A WHITE JADE 'TWIN FISH' BOWL AND COVER QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

worked from one single boulder, the bowl with deep rounded sides supported on four ruyi-shaped feet, carved in low relief to the exterior with four pairs of addorsed catfish, their sinuous curving bodies detailed with stylised scrolls, with a ruyi and a lozenge motif between their heads and tails respectively, the domed cover similarly decorated with four stylised floral motifs formed from a canopy below formalised scrolls, surmounted by a domed knop with a hollowed centre encircled by radiating lappets and a ruyi band rim, the stone of an even white tone with minor mottling

The bowl and cover are in very good condition with some expected insignificant nibbling along the edges, including the rims and feet. There are also some tiny lightly polished sections, including the petals of the cover's finial. The catalogue photo is slightly brighter than the actual colour of the stone.
"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 piece is remarkable for the even luminous tone of the stone, which has been accentuated through the exquisite carving and lustruous finish of the surface. By restricting the carved design on the body to the four twin fish, the carver draws attention to the high quality of the stone. Bowls of this form, complete with their matching covers are rare and required to be fashioned from stones of large size to allow for the cover to be created from the same boulder, as in this case. Such large jade boulders 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 eighteenth century. The Qianlong Emperor himself frequently praised the qualities of the jades from Khotan in poems incised on specific jade vessels.

Jade bowls carved with this auspicious motif of two catfish and lingzhi, which represents the wish niannian ruyi (‘May your wishes come true year after year’), are rare and no other closely related example appears to have been published. Compare a bowl and cover of similar form but carved with dragons illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 79.