Rare et important vase couvert en jade céladon pâle et rouille Dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong

de forme balustre aplatie reposant sur un pied évasé ceint d'un filet en relief, le pourtour finement sculpté d'une bande de masques taotie à l'expression féroce entre des feuilles de bananier verticales décorées de motifs géométriques archaïsants, le col flanqué de deux chilong stylisés formant les anses ajourées de part et d'autre, le couvercle bombé sculpté de feuilles similaires et surmonté d'une prise lotiforme, la pierre translucide tachetée de petites inclusions noires et rehaussée de rouille (2)

Acquired in China between 1894 and 1922.
Thence in the family by descent.

Both vase and cover are in overall very good condition. There is a ca. 0.4x0.2cm large chip to the outside rim of the vase, and small fritts scattered along inside and outside of the rim of the vase and cover as well as the raised pars of the carved handles. There is a natural fissure/vein running diagonally across the middle of the body on one side of the design that has been cleverly incorporated into the design of the vase and partially disguised by the applied russet streaks to the exterior. The other russet areas visible on the exterior of the vase disguise underlying areas of the stone where it is less clean and translucent, particularly below the right side of one handle and in the centre of one side of the body. There are a black line inclusion in the stone running in an almost straight line through the inside of the vase across the base. There are tiny black specks scattered across the stone as well as small specks of calcification. The foot was probably made from the same piece of stone (quality, speckling and calcified spots the same as on the vase) but was probably made separately and invisibly attached to the base of the vase. The vase is of even tone, only slighlty darker in the centre of one side of the vase. The vase is large and well-hollowed though heavy in weight. The stone of a very light pale celadon tone polished to a soft shine. The cover was made in one piece and of the same piece of stone as the vase.
"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."

Perfectly proportioned and smoothly finished to a lustrous sheen, this vase was carved from a remarkably large jade boulder of unusually even colour. The craftsman’s respect for the stone, one of the most prized in China, is reflected in the superbly carved decoration that enhances the quality of the stone and cleverly incorporates the natural russet inclusions into the design. Jade boulders of this large size originated in the jade-rich territories of Khotan and Yarkand, areas opened only after the Qing army’s conquest of the north-western territories in the 18th century. The Qianlong emperor himself frequently praised the qualities of the jades from Khotan in poems incised on specific jades vessels.

Like the magnificent jade rhyton in lot 88, the form and design of the present vase were inspired by archaic bronzes of the late Shang and Western Zhou periods. It is based on an archaic bronze vessel known as hu and the finely carved band of a stylized taotie masks across the body and the upright cicada motifs around the neck were also clearly inspired by archaic bronze designs. However, the almost grotesque handles in the shape of bottle-nosed mythical beast heads were borrowed from contemporary designs and can be found on other jade vessels imitating archaic forms such on a white jade censer with related elaborately carved bird-shaped handles from the Avery Brundage Collection and now in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, published in Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argence, Chinese Jades in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1977, pl. LIV. In the same collection is a related large hu-shaped celadon jade vase with elephant handles and missing the cover, illustrated ibid., pl. LII. Compare also a smaller yellow jade hu-shaped vase and cover carved with a somewhat abstract taotie motif, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 10, Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl. 15.