A RARE WHITE JADE BI DISC AND ALBUM INCISED MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

the translucent stone of a milky white tone, meticulously carved in openwork, with four characters Chang yi zisun ('To Benefit Future Generations Forever'), surrounded by two pairs of stylised phoenix, the terminal above deftly carved with a pair of confronting phoenix beneath a scrolling cloud, the narrow sides incised with a Qianlong nianzhi mark and the characters yang zi erbai hao ('Number 200 of Yang'), the jade mounted in an album with a small ink painting of orchid on the opposite page, inscribed Youxiang ('Delicate Fragrance'), impressed with seals Xiesheng ('Life Drawing') and Qiwu ('To Equalise Things'), the frontispiece bearing a four-character inscription Zhenfu zhaocai ('Auspicious Edict, Beautiful Jade'), impressed with a seal Taishang Huangdi ('Emperor Emeritus'), together with a wood front cover carved with the characters Zhenfu zhaocai filled-in with ground lapis lazuli

Collection of L. de Luca, 1900 (according to inscription).

The bi disc is in overall good condition. There are some typical minor nicks and bruises, with the largest nick measuring about 0.3 cm to the right dragon on the front, and the largest bruise of about 0.5 cm to the cloud of the terminal on the back. There is also some wear and foxing to the album, and the front cover has been detached from the leaves. Some of the lapis lazuli on the cover is retained. Most of the original mounts, including the silk and paper borders, are intact.
"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 Qianlong emperor's penchant for the antique saw a great number of copies of ancient jades and archaistic carvings to be produced during his reign. This expertly carved piece is based on the bi, an ancient ritual disc that according to Han ritual texts and commentaries symbolised Heaven. Although this piece was not intended to serve any ritual purpose, under the Qianlong emperor jade discs continued to be associated with Heaven and were seen as a symbol of power and the Emperor's appreciation of antiquity. A closely related example mounted in a very similar album, but illustrating a leafy bamboo branch, in the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, is published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 127; another, with the album illustrating a marigold, was sold in these rooms, 27^th April 2003, lot 3, and was included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade from the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 21; and a third example, but lacking the album, in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, is included in James C.S. Lin, The Immortal Stone. Chinese Jades from the Neolithic Period to the Twentieth Century, Cambridge, 2009, pl. 77a and b.

For the prototype of this bi, see a large disc decorated with a pair of dragons in ornate openwork excavated in the tomb of Liu Sheng (d. 113BC) at Mancheng, Hebei province, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji yuqi, vol. 9, Beijing, 1991, pl. 164. See also another bi attributed to the Eastern Han dynasty (AD25-220) similarly carved with chilong flanking the characters chang le ('happiness') in openwork carving above a disc, in the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (I), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 217; together with a jade bi carved with a dragon and two phoenixes, attributed to the Western Han dynasty (206BC-AD9), pl. 215.