This exceptionally impressive vessel, inscribed with a poem composed by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-95) and incised with the Emperor's reign mark, has an imperial connection that sets it apart from other jade 'twin fish' washers. Two other Qianlong-marked 'twin fish' washers inscribed with the same imperial poem are known. Both of them are preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei: the first (acc. no. 故-玉-001519), closely related but with the poem incised in seal script, was included in the Museum's exhibition The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1997, cat. no. 7; the second of spinach-green jade and set with a pair of looped handles (acc. no. 故-玉-003736).

The poetic inscription on the present basin reads:

A tribute from the Hui region,

this vessel was made meticulously with the precious materials in mind.

It was not a few groups of magpies,

there placed a pair of fish.

Who shall strike the jia of the hero,

a letter from a faraway guest is hard to find.

Zhong Fu (Inner Truth) is the manipulation of phenomenon,

I eagerly pursue the cultivation of moral virtues.

Dated Qianlong bingxu chun yuti (Inscribed in the Emperor's Own Hand, dated spring of the year bingxu)

Seals: Dechongfu (Sign of Virtue Within)

Composed by the Emperor in 1764, the poem is included in Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji / Anthology of Imperial Qianlong poems and texts, Yuzhi shi san ji (Imperial poetry, vol. 3), scroll 54, p. 15. The first line of the poem describes the source of the material as a gift from a Muslim region. This is a reference to the Qing empire's western expansion of territory into Central Asia in the mid-18th century. The newly acquired territory, known as Xinjiang, encompassed the renowned jade-rich region of Khotan (Hetian), which could satisfy the court's desire for high-quality and large pieces of jade. The inscription, as well as the size and quality of the stone of the present washer, all indicate that the boulder used originated in Khotan. The second line of the poem remarks on the time-consuming process to create this vessel from the stone. By alluding to the careful planning and superb workmanship of the design, this verse heightens the significant opulence and luxury of the present piece.

As the inscription on the base suggests, this vessel was consciously carved in archaistic style, an aesthetic which the Qianlong Emperor promoted during his reign. See, for example, an archaic prototype from the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), a bronze pan cast on the interior with a pair of fish and an inscription (acc. no. 中銅001925N000000000) in the National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei). Vessels from the distant past, such as this bronze pan, provided inspiration for the creation of a wide range of jade carvings, including vases and censers, to cater to the Emperor's special taste for antiquities.

Compare a related greenish-white jade 'twin fish' washer, incised on the base with an imperial poem from 1786, a four-character Qianlong mark and two seals, and lacking decoration on the exterior wall, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th November 1979, lot 405. It entered the Irving Collection, and was later sold at Christie's New York, 20th March 2019, lot 806.