An exceptional very pale green jade 'double happiness' vase


QianlongExquisitely carved on each side of the flattened baluster vase with a double xi (happiness) character encircled by three stylised peony blooms borne on meandering foliate scrolls interlinked by a ring and a ruyi-head within a recessed frame, the narrow sides with two single xi characters, each surrounded by a stylised ruyi-head cartouche, the waisted neck enclosing a border of archaistic lappets flanked by a pair of animal mask-handles suspending loose rings, the lustrous stone of a greenish-white tone. 20.6cm (8in) high.
|清乾隆 青白玉纏枝花卉雙喜活環瓶Provenance:Captain James Gunter, circa 1860Marchant, LondonExhibited, Published and Illustrated:Marchant, 90th Anniversary Exhibition: Ninety Jades for 90 Years, London, 2015, no.82來源：詹姆斯·岡特上尉舊藏，約1860年倫敦Marchant展覽、出版及著錄：Marchant，《玉器九十，90週年特展》，倫敦，2015年，編號82The present vase represents the superb workmanship of the imperial jade ateliers with a combination of two imperial styles of jade carving favoured by the Qianlong emperor. The archaic bronze inspired hu form and the design of still leaf band encircling the neck and the mythical beast handles blends perfectly with the Mughal-style inspired elaborate and complex designs of foliate lotus flowers. The addition of the traditional Chinese elements of the shuangxi 'double happiness' characters suggests that the vase was probably specially commissioned for an imperial wedding or birthday celebrations.The vase is particularly noteworthy for its fine quality of jade stone and impressive size. The access to such large-sized high quality jade material by the Imperial workshops was made possible after the Qianlong emperor's Western campaigns and subjugation of the Dzungars and Xinjiang between 1755 and 1759.A similar vase and cover of this form also with double xi characters, previously in the R. Norris Shreve collection, was later sold at Sotheby's New York, 16th September 2009, lot 260. Another related pale green jade vase with similar Mughal-style lotus flowers, but without xi characters, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 October 2001, lot 712.See also a related pale green jade vase and cover of similar form, Qianlong, formerly from the Joanna Lau Sullivan Trust, which was sold at Bonhams New York, 14 March 2016, lot 8064.A spinach green jade vase of similar form, Qianlong mark and period, formerly in the collections of Alfred Morrison, Fonthill House, and the collection of H.M. Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, is illustrated in The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, London, 2013, pp.106-7, no.25.玉質偏青，局部有雲狀紋理，略帶皮色。器為仿古造型，扁方體，瓶身兩側有獸耳，腹部呈梯形，方形足，頸部雕仿古如意雲頭紋，腹壁淺浮纏枝蓮花雙喜紋，側壁仿古如意開光各雕兩喜字。整器紋飾繁複，器形大方，為典型清宮玉雕陳設器。此活環瓶為乾隆宮廷玉雕中難得一例，其紋飾集宮廷仿古式、痕都斯坦式、以及傳統吉祥圖案紋飾為一體，盡顯乾隆皇帝對「好古求新」的審美觀。乾隆皇帝慕古如痴，在藝術上極力倡導「復古」及「仿古」，強調玉器應向古器物學習，即謂「玩物仍存師古情」。為讓宮廷造辦處領會其要求，乾隆皇帝經常將內府收藏青銅彝器作為藍本讓玉匠創作。其繁複紋飾及扁平式蓮花，亦是收到乾隆帝極為讚賞的「痕都斯坦」玉之影響。兩種審美元素合二為一，恰如其分。玉瓶玉質溫潤，用料講究。乾隆年間平定了準格爾叛亂(1755-1759)，打通了新疆和田玉內運的道路，清代玉器的玉料來源問題從而解決，加上清宮玉匠技藝精湛，也使玉器發展達到了頂峰。從匠工對玉料的大方運用可推斷出此器很有可能是乾隆帝平定準噶爾後所出之品。參看一件類似的青白玉雙喜活環瓶，後售於紐約蘇富比，2009年9月16日，拍品編號260，其器形及紋飾類似，但不及本瓶繁複。另見香港佳士得曾售出一例，器形相似，但無喜字，2001年10月30日，拍品編號712。英國伍夫收藏一件清乾隆碧玉仿古扁方瓶，曾為放山居舊藏，可資參考，見《伍夫收藏中國玉器》，倫敦，2013年，頁106-07，編號25。