holder in the form of two ‘fish-dragons’
stone from which it has been fashioned, a material that was leaping from rolling waves, preserved in the National Palace
particularly treasured by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-95) Museum, Taipei (accession no. gu-yu-002098), included
and other jade connoisseurs of the period. Leaping fish were in the Museum’s exhibition Viewing Nature in Chinese
a popular motif to represent wishes for success to those Art: A Special Exhibit of Select Artifacts from the Museum
studying for their civil service examinations to become Collection to Celebrate the 2016 Tang Prize, Taipei, 2016,
government officials. It evokes the legend that carp would cat. no. 45. Jade vases carved with this subject include a
try to leap upstream at a steep passage of the Yellow River slightly smaller example, also carved from yellow jade but
known as Dragon Gate, and those that succeeded would depicting two dragon carps, sold in our Hong Kong rooms,
transform into dragons. 28th October 1992, lot 606; a slightly larger green jade
vase, from the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, and
Yellow jade was much favored by the Qing court for its
association with the imperial color yellow. Since the Ming sold in these rooms, 11th April 1986, lot 229, and again at
dynasty, it was recognized by scholars and connoisseurs Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1551; one of
as one of the most valued variations of nephrite. In his Yan this size and also carved from yellow jade, sold at Christie’s
xian qing shang jian / Refined Enjoyment of Elegant Leisure Hong Kong, 1st April 1992, lot 1224; and a larger vase sold in
compiled in 1591, the dramatist-collector Gao Lian noted, ‘Of these rooms, 25th February 1983, lot 257, and again in our
all jade materials, yellow stones with a mellow tone are the London rooms, 6th June 1995, lot 50. See also a remarkable
best and mutton-white ones come second’. Because of the yellow jade vase of this type, the russet tones of the stone
rarity of the stone, brownish colorings were often worked into cleverly incorporated into the composition, included in the
a piece, as seen on the present lot, to increase the overall exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, Victoria and
size and show the carver’s great respect for the treasured Albert Museum, London, 1975, cat. no. 421, sold in our Hong
material. Kong rooms, 9th October 2007, lot 1210; and another of
spinach-green jade, illustrated in The Complete Collection of
See a smaller green jade example of closely related form, Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (III), Hong Kong,
but without waves at the bottom, sold in our London rooms, 1995, pl. 49.

24 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N10917 PROPERTY SOLD TO BENEFIT THE ACQUISITION FUND OF THE SPEED ART MUSEUM 25