A white jade carving of a bridge scene and a green jade base brush rest, Qing dynasty, 18th - 19th century | 清十八至十九世紀 白玉及青玉雕橋形筆架

Collection of Sir Anthony Stainton, KCB, QC (1913–1988), London.

The Hartman Galleries, Inc., Palm Beach, 1986.

The Florence and Herbert Irving collection, no. 447.

Christie's New York, 21st March 2019, lot 1111.

Among surviving jade carvings, single-block pieces are common, but examples combining white and reen jade like this are rare and highly unusual. The green jade forms the base, carved with rocky banks on either side and a meandering stream in between. A trapezoidal wooden bridge, rendered in white jade, spans the water. On it, a man struggles to push a laden cart uphill, while ahead, a boy leads a donkey carrying an old man who rides at ease. A gnarled wutong tree rises beside the bridge, and a small boat rests moored to a pier below. The overall design is clever and meticulously composed, with lively figures that capture the rhythms of daily life. Placed upon a desk, it creates an atmosphere full of charm and narrative interest.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, jade brush pots​, brush washers​, brush rests​, wrist rests​, paperweights​, and seals​ became extremely popular. Scholars emphasized the concept of “elegant desk accoutrements”​ , believing that the warm, smooth texture of jade stationery would not damage their brushes and could enhance the refined atmosphere of the writing desk.

By this period, jade carving subjects were no longer limited to mythical beasts. Scenes of landscapes, recluses, buffalo herding, and literary gatherings​ appeared in great numbers. These “picturesque jades”​ essentially transformed the artistic conception of literati painting into three-dimensional form, intended for display and contemplation on the scholar’s table.

For Chinese literati, jade was the embodiment of virtue, a companion in the study, and a vehicle for aesthetic appreciation. If bronze ritual vessels represented “power”​ and porcelain represented “daily life”, then jade represented the unique “inner cultivation and spiritual refinement”​ of the Chinese scholarly class.

來源

Anthony Stainton 爵士，KCB， QC（1913至1988年）收藏，倫敦

哈特曼藝廊，棕櫚島，1986年

歐雲伉儷舊藏，編號447

紐約佳士得2019年3月21日，編號1111

傳世玉器中多見一料一器，如此器白玉配以青玉者不為多見，甚為稀罕。以青玉為底，兩側雕山石，中間河水涓涓。白玉雕兩側架起梯形木橋，一人推著滿裝貨物的推車正努力地上橋，橋上一童子牽驢伴著騎驢老人悠然而行；橋側梧桐樹枝糾結，橋下小船停泊橋樁邊小憩。整體設計巧妙講究，人物栩栩如生，充滿生活氣息。置於案頭，趣意盎然。

明清時期，玉製的筆筒、筆洗、筆架、臂擱、鎮紙、印章極為盛行。文人講究「齋中清供」，認為玉質文具溫潤不傷筆毫，且能增添書案的雅緻氣息。而此時的玉雕題材不再局限於神獸，而是大量出現山水、高士、牧牛、文會等場景，這種書畫意玉器實質上是將文人畫的意境立體化，供於案頭賞玩。

玉器之於中國文人，是道德的化身、書房的伴侶、審美的載體。如果說青銅器代表「權力」，瓷器代表「生活」，那麼玉器則代表了中國文人階層獨有的「內在修養與精神格調」。