Important Chinese Art including Imperial Jades from the De An Tang Collection

Important Chinese Art including Imperial Jades from the De An Tang Collection

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 3602. A superbly carved white jade archaistic 'chilong' bi disc Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 白玉螭龍紋璧.

Property from the De An Tang Collection 德安堂藏玉

A superbly carved white jade archaistic 'chilong' bi disc Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 白玉螭龍紋璧

Auction Closed

October 13, 04:27 AM GMT

Estimate

3,000,000 - 5,000,000 HKD

Lot Details

Description

Property from the De An Tang Collection

A superbly carved white jade archaistic 'chilong' bi disc

Qing dynasty, Qianlong period

德安堂藏玉

清乾隆 白玉螭龍紋璧


exceptionally worked in high relief on one side with three chilong clambering sinuously, two of the larger ones rendered in openwork with well-defined muscular outlines, the reverse decorated in low relief with whorls encircled by a 'rope-twist' fillet and a band of taotie masks and archaistic dragon motifs, stand

18.8 cm

Spink & Son Ltd., London.


Spink & Son Ltd.,倫敦

The white jade bi disc is carved with three chilong dragons in relief on one side. Two of the dragons are larger while the third smaller, all dancing in circles with their lithe bodies rendered with impressive agility and vitality. The other side bears a band of archaistic dragon motifs and a 'rope-twist' fillet enclosing a 'grain' pattern. The Qianlong Emperor, who was very fond of chilong dragons, once interpreted chi as xi (bliss), and therefore impelled many imperial works of art to feature a chilong decoration.


The present disc was inspired by an archaic jade prototype. Considerable in size, the carving required an extravagance of materials and craftsmanship. In the 24th year of his reign (1759), the Qianlong Emperor won the campaigns against the Dzungars and secured the pacification of Xinjiang, which gave rise to an abundance of jade supply for the Palace Workshops (Zaobanchu) to deploy their prowess with. Upon the Emperor's orders, jade wares of various forms and remarkable sizes were made to incorporate either an archaistic theme or other ideas, manifesting the heyday of an empire.


The Qianlong Emperor had a deep reverence for antiquity as well as a great passion for collecting antiques, particularly earlier jades. It is documented that eight hundred or so poems composed by the Emperor are odes to jade, including more than sixty praising jade bi discs from the Zhou and Han dynasties. In response to the Emperor's command, Workshops of the Imperial Household Department (Neiwufu Zuofang) referred to exemplars on Kaogu tu [Illustrations for the study of antiquity], Bogu tu [Illustrated catalogue of antique treasures], etc. to incarnate the charm of antiquity; moreover, the emperor's personal conception and modification combined aesthetics of the bygones and tastes of the contemporaries, which encapsulated the spirit of ancient cultures and defined the characteristics of the Qianlong period.


白玉璧一面浮雕三條螭龍,兩大一小對舞,身型矯健靈活,威猛有力。另一面邊飾古龍紋,內飾穀紋,中間以繩紋相間。乾隆對螭龍情有獨鍾,曾譯螭為「喜」,因此在宮廷作品中常見以螭龍為裝飾紋飾。


此器以古玉璧為藍本,造型碩大,用料奢侈,精雕細琢。乾隆二十四年(1759年),平定新疆準噶爾回部,玉料供應豐富,造辦處得以從心所欲,在皇帝的意旨下創造出種類繁多、造型碩大的仿古及其他題材的玉器,展現盛世風華。


乾隆皇帝好古慕雅,熱衷古玩收藏,尤其癡迷於玉器。據記載乾隆詠玉詩八百餘首,其中逾六十首吟誦周或漢代玉璧。他命內務府作坊依據《考古圖》、《博古圖》等圖譜仿製,不但著重仿古神韻,更親自設計修改,融合復古及當代審美元素,傳承古代文化精神,形成了乾隆朝獨有的時代特色。