A MUGHAL-STYLE SPINACH-GREEN JADE ‘JI XIANG’ LOTUS JAR, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A MUGHAL-STYLE SPINACH-GREEN JADE ‘JI XIANG’ LOTUS JAR, 18TH-19TH CENTURY China. The flattened globular body rises from a gently splayed foot to high rounded shoulders and a waisted neck, terminating in a broad mouth with a subtly incurved rim. The exterior is finely carved in relief with a continuous frieze enclosing two circular medallions bearing the characters ji (fortunate) and xiang (auspicious), alternating with blossoming lotus buds amid luxuriant scrolling foliage, all framed by narrow bands of ruyi motifs. The finely polished and translucent stone displays a remarkable variation in color, appearing a deep, almost opaque dark green in reflected light and transforming into a luminous, considerably lighter spinach-green when illuminated from behind, with scattered dark specks adding further variation. One can only imagine the interplay of light and color this vessel must have displayed on a scholar’s desk in the early morning sun. Dimensions: Height 9.7 cm, Diameter 10.1 cm The form of the present jar has close precedents in Mughal jade vessels of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Compare the nephrite inkpot with gold cover made for Emperor Jahangir by Mu’min Jahangir, dated 1618-1619, 6.4 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number 29.145.2. An earlier example is the Guennol Lotus Jar, carved from green nephrite with lotus decoration, circa 1600, Akbar period, 10 cm high, sold at Sotheby’s London, 24 April 2024, lot 115. The qualities of Mughal jade were greatly admired at the Qing court, particularly by the Qianlong Emperor himself, whose appreciation of Islamic jades is well documented. The Emperor collected such works and composed poems praising their extraordinary workmanship, marveling in particular at vessels whose walls appeared to be as thin as paper. This imperial enthusiasm encouraged Chinese jade carvers to engage closely with Mughal forms and carving techniques, adapting their elegant profiles, delicate relief and naturalistic ornament to the aesthetic vocabulary of the Qing court. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2021, lot 3232 Mid-Estimate: HKD 2,500,000 or approx. EUR 404,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related manner of carving, stone, and motifs. Note the form and reign mark.

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