A LARGE CELADON JADE 'LOTUS FLOWER' WASHER QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

carved horizontally in the form of a large lotus bloom with rounded pointed petals and an attendant lotus pad forming the washer, resting on a seed pod and wreathed by undulating stems issuing further arrowheads and furled leaves, all stemming from a large lotus rhizome on the reverse, the translucent stone of an even pale celadon tone picked out with a few russet inclusions and finished to a smooth polish  

There are some minor small polished nicks to the edge of the end of the root on the reverse but overall the washer is in very good condition. The actual colour is quite close to the catalogue illustration.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A related washer carved with one principle lotus flower and several smaller buds and flowers, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is illustrated in Ming Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 2004, pl. 56, where the author notes that such vessels were symbolic attempts to bring the garden into the living quarters of the house (see p. 55). Similar lotus flower-form vessels include one from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware, vol. 3, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 50; and a celadon and brown jade example sold in our London rooms, 4^th November 1977, lot 377. Compare also a greyish-celadon jade brushwasher carved to form a lotus flower and leaf with a small duck, frog and snail, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, included in the Museum's exhibition Jades from China, Bath, 1994, cat. no. 308; and a white and black-speckled brushwasher in the form of two lotus pods, from the collection of Stephen Junkunc III, sold at Christie's New York, 15^th September 2009, lot 133.