A MAGNIFICENT AND EXTREMELY LARGE WHITE JADE MOUNTAIN QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

THIS IS A PREMIUM LOT.   CLIENTS WHO WISH TO BID ON PREMIUM LOTS ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE THE PREMIUM LOT PRE-REGISTRATION 3 WORKING DAYS PRIOR TO THE SALE.




elaborately carved overall from an elongated irregular boulder as a craggy mountain landscape, the boldly layered rocks with numerous crevices, a walled village of thatched cottages and pavilions nestled amid pine trees, bamboo and paulownia, with waterfalls and streams flowing in the foreground, carved and gilt on the upper right hand side with an inscription in lishu referring to the carving, the reverse with sparse trees sprouting from jagged rocky ledges, the smoothly polished stone of a pale celadon colour

Property from the Estate of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Smalley.
Sotheby’s New York, 29^th September 1989, lot 474. 

The National Museum of History, Taipei, 27st January to 26nd February 1990.
National Cultural History Museum, South Africa, 16th May to 12th August 1991. 
The National Museum of History, Taipei, 23rd May to 5th July 1992.
Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Belgium, 21st October to 3rd January 1992.   
Museum Reich der Kristalle, Münich, 4th February to 31st May 1993. 
Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, 16th June to 12th September 1993.
Musée national d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 26th October 1993 to 25th March 1994.
Museum of Ethnology, Vienna, 5th May to 10th July 1994. 

The White Jade Mountain carved with 'A Thousand Feet Snow of Hanshan'
Guo Fuxiang
Associate Researcher, Department of Palace History
The Palace Museum, Beijing

Among the works of art presented at Sotheby's Hong Kong auction, the present white jade mountain carved with a river landscape conveys a sense of natural calmness and peaceful tranquility. The mountain is incised on a magnificent large white jade. The jade is of the highest quality - it is pure in colour and is bright and refined. The carving of mountain, river, pavilions and huts are all made in harmony with the shape of the jade. The pavilions and huts are accessible through a steep winding path leading to the precipice. Aged pine trees and century old bushes can be found among the mountain caves and the rapid currents of the waterfall. The scenery and landscape are vivid and natural. The design is composed after the shape of the material and the layout of the subject matter is in relation with the form. Huts, trees, mountains and hills are placed densely or scarcely according to the shape of the jade. Everything is presented as naturally as possible. Pine needles, bamboo leaves, tree knots, barriers, and the 'tiger skin' walls are all delicately carved. The artists of this piece have mastered the perfect carving technique. This jade mountain represents the extraordinary artistic and technical achievement of the artists at the time.

The jade mountain is inscribed with an imperial poem titled Qianchi xue (Thousand Feet Snow) which can be translated as follows:

By the high and uneven path at the gate,
one steps upward towards the cloudy rock,
three small huts look so unworldly.
Listening to the snow,
why not to sit here and read?
Official Liu Bingtian wrote with respect.

The inscription is written in lishu (clerical style) in gilt. It is clear and beautiful. This poem is included in the 24^th juan of the Qing Gaozhong yuzhi shi er ji (The Two Volume Collection of Imperial Poems by Gaozhong of the Qing dynasty). It was written in the 16^th year of Qianlong’s reign (equivalent to 1751 A.D.). The writer of this poem was Liu Bingtian, an official from Hongtong, Shanxi Province. Liu passed his examination and became a juren in the 21^st year of Qianlong’s reign. He accompanied Fu Heng to fight against Burma and his service was much appreciated by the emperor, especially in the battles against the Da and Xiao  Jinchuan. He was later promoted as governor of Sichuan, Yunnan and Yungui. He died in the 5^th year of Jiaqing’s reign. This white jade mountain was possibly one of Qianlong's most treasured pieces in the Palace.

The present jade mountain is reminiscent of the famous jade mountain sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 25^th April 2004, inscribed with the imperial poem ‘The Pavilion of Listening to Snow at Hanshan’. Although the material and shape of these two pieces differ, the landscape is identical. The practice of carving identical scenes on jade is typical of the work done in the Palace workshop during the Qianlong period. The subject matter of these two carvings is that of Han Mountain in Suzhou.  

Hanshan, a quiet and remote mountain, is located in the north of Tianpingshan and to the west of Suzhou city. It is a rocky mountain, standing steep with a curtain of clean waterfall flowing down along the rocks. The water flies fast like snow creating shining light in four directions. The saying of a 'thousand feet snow' refers to this waterfall. The Grand Rite of South Inspection by the Emperor records as follows:

‘The thousand feet snow is located in Hanshan. This rocky mountain stands high and steep. Zhao Yiguang, in the Ming dynasty, excavated the mountain in order to regulate the river. The river flows forcefully downwards along the rocky surface.'

It is said that Zhao Yiguang moved to Hanshan with his wife during Wanli’s reign in the Ming dynasty. He excavated the rocky surface in order to regulated the river to flow downwards like a waterfall. He planted pine trees and bamboo. During the Qing dynasty Hanshan became a place of fairy tales and an idyllic spot. In the 16th year of Qianlong’s reign, when Qianlong arrived for the first time at Hanshan during his inspection of the south, he was deeply moved by this splendid waterfall and colourful mountain. He could not bear to leave. In his poem Panshan qianchi xueji (Record of the Thousand Foot Snow at Panshan) he wrote:

'I inspected the south of Changjiang, beside watching the people and inquiring about the local customs, I visited rivers, mountains and famous spots, searched the wonders of ancient relics, it is a terrritory of culture and beauty. People are happy and wise. All these can be found here. But I love only the thousand feet snow of Hanshan in Suzhou. The environ is wild yet tranquil. The river is cold but it sings. I named the pavilion on this mountain Ting Xue Ge (Pavilion of Listening to the Snow). I long for it and I lean at it and sing for it.'

Hanshan had left a deep impression on the emperor. He was also inspired by the beautiful landscape of the south, and decided to have this landscape designed in the gardens of the imperial palace so that he could enjoy it all times. In the following two years, he travelled widely, searching for similar beautiful places in the country. He choose Rehe’s summer resort, the West Garden in the outskirt of Beijing, and the Jinji Pavilion in Panshan, and built splendid 'thousand feet snow' views at these three places. Qianlong had the 'thousand feet snow' landscape painted by court artists as well as painting himself. The painting of Panshan is by the emperor. Zhang Zongcang wrote about Hanshan, Dong Pangda about the West Garden, and Qian Weicheng about Rehe. These writings are compiled into four volumes, which are jointly edited and kept safely. From this we can see Qianlong’s appreciation of the 'thousand feet snow' landscape. His favourite one was undoubtedly Hanshan. Each time when he toured the south, he never failed to visit Hanshan. He wrote many poems and essays about Hanshan. If we compare Qianlong’s description of Hanshan in his poems with the landscape of the present white jade mountain, we can find many similarities. The landscape carved on this jade mountain is indeed that of Hanshan. The jade mountain gave a splendid view of the 'thousand feet snow' loved so much by the Qianlong emperor. It was possibly presented to him for his personal use and to be placed on his desk so that he can enjoy it at all times.  

The poem is by the hand of the high ranking official Liu Bingtian. In the poem the emperor describes the essence of the view from the Ting Xue Ge. Amongst all the poems on the 'thousand feet snow' by the emperor why did Liu choose this particular one to be carved on the jade mountain? The answer lies in Qianlong’s knowledge of the 'thousand feet snow' at Hanshan. According to him the ‘thousand feet snow’ at Hanshan has two essences: one is water which is the soul of the 'thousand feet snow'; and the other is the Ting Xue Ge. The poetic name of Ting Xue Ge matches the landscape setting and the feeling one gets when witnessing this landscape.

Whenever the Qianlong emperor visited Hanshan, he would climb up the mountain and write poetry. For him Ting Xue Ge became the symbol for the 'thousand feet snow'. Among all the 'thousand feet snow' landscapes built later, the two elements that were indispensable were the waterfall and the pavillion. Liu possibly chose this poem because he understood the emperor’s views on the ’thousand feet snow’.

As mentioned earlier, the present jade mountain is comparable to the jade mountain offered at Sotheby's in 2004. This means that the carving of these two mountains were possibly after the same painting. Where is this painting now? Qianlong made six trips to the south during his reign. In the 30^th year of his reign, after his fourth trip to the south, under the sponsorship of Governor Gao Jin, a book titled Nan xun sheng dian was edited, recording the inspection of the four southern trips. The book has  120 juan and is divided into twelve subjects. Among the subjects the one with the title ‘famous relics’ is possibly the most interesting of all. It contains 310 illustrations, amongst which 150 depict famous places, mountains, rivers, imperial palaces, summer and winter palaces, temples, gardens, lake castles, ancient bridges and wells located in the capital, Shandong, Jiangnan, Zhejiang and others. The pictures are evenly laid out and meticulously detailed. They vividly show the natural landscape and the different styles of constructions and architecture. The book was edited in the 35th year of Qianlong’s reign. High ranking offficials used these illustrations as blueprint for designs on artwork that was presented as tributary items to the emperor. As can be seen from the two jade mountains of Hanshan, both of them are made copying the 'Painting of the Thousand Feet Snow' from the Nan xun sheng dian.

During the Qianlong period, following the establishment of the boundary of the Qing dynasty and political stability, the economy flourished with unprecedented accumulation of wealth. There was a demand for luxury goods which were especially favoured by the imperial family and the nobility. Works of art pieces made of jade were commissioned for the palaces and imperial gardens. There wasn't a single place where one did not find jade pieces and the Palace Workshop became the centre for the manufacturing of these magnificent pieces. The Emperor and his family were the biggest owners and consumers of jade products. Large quantities of invaluable jade products found their way to the palace through different channels. The present white jade mountain was possibly presented to the emperor as tributary item by Liu Bingtian. As Qianlong’s requirement were considerably high, if the gift didn’t meet his standards he would simply refuse it. Therefore, officials giving presents to the emperor had to be very careful. This white jade mountain was a rare treasure and belongs the the highest quality gifts kept in the palace.

The real value of this jade mountain lies in its close relationship to the Qianlong emperor. It is linked to the emperor’s southern tours; the high level of artistic achievement of the Qianlong period; the construction of imperial palaces and gardens; the tributary system that encouraged magnificent pieces to be made; and in its rarity that reflects the great prosperity achieved at the time.