An exceptional and finely carved white jade teapot and cover, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 白玉金剛杵鈕萬壽如意耳茶壺

Collection of the Estate of Sammie Sanford Dunn.

Christie's New York, 21st March 2000, lot 136.

Sammie Sanford Dunn 遺產舊藏

紐約佳士得2000年3月21日，編號136

A Romance with Jade: From the De An Tang Collection, Yongshougong, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 96.

《玉緣：德安堂藏玉》，永壽宮，故宮博物院，北京，2004年，編號96

Imperial white jade teapots are incredibly rare and highly coveted, with only less than a handful of surviving examples of comparable quality. This teapot is remarkable for the superb quality of its material and craftsmanship. The translucency and smooth polish of the jade suggest that it was made in the latter part of the Qianlong reign, when high-quality white jade boulders became readily available after the Western campaigns, which subjugated the Dzungars and secured control over the jade-rich territories of Khotan and Yarkand. This teapot is finely worked with a globular body and surmounted by a matching cover with a Buddhist vajra finial. The well-proportioned body is set with an elegant double-strapped handle, which is adorned with an auspicious ruyi-tab, with the straps ending in a stylized shou-character, expressing the wish for good fortune and longevity.

Chinese jade carvings reached an unprecedented peak during the reign of the jade-obsessed Qianlong Emperor. This period produced an abundance of jade masterpieces, especially those intended for use in the imperial court. Most carvings are practical vessels, such as incense burners, vases, boxes, ewers, bowls, washers and parfumiers. Among these vessels, jade teapots and ewers were one of the most demanding in craft and quality of the raw jade; they require a considerable amount of raw jade material. During the Kangxi and early Qianlong reigns, the jade-producing Khotan and Yarkent regions were occupied by the Dzungars, which limited the availability of natural jade. The court resorted to modifying jades remaining from previous dynasties, or using raw jade sent as tribute or smuggled into the interior, resulting in limited production. During the 24th year of the Qianlong reign, the Qing army defeated the Dzungar Khanate definitively and administered it through a regional government. Beginning in the 25th year of the Qianlong reign, the four sub-Khanates began to send raw jades to Beijing, which later developed into a formal system of biannual tribute of 4000 jin of raw jade, once in spring and once in autumn. At its height, the system contributed some 300,000 jin of raw jades. In the 56th year of the Qianlong reign, one tribute consisted of 5585 blocks of raw jade. The sheer quality of the white jade stone on this impeccable teapot points to it having been sourced from one of such tributes.

白玉茶壺，瑩潔剔透，圓潤柔美，細膩無瑕，乃私人玉壺收藏中最精湛之器。乾隆中後期，攻克準噶爾部，取新疆進貢石料所製精美御用玉器，其中如同本品之至高品質者，珍稀罕有，玉質淨潔光亮，精工巧製，堪稱盛清玉雕之最，象徵中國文明之巔峰與興盛。本壺用上等和闐白玉雕琢而成，玉質細膩溫潤，平肩鼓腹，壺流線條柔弧簡練，蓋鈕鏤雕金剛杵，耳飾萬壽如意，雕工精巧、打磨細膩。

至清代，中國玉雕工藝發展已臻成熟，自玉料開採至雕琢技術都已是經驗豐富，乾隆帝愛玉，更為大力推動，促使當朝玉雕藝術發展至巔峰。此期湧現了大量精美絕倫之玉雕，尤其是宮廷陳設用玉，至今仍無法超越。陳設品中，器皿類玉器所佔比例甚高，如爐、瓶、盒、壺、碗、洗、香薰等，此類不僅具實用功能，亦為日常陳設作用。其中，玉壺乃工藝最為複雜，對玉料要求最高的玉質器皿之一。因此，相比於其它類玉器，清代製作並遺留下來的玉壺，為數甚稀。製作玉壺對原材料的需求很大，玉質要求也很高。從康熙到乾隆朝前期，出產美玉的和闐、葉爾羌地區被準噶爾部佔領，西北交通不暢，玉路不通，宮廷用玉或為改製前朝舊玉，或靠進貢與走私玉料，故製作的並不太多。至乾隆二十四年，清軍徹底擊潰了準噶爾部，鞏固了西北邊疆的統治，設置官府，將新疆地區納入中央政府的統一管轄。從乾隆二十五年開始，四部玉貢進京，形成正式的貢玉制度，年例供玉分春秋兩季向清廷貢玉，每年四千斤，其實最盛時清廷每年收進三十萬斤玉料，乾隆五十六年，一次進京就有五千五百八十五塊玉料。本品玉質淨白無瑕。細緻溫潤，即為如此大量玉材中，細細淘選而來之珍料。