A rare yellow jade bowl, Qing dynasty, 18th century | 清十八世紀 黃玉盌

Marchant, London (according to label).

Canadian Private Collection, acquired in North America in the 1990s. 

馬錢特，倫敦 (標籤)

加拿大私人收藏，1990年代購於北美

Perfectly proportioned and finished to a lustrous sheen, this yellow jade bowl exemplifies the cultural and economic wealth of the 18th century under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The present bowl is exceptional for its brilliant translucent yellow coloration, which is highlighted through the absence of any embellishment. Since the Ming dynasty yellow jade was recognized by scholars and connoisseurs as one of the most valued variations of nephrite. In his miscellany Yanxian Qingshang [Refined enjoyment of elegant leisure], the dramatist Gao Lian (fl. 1573-1581) noted, "Of all jade materials, yellow stones with a mellow tone are the best and mutton-white ones come second". 

Compare a closely related example of a slightly larger size, first sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd December 1976, lot 720, later at Christie's Hong Kong, 17th January 1989, lot 897e, and published in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, cat. no. 29:14, where the author suggests the jade bowl takes the shape of a porcelain and the yellow stone color reflects the taste for highly colored ceramics. See also a pair of 18th century white jade bowls of very close form, sold at Christie's London, 6th June 2000, lot 98. 

Bowls fashioned from yellow jade are rare, and very few appeared in the market. Compare a pair of larger yellow jade bowls, attributed to the Qianlong period, sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, first 22nd May 1985, lot 305, and later 3rd October 2018, lot 3308; another with a Qianlong reign mark and of the period, sold in these rooms, 23rd March 1998, lot 349, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2009, lot 1807, from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection; and a smaller pair of bowls and covers, attributed to the Jiaqing period, from the collection of T.Y. Chao, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 18th November 1986, lot 164.