A white jade 'goose' washer, Qing dynasty, 18th century | 清十八世紀 白玉瑞鵝戲水洗

Sotheby's New York, 29th November 1993, lot 54.

紐約蘇富比1993年11月29日，編號54

Of elegant oval form, the present washer is skillfully conceived, with two geese flanking the sides of the washer, beautifully carved in round and tenderly gazing towards a smaller goose within the center of the washer. By creating this intimate atmosphere amongst the bids, the craftsman has created a visually striking and tactile vessel for the scholar's studio. Imbued in the Confucian ideals of taking inspiration from the natural world, this vessel would have provided not only the functional use as a brush washer, but also served as a source of reflection and enjoyment beyond the restrictive walls of officialdom. 

See two white jade quatrefoil washers with chilong to the sides and the interior; one attributed to the Qianlong period, sold at Christie's London, 4th November 2013, lot 246; another, with a Qianlong mark and possibly of the period, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 2nd June 2015, lot 3192. Compare a white jade quatrefoil washer carved with two boys to the side and two fish in the interior, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th April 2015, lot 3744. A square washer similarly carved with a toad and crab to the interior was sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 1st December 2009, lot 2028, and 5th April 2017, lot 3712.