A RARE WHITE JADE ARCHAISTIC 'BIRD' WINE POT AND COVER QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

the vessel finely worked and polished in the form of a squat oval-section body supported on a rectangular base, with four splayed feet in the form of a stylised plantain leaf, decorated on the short end with a small stylised ruyi loop handle, all below a lobed spout extending from an archaistic taotie mask resting on the top of the vessel, the other end worked with a stylised loop handle similarly extending from angular scrollwork, the handle suspending a loose ring, the other sides of the exterior worked in low relief with a pair of stylised zoomorphic wings, the domed cover surmounted with a finial in the form of a stylised bird, the stone of an even pale green colour with icy inclusions

Christie's New York, 30th November 1983, lot 259.

The pot and cover are in overall good condition. There are occasional expected minute nibbles to the fragile extremities, including the handle and spout. The actual colour of the stone is less red than the catalogue illustration.
"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."

This wine pot belongs to a group of jade vessels made under the Qianlong Emperor that successfully combines archaic forms and designs with contemporaneous styles in response to the emperor’s eclectic taste. His love of antiquities, passion for jade and the increased supply of the raw material made it possible for craftsmen to reproduce in this precious stone works that had only been produced in bronze and ceramics.

In response to the ‘vulgarisation’ of Chinese jade carving in the 18th century, which was characterised by decorative high-relief carving, the Qianlong Emperor commissioned a large number of jades which were inspired by the forms and designs of antiquity. Jade carvers were encouraged to move away from the ‘new style’ by studying archaic bronze vessels and adapting them to the medium of jade. The copying of bronze vessels has a long history in Chinese art and also appealed to the Qianlong Emperor’s personal interest in and reverence of antiquity. As well as copying objects from the Palace collection, craftsmen referred to illustrated woodblock prints such as Xuanhe bogu tu [Illustrations for the study of antiquity]; Xiqing gujian [Mirror of the study of antiquity]; and Kaogu tu [Illustrations for the study of antiquity].

The present wine pot appears to be an amalgamation of two of archaic bronze wine vessels, the first being phoenix form ewers of the late Western to early Eastern Zhou dynasty (8th-7th century BC), such as an example from the Robert H. Ellsworth collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 17th March 2015, lot 5; and a slightly less detailed version sold at Christie’s New York, 22nd March 1999, lot 194. Although more naturalistic in bird form, with a spout protruding from the bird’s breast, they also feature the curling wings on the sides of the vessel in relief and a smaller bird surmounting the cover on the back. The present vessel’s short legs suggest it may also have been inspired by the he of the Western Zhou dynasty, such as one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Cambridge, Mass., vol. IIB, pl. 114.2.

The stylisation and shape of this wine pot are unusual and indicate the level of artistic license within the archaistic style that was encouraged during the Qianlong period. Compare a ewer and cover of this type, but with a more naturalistically carved head and the base as two feet straddling rockwork, sold in our London rooms, 2nd June 1966, lot 346; another, but carved with the spout emerging from the mouth of a dragon head and with the body of a phoenix, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, Qing Dynasty, vol. 10, Beijing, 2011, pl. 128; and another offered at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st June 2011, lot 3642. Compare also a teapot in the form of a phoenix, sold at Christie’s London, 4th November 2008, lot 9, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th November 2011, lot 3028.