


A very fine white jade 'twin-fish' bowl Qianlong
HK$120,000 - HK$150,000
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A very fine white jade 'twin-fish' bowl
The shallow bowl elegantly rising from a spreading foot to a slightly flaring rim, the interior superbly carved in low relief with a pair of fish in mirror image, the exterior meticulously decorated with raised vertical flanges around the body, the attractive translucent stone of even white tone, wood stand. 9.9cm (3 7/8in) diam. (2).
Footnotes
清乾隆 白玉出戟雙魚小碟
Provenance:
An English private collection
來源:
英國私人舊藏
The present bowl is remarkable for its translucent white stone and auspicious symbolism. The twin-fish symbol is considered as one of the most auspicious motifs of the Eight Buddhist Emblems, bajixiang, representing freedom from restraint as well as the wish for marital bliss, prosperity and an abundance of good luck. As fish are reputed to swim in pairs and are known for their reproductive powers, the double-fish also signifies the joys of union and numerous offspring.
The Qianlong Emperor favoured forms and designs inspired by antiquity. The ridges on the present bowl were inspired by Western Zhou dynasty bronze gui ritual food vessels, and the design of fish can be seen on Eastern Zhou dynasty bronze pan vessels, with twin-fish appearing more frequently from the Song dynasty onwards. Compare a larger pale green jade twin-fish basin, dated 1786, with similar fish design, illustrated by M.Knight, He Li, and T.Tse Bartholomew, Later Chinese Jades: Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, 2007, p.180, pl.181; see also two larger jade twin-fish basins carved with double fish in mirror image, Qianlong, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated by Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pls.7 and 9.
A larger white and russet jade 'twin-fish and bajixiang' 'marriage' bowl, Qianlong, was sold in these Rooms, 4 June 2015, lot 41.
此雙魚玉碟玉質純淨,外壁出戟設計受上古彝器啟發,內飾雙魚更於宋代多見,可謂宮廷仿古玲瓏佳器一例。三藩市亞洲藝術博物館藏一件尺寸較大青白玉雕雙魚盤,見M.Knight, He Li 及 T.Tse Bartholomew,《Later Chinese Jades: Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco》,三藩市,2007年,頁180,圖版181;另見台北國立故宮博物院藏兩件清乾隆玉雕雙魚大盤,著錄於《宮廷之雅:清代仿古及畫意玉器特展圖錄》,台北,1997年,圖7及9。
香港邦瀚斯曾售出清乾隆白玉雕八吉祥雙魚洗,可資比較,2015年6月4日,拍品編號41。