A FINELY CARVED WHITE JADE SQUARE BOWL QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

the tapering sides rising from a short spreading foot, with articulated handles in the form of 'climbing' chilong, each with ruyi clasped in their jaws, the front and reverse panels carved in low relief with a lively four claw dragon writhing above waves among trailing cloud scrolls, the stone of an even white tone

It is likely that this bowl would have originally had feet to the corners of the base, which have been removed and re-carved. There is a 2.5cm crack running through the base from the sides of where one of these feet would have been. There are also some flaws in the stone.
"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."

Perfectly proportioned and smoothly polished to a lustrous sheen, this bowl has been carved from a fine and luminous white stone. White jade boulders of this exceptional quality became available in larger quantities after the Western campaigns, which subjugated the Dzungars and secured control over the area of Khotan and Yarkand, in present day Xinjiang. Prior to the conquest, jade came in relatively small boulders to the Imperial Workshops and many poems of the Emperor deplore the scarcity of the material.

 

A slightly smaller square bowl, the body left undecorated and the handles somewhat less elaborate, from the collection of Sir John Woolf, was included in the exhibition The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, Sotheby’s, London, 2013, cat. no. 40, and sold at Christie’s London, 6th June 1988, lot 1. See also a square bowl, in the form of a rice measure (dou), carved on the exterior with figures and on the interior with a dragon, is illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jade from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 66.

 

Similar square vessels are also known in smaller sizes; see for example a pair of square cups with rectangular handles sold in our New York rooms, 19th March 2013, lot 42; another cup sold in our New York rooms, 27th February 1981, lot 463; and a third example with a single handle, from the collection of Alice Tully, sold in these rooms, 6th June 1995, lot 68.