- 3026
A FINE AND RARE YELLOW JADE BOWL SONG TO MING DYNASTY
Estimate
2,000,000 - 2,500,000 HKD
bidding is closed
Description
- jade
exquisitely worked with steep conical sides supported on a slightly splayed foot, the lustrous warm yellow stone mottled with attractive russet and icy inclusions to the sides and accentuated with a long patch of russet skin bordering the rim, wood stand
Condition
The bowl is in overall good condition. There are occasional expected shallow nicks and tiny bruises to the rim and foot, the largest measuring 0.5 cm to the rim, as well as typical surface wear.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Early yellow jade vessels are extremely rare and the value of this boulder is evident in the incorporation of the skin of the precious stone into the overall composition of the bowl to maximise its full usage and minimise wastage. Produced from the Tang dynasty onwards, jade vessels represent the most valuable eating and drinking utensils and were thus used solely by the nobility or the emperor and only during special occasions. The high status associated with such vessels is demonstrated by the 12th century writer Zhou Hui, according to whom the Huizong Emperor (1101-27) commented regarding the use of two jade cups: “I would like to use these at the banquet but am worried people might criticise me for being too extravagant” (translated in Ming Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 2004, p. 35).
A slightly larger bowl of similar form, attributed to the Song dynasty, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, is illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 5, Tang, Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Beijing, 2011, pl. 70, together with a white jade version, but carved on the interior, pl. 71; another, but with a lipped rim, from the collection of J.C. Thomson and now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, was included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, cat. no. 274; and two further bowls of circular form, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, are illustrated in Angus Forsyth and Brian McElney, Jades from China, Bath, 1994, pls. 249 and 251. Compare also a bowl with flared sides, unearthed from the Southern Song tomb of Zhu Xiyan and his wife at Chengguan, Xiuning, Anhui province, and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Unearthed Jades in China, Beijing, 2005, vol. 6, pl. 174.
A slightly larger bowl of similar form, attributed to the Song dynasty, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, is illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 5, Tang, Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Beijing, 2011, pl. 70, together with a white jade version, but carved on the interior, pl. 71; another, but with a lipped rim, from the collection of J.C. Thomson and now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, was included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, cat. no. 274; and two further bowls of circular form, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, are illustrated in Angus Forsyth and Brian McElney, Jades from China, Bath, 1994, pls. 249 and 251. Compare also a bowl with flared sides, unearthed from the Southern Song tomb of Zhu Xiyan and his wife at Chengguan, Xiuning, Anhui province, and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Unearthed Jades in China, Beijing, 2005, vol. 6, pl. 174.
The form of this bowl, with steeply flared sides and a slightly everted foot rim, appears to have been inspired by contemporary silver and ceramic wares; see for example a silver bowl, unearthed in Pengzhou and now in the Pengzhou Municipal Museum, illustrated in Song Yun, Sichuan jiaocang wenwu ji zuo [Selected relics from the Sichuan hoards], Beijing, 2006, pl. 182; and a qingbai cup, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Qingbai Ware. Chinese Porcelain of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, London, 2002, pl. 39.