A very fine white and russet jade 'crane and lotus' pendant

Qianlong

Footnotes

清乾隆 白玉鏤雕一品連科佩

Provenance:
O.J.R. Allen Collection, acquired from Chinese Arts and Crafts (HK) Ltd. on 28 February 1978
Marchant Ltd., London

Published and Illustrated:
Marchant Ltd., Chinese Jades from the Mr O.J.R. Allen Collection, London, 2013, no.30

來源：
O.J.R. Allen舊藏，1978年2月28日購於中藝（香港）有限公司
倫敦古董商Marchant Ltd.

出版及著錄：
Marchant Ltd.，《O.J.R. Allen Collection先生藏中國玉器》，倫敦，2013年，編號30

Compare a related white and russet jade pendant carved with the 'Three Friends of Winter', Kangxi, illustrated by T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong, 2011, no.97; see also another related pendant, carved with fish and lotus, illustrated by Yang Li Juan, The Deep Affection for Jade, The ROC Society of Art Collectors, Taiwan, 1992, no.141.

The openwork techinque demonstrated in the present lot as well as the design of crane and lotus may have been inspired by jade finials and plaques of the Yuan dynasty carved with birds amongst lotus, such as the ones illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 5 Tang, Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, p.242, no.279; and in Shanghai Museum Ancient Chinese Jade Gallery, Shanghai, p.36 (bottom).

The combination of crane, yipin niao and lotus, lianhua, forms the rebus lianfeng yipin, 'may you continously be promoted to the first rank'.

白玉玉質，溫潤光澤，帶皮色。一面鏤雕一仙鶴立於荷葉上，背面保留玉皮，陰刻細線作葉脈。鶴象徵一品，又稱為「一品鳥」，於荷葉蓮花相配，寓意「一品連科」，頗具文人韻味。

類似以鏤雕工藝作佩者，見玉雕歲寒三友佩一例，著錄於霍滿棠，《韞玉生輝–松竹堂珍藏古玉》，香港，2011年，編號97；另見一例，雕刻工藝類似，著錄於楊麗娟，《濃情玉意》，中華民國文物藝術品收藏家協會，台灣，1992年，編號141。

此類以鏤雕工藝所雕玉亦多見於元代帽頂及爐頂玉雕件上，如北京故宮博物院藏一件元代青玉龜遊荷葉爐頂，《故宮博物院藏品大系：玉器編5唐宋遼金元》，北京，2011年，頁242，編號279；另見上海博物館藏一例，《上海博物館：中國古代玉器館》，上海，頁36。