A PALE CELADON JADE 'PRUNUS' VASE, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

來源

史蒂芬•瓊肯三世（1978年逝）收藏

The blossoms of the plum tree (prunus) are symbolic of perseverance and purity. Plum blossoms flourish through the cold winter months and announce the coming of spring through their vitality. They are often associated with literati taste to signify the loftiness and persistence of the cultivated man. The five petals are also emblematic of the Five Blessings: old age, wealth, health, love of virtue, and a peaceful death. 

Compare a pale celadon jade example, also in trunk form decorated on the sides with a pine tree and a crane, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo Yuqi Quanji, vol. 6: Qing [The Complete Collection of Chinese Jade], Hebei, 1991, pl. 284. See also a gray and brown jade vase carved with prunus from the Alan and Simone Hartman Collection, illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl.118, later offered at Christie's Hong Kong, 28th November 2006, lot 1379. See also a white and russet jade'prunus' brush pot sold at Christie's London, 10th May 2016, lot 53. 

梅花不畏嚴寒，暗發清香，凌歲寒而獨開，自古以來象徵堅韌不拔的毅力及純潔的品格，正是古代文人所推崇的崇高精神。梅開五瓣，象征五福，代表長壽、財富、健康、幸福及安享晚年。

參考一青玉松鶴長春圖花插，藏北京故宮博物院，載於《中國玉器全集•清》，卷6，河北，1991年，圖版284。再比一灰玉梅花瓶例，Alan及Simone Hartman 舊藏，載於 Robert Kleiner，《Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman》，香港，1996年，圖版118，後售於香港佳士得2006年11月28日，編號1379。另比一白玉梅花筆筒例，售於倫敦佳士得2016年5月10日，編號53。