Page 42 - Scholarly Works of Art Hong Kong Sothebys March 3 2019

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AN IMPORTANT AND RARE DATED ZITAN- 清乾隆
MOUNTED ARCHAIC JADE BI 紫檀雕夔紋嵌漢玉璧御製詩插屏
HAN DYNASTY, THE INSCRIPTION AND THE
STAND DATED TO THE JIASHEN YEAR (IN 《乾隆甲申仲春御題》、《乾隆甲申春
ACCORDANCE WITH 1764) 日御題》款

the finely worked jade bi disc decorated with an overall array
of small raised spirals on both sides, the outer edge inscribed 屏及璧刻〈漢玉穀璧〉詩：
in the jiashen year (corresponding to 1764) with a long
inscription composed by the Qianlong Emperor and inscribed 土花㻞㻞其光葆，道人之容枯不槁；
to his order, finished with a seal taiyu (‘supreme jade’), 千年以上目前藻，寸度規圓合羨好。
the stone of a pale honey-brown colour with dark brown 雖有琢磨無奇巧，元氣配藜丁甲保，
inclusions at the rim and with small patches of encrustation; 庇蔭嘉穀斯為寶。
mounted within an exquisitely carved zitan table screen,
the front with a central carved wood boss with the trigram
qian surrounded by dragons (long) to form the well-known 屏：乾隆甲申仲春御題。「比德」、「朗潤」印
rebus on the Emperor’s name, locking into the back panel to 璧：乾隆甲申春日御題。「太玉」印
secure the jade, the dragons repeated on the reverse around
the circular panel carved and picked out in gold in lishu with 來源：
an almost identical inscription, differing only in the date 香港蘇富比1997年11月4日，編號1201
being zhongchun as opposed to chunri, and followed by two
different seals bide (‘compare yourself to jade’) and langrun
(‘bright and lustrous’), the frame and stand carved overall in
archaistic style and supported at the sides by four dragons
carved in the round
overall 22.2 cm, 8¾ in.; disc 10.3 cm, 4 in.
PROVENANCE
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4th November 1997, lot 1201.

HK$ 7,000,000-9,000,000
US$ 895,000-1,150,000

Inscriptions

40 SOTHEBY ’S SCHOLARLY AND IMPERIAL WORKS OF ART