A large spinach-green jade ‘dragon’ washer, Qing dynasty, 18th / 19th century | 清十八 / 十九世紀 碧玉五龍戲珠紋洗

Collection of Richard Salisbury (1924-1995).

Christie's New York, 13th September 2019, lot 937.

Richard Salisbury (1924-1995)收藏

紐約佳士得2019年9月13日，編號937

The present piece is an outstanding example of jade carvings from the Qianlong period (1736-1795), notable for its large size and the dynamic depiction of the intricate design featuring five powerful dragons writhing through swirling clouds and turbulent seas, pursuing flaming pearls in high relief. Its design references the Dushan dayuhai [Du Mountain basin], a massive wine basin commissioned by Kubilai Khan in 1265 during the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). Initially positioned in the Guanghan Hall of his pleasure garden, the basin was later relocated to a nearby Daoist temple following the fall of the dynasty. It remained obscured until the 18th century when the Qianlong Emperor rediscovered it, acquired it from the Daoist temple, and moved it back to the imperial gardens in 1745. As a passionate jade collector, the Qianlong Emperor was so taken with this massive piece, that he ordered it to be cleaned and polished. He even composed three imperial poems expressing his admiration in 1746, 1749 and 1774, and had them all inscribed onto the body of the basin.

Driven by this passion, a series of jade with a similar design but in various of sizes were commissioned by the Emperor. Compare several pieces on this subject, one closely related example, sold in these rooms, 10th November 2010, lot 316; one in slightly smaller size and in white jade, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9th October 2007, lot 1335; and one in slightly smaller size and in grey jade, illustrated in Treasure of Imperial Jade. The Collection of the Qing Court Special Exhibition, Beijing, 2018, pl. 42. Compare also several closely related examples with imperial inscriptions, one in celadon jade, from the collection of Summer Palace, Beijing, illustrated in op.cit., pl. 50; and a slightly larger one, from the collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016) Irving, and later gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, sold in our New York rooms, 20th September 2019, lot 20.