A WHITE JADE ARCHAISTIC HANDLED VASE AND COVER QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD |

of archaistic you form, the flattened pear-shaped body rising from a stepped oval foot to a waisted neck with an everted rim, flanked by a pair of scroll loop handles interlinked with a curved upright handle, the body finely worked in shallow relief with stylised masks and archaistic scrolls below pendent cicada lappets, bordered by key-fret bands around the rims and foot, the domed cover surmounted by an oval ropetwist finial, the stone of an even white tone

Perfectly proportioned and expertly finished to a lustrous sheen, this vase belongs to a group of jade vessels created in the Qianlong era that successfully combine archaic forms and designs with contemporary styles in response to the Emperor’s eclectic taste. The craftsman of the present piece has skilfully taken the large form of an archaic bronze you vessels, and combined it with a taotie mask that has been simplified into an elegant, almost abstract motif. By reducing the size and refining the design, the craftsman has created a delicate jade piece that is far-removed from the imposing nature of the bronze original.   This vase was fashioned from a jade boulder of large size and attractive even colour. Such jade boulders were frequently sent as tribute gifts to the court from the jade-rich territories of Khotan and Yarkand, areas opened only after the Qing army’s conquest of the north-western territories. The finest quality pebbles were then selected to be carved by artisans working in the Palace Workshop, in the jade workshops of Suzhou, or in those belonging to the Huai and Changlu Administrations. The finished product was later presented to the emperor for approval and displayed in the Palace.

For other you-shaped vases from the Qianlong period, see two white jade vases with a plain swing handle, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Yang Boda, Chinese Jades Throughout the Ages. Connoisseurship of Chinese Jades, vol. 12, Hong Kong, 1997, pls 48 and 49. See also a white jade you-shaped vase from the estate of Baron Pierre de Menasce, sold at Doyle New York, 17th March 2014, lot 273.