A spinach-green jade archaistic fanggu-form vase, Fanggu mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆 碧玉仿古饕餮紋方觚 《大清乾隆仿古》款

Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 28th February 1980, lot 264.

Christie's New York, 20th March 2001, lot 47.

紐約蘇富比1980年2月28日，編號264

紐約佳士得2001年3月20日，編號47

A Romance with Jade: From the De An Tang Collection, Yongshougong, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 122.

《玉緣：德安堂藏玉》，永壽宮，故宮博物院，北京，2004年，編號122

This form of this finely carved jade vase draw inspiration from fanggu, archaic bronze wine vessels produced from around the late Shang dynasty. During the celebrated reign of the Qianlong emperor, driven by the emperor’s fascination with antiquities, craftsmen active in the imperial jade ateliers sought inspiration from archaic bronzes and skilfully adapted them to align with the prevailing taste of the Qing court. The design of this vase, such as the taotie motif depicted on the mid-section and the elongated blades above and below, serves as further evidence of this artistic trend.

A similar pair of spinach-green jade from a five-piece altar set in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (acc. no. A.4-1942 and A.5-1942), is published in the catalogue of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, London, 1935, no. 2508; Compare also two white jade vases of similar designs in the collection of Palace Museum, Beijing, llustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji 6: qing/ the Complete Collection of Chinese Jade, vol. 6: Qing, Shijiazhuang, 1993, pls. 361 and 362, p. 249.