- 280
清康熙 / 乾隆 灰白玉雕九龍紋洗
估價
80,000 - 120,000 USD
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招標截止
描述
- jade
of compressed ovoid form with wide rounded sides, brilliantly carved in high relief with nine fierce dragons, their sinuous scaly bodies writhing in lively motion as they emerge out of dense swirling clouds and above a whorl of roiling waves emanating from the center of the base, the stone with russet inclusions
Condition
There is restored star crack with an associated cracks that extends around the body. There are small chips along the crack to the exterior.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
拍品資料及來源
The number nine is very auspicious and there appear to be very few examples of similar jade brush washers carved with nine dragons. The dragon has long been associated with the emperor; the presence of nine dragons has even deeper imperial associations. Nine is the highest single digit, therefore, as recorded from at least the Han dynasty, dragons have nine attributes, and nine different forms. Only the most senior members of the imperial court were permitted robes with nine dragons and even then had to cover them with another layer; only the emperor could reveal all nine.
For the prototype of this washer see an early Ming washer carved with three dragons amid clouds and swirling waves included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, p. 122, cat.no. 89, where it is noted that the vessel is imperial and is based on a massive wine vessel with the same subject of the Yuan dynasty, now in Beijing. The Yuan vessel is mentioned by Yuan writers as one of the wonders of the Mongol Court. It was rescued by the Qianlong emperor from a temple where the monks used it as a vegetable container. A closely related example but of larger size and dated to the Ming dynasty is illustrated in J. P. Palmer, Jade, London, 1968, pls. 21 and 22. A larger example with three dragons and dated 16th/ 17th centuries is illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, 1996, no. 45. where the author uses the spiral pattern of the wave motif as being consistent with mid to late Ming dynasty.
The most closely related vessel, from the Lady Lever Art Gallery, is illustrated in Stanely Charles Knott, Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, London, 1962, pl. CI which features similar carved clouds and waves. Similar examples dated to the 18th century include one with five dragons dated to the 18th century see Liu Yang and Edmund Capon, Translucent World, Chinese Jade from the Forbidden City, p.202. For a green jade example in the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art, Durham, England, see Geoffrey Willis, Jade of the East, New York, 1972, p. 121, no. 102. A white jade brush washer from Yuanmingyuan was sold in our Hong Kong offices 9th October 2007, lot 1335. A washer, dated to the 18th century, with nine dragons, was sold at Christie's New York, 23rd March 2012, lot 1862.
For the prototype of this washer see an early Ming washer carved with three dragons amid clouds and swirling waves included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, p. 122, cat.no. 89, where it is noted that the vessel is imperial and is based on a massive wine vessel with the same subject of the Yuan dynasty, now in Beijing. The Yuan vessel is mentioned by Yuan writers as one of the wonders of the Mongol Court. It was rescued by the Qianlong emperor from a temple where the monks used it as a vegetable container. A closely related example but of larger size and dated to the Ming dynasty is illustrated in J. P. Palmer, Jade, London, 1968, pls. 21 and 22. A larger example with three dragons and dated 16th/ 17th centuries is illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, 1996, no. 45. where the author uses the spiral pattern of the wave motif as being consistent with mid to late Ming dynasty.
The most closely related vessel, from the Lady Lever Art Gallery, is illustrated in Stanely Charles Knott, Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, London, 1962, pl. CI which features similar carved clouds and waves. Similar examples dated to the 18th century include one with five dragons dated to the 18th century see Liu Yang and Edmund Capon, Translucent World, Chinese Jade from the Forbidden City, p.202. For a green jade example in the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art, Durham, England, see Geoffrey Willis, Jade of the East, New York, 1972, p. 121, no. 102. A white jade brush washer from Yuanmingyuan was sold in our Hong Kong offices 9th October 2007, lot 1335. A washer, dated to the 18th century, with nine dragons, was sold at Christie's New York, 23rd March 2012, lot 1862.