An outstanding white jade table screen 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.




the translucent white stone of rectangular form, skilfully carved with several layers of relief on one side with a scene of boys playing in a rocky landscape,  the lower level with one boy lighting a firecracker as another pulls a 'rat' lantern on a string and a third boy carries a fish lantern on a stick while a fourth holds a vase, all below two boys standing on a ledge in front of a pavilion flying a kite, the whole scene enclosed within precipitous cliffs and caves with paulownia, pine and bamboo jutting out, the reverse carved in relief with a gnarled prunus tree in full bloom, the stone of evenly white tone with a few veins cleverly incorporated into the carving, huanghuali and boxwood stand

Lady June Horlick Collection.

The overall condition is very good with only a few minor veins that have been cleverly worked into the overall composition. The stone is especially white and even.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present screen is a superb example of jade workmanship characteristic of the type created in the Jade Workshops of the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshop) during the Qianlong period. The skill of the carver is evident in the varying levels of impeccably detailed figures and the ethereal landscape they inhabit, along with the elegantly rendered prunus branch issuing from rockwork on the reverse, all of which are finished to a lustrous gloss. Jade was almost never used as a material for table screens before the Qianlong period due to the rarity of large flawless pieces. Such screens were fashioned from carefully chosen highly-translucent stones, which would enhance the differing depths of the carved pictorial scene while remaining unaffected or complimented by the reverse scene with light passed through it. Thus the viewer could easily be transported into the tranquil and inviting scenes, such as children at play within a lofty and harmonious landscape.

The particular challenge presented to carvers of jade table screens was to compose two different designs for each side that would not interfere but rather enhance the other when light was shone through. When lit from behind, the void of the sky in this piece is subtly suffused with shadows of drifting horizontal clouds, which are the effect of the silhouettes of the prunus branches on the reverse. Furthermore, such unoccupied areas of space were employed to reveal the quality of the stone while concealing any flaws. The ingenuity of the carver of the present screen is seen in the spectacularly successful compositions as well as the clever incorporation of the slight natural fissures into the rockwork on one side and the branch on the other.

Stylistically, the carving of the present piece is closely related to a pair of jade screens in the National Palace Museum, included in the 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. nos. 71 and 72, and one from the British Rail Pension Fund, sold in these rooms, 16^th May 1989, lot 96. The diagonal composition of the four screens, which gradually leads the eye in an s-shape from the lower left corner to the upper right, creates a sense of movement through the landscape. A further sense of dynamism is generated through the flowing ribbons of the kite and the abrupt 'tri-bends' of the pine tree that fill the space. As the designs on these screens are deeply undercut, the scenes appear as though looming out from the background. These similarities suggest that these four screens may have possibly been carved by the same hand, almost certainly by a master carver working in the Zaobanchu.

The Qianlong's appreciation of superior jade panels such as the present piece is reflected in one of his poems where he notes, "This precious piece of slab is from Khotan. It is unsuitable for making vessels such as the dragon hu and animal lei. In order to fully utilise it, it is carved into a panel with the scene of 'A Riverside on a Spring Morning'. Imagination is exerted to turn the natural undulation or ruggedness into an appropriate landscape' (see Yang Boda, 'Jade: Emperor Ch'ien Lung's Collection in the Palace Museum, Arts of Asia, vol. 22, no. 2, p. 85). He advocated that jade mountains and carved panels should carry the spirit of paintings by famous past masters. It is recorded that a number of classical paintings from the Emperor's own collection were ordered to be reproduced in jade, such as the celebrated painting Travellers in the Mountains, by the eminent Five Dynasties painter Guan Tong (907-960). The sense of harmony between the figures and the vast landscape in this panel is a good example of the type of carving the Qianlong emperor envisioned.

The combination of the boys at play with a prunus branch is symbolic of the renewal and joy of the New Year. The image of boys flying a kite is symbolic of the wish for a successful career and rise in rank, as a kite flying in the breeze represents the supreme joy of the successful candidate as he hears his name being announced that he has passed the official examination, while boys lighting firecrackers represents the wish for peace year after year. The exploding sounds of firecrackers are believed to ward off evil, thereby bringing peace, with their fragmentation after explosion making them a pun for 'year after year'.