A large finely carved white jade 'dragon' archaistic vessel, Gu, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆　白玉雙龍戲珠紋花觚

拍品描述

Property of a Gentleman 士紳收藏 31 cm Exquisitely worked from a substantial boulder of fine white jade, the present vessel is a magnificent example of the archaistic jades produced during the Qianlong reign. The form derives from ancient bronze ritual wine vessels, gu, which were highly revered by the Qianlong Emperor in his pursuit of antiquity (fanggu). This classic, structured form is brilliantly juxtaposed with the dynamic, high-relief carving of dragons soaring amidst clouds in pursuit of flaming pearls, demonstrating the exceptional skill and unbridled creativity of the imperial lapidaries. For related examples, compare two jade gu vases of similar inspiration but smaller proportions. The first, a vase carved with five dragons and dated to the Kangxi period, was formerly in the collection of Heber R. Bishop and is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 02.18.445). The second, a similar Qianlong period jade gu vase decorated with a dragon design, is preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (accession no. GUYU001056N). See also an smaller gu vase with a similar design of the dragon in the Shandong Museum, exbhited in Purity and Beauty: A Selection of Jades from Shandong Museum Collection, Shandong, 30 January 2022 - 24 March 2024, no. 4. 本品取材碩大，白玉質地瑩潤，雕工精湛，實為乾隆時期仿古玉器之宏偉佳作。其器形源自商周青銅酒器「觚」，迎合乾隆帝之慕古情懷。經典之仿古器形與高浮雕之雙龍戲珠紋相得益彰，游龍穿梭於祥雲之間，氣韻生動，盡顯清宮造辦處玉匠之卓絕技藝。 比較兩件尺寸較小之相關作例：其一為清康熙玉雕五龍紋花觚，原為 Heber R. Bishop 舊藏，現存於紐約大都會藝術博物館（館藏編號02.18.445）；另一例為清乾隆玉雕龍紋花觚，藏於台北國立故宮博物院（館藏編號故玉001056N）。另見山東博物館藏一件尺寸較小的雙龍戲珠紋花觚，其龍紋及龍紋雕刻與本品非常相似，見《玉潤生香：山東博物館藏玉器展》，20223年1月30日至2024年3月24日，編號4。

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