拍品 146
  • 146

清十八世紀中葉 / 十九世紀 玉鋪獸首鼻煙壺

估價
15,000 - 20,000 HKD
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招標截止

描述

well hollowed with a slightly concave inner lip and a recessed convex foot, carved with mask-and-ring handles, the natural network of tiny fissures in the surface enhanced with staining; the mother-of-pearl stopper with a coral collar

來源

Hugh M. Moss Ltd,倫敦,1977年
Gerd Lester 收藏(至1986年)

出版

Hugh Moss、Victor Graham 及曾嘉寶,《A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection》,卷1,香港,1996年,編號39

Condition

The snuff bottle is in overall very good condition. The lip and footrim are in good condition. The actual colour is more greyish white, less pink compared to the catalogue illustration.
"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."

拍品資料及來源

Visually, this bottle falls into the general category of so-called 'chicken-bone' jade, otherwise known as 'burnt', or 'calcified' jade. However, in this case there is no indication of either calcification due to burial or heating of the material either before or after carving. It is certain that the crackling here is natural to the material and not the result of dissection due to heat, as is the case with burnt jade, and beige is within the natural range of colours for nephrite. The carver, however, obviously noted the similarity to ancient burial material and decided to take advantage of it by further staining to add either all of the black speckling or to greatly enhance what was there. There are two obvious clues to this. The black is entirely contained within the natural cracks that permeate the stone: even the paler areas of colour between the network of surface flaws are revealed under magnification to be a secondary network of finer crackle. The second clue is that the colour was clearly added after the carving was finished, since a great deal of the black pigment is concentrated in the carving lines of the mask-and-ring handles, giving the effect of ink having been rubbed into the surface and then only partially cleaned off.

This adds almost a painterly dimension to the sculptural languages of jade carving, albeit as a wholly abstract dialect. By adding artificial colour, the jade carver could manipulate his material in the same way that a modern sculptor might choose to patinate a cast bronze with any number of possible colours and textures, changing the surface effect quite dramatically.