A RARE WHITE JADE 'LOTUS AND EGRET' TEAPOT AND COVER QING DYNASTY, 18TH – EARLY 19TH CENTURY | 清十八至十九世紀初 白玉雕一路清廉蓋壺
Auction Closed
October 9, 08:09 AM GMT
Estimate
1,800,000 - 2,500,000 HKD
Lot Details
Description
A RARE WHITE JADE 'LOTUS AND EGRET' TEAPOT AND COVER
QING DYNASTY, 18TH – EARLY 19TH CENTURY
清十八至十九世紀初 白玉雕一路清廉蓋壺
the vessel skilfully rendered as a lotus pod supported on an openwork base issuing from a cluster of stems forming the handle and bearing blooms and leaves across the vessel, the exterior of the teapot further decorated with a flying egret, the cover similarly detailed with veins to simulate a leaf, all surmounted by an openwork finial of an egret and scrolls, wood stand
h. 13.5 cm, 5 ¼ in.
This sophisticated teapot is remarkable for its elegant lotus leaf design, with floral sprigs and leaves fluidly carved in relief while curling stems frame one side of the vessel to form a handle. It belongs to a distinct group of jade ware popular from the 18th century, whose complex and precisely executed floral designs display both the artistic skill and technical know-how of jade carvers of that period, and an increasing taste for elaborate works of art. A related jade teapot and cover of similar design was sold in these rooms, 29th November 1979, lot 419, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th April 1996, lot 706. See also a larger teapot and cover from the collection of Sir Quo-Wei Lee, attributed to the 19th century and sold in these rooms, 28th November 2019, lot 88. See also a jade teapot of more compressed form, illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, Geneva, 1976, pl. B76.
This design on this piece is closely associated with academic success – the recumbent bird carved on the finial is an egret lu, homophonic with the Chinese word for road, whilst the lotus, lian and its seeds ke, are a pun for lianke, a phrase that can be translated as “passing the civil service examinations, one after the other”. Together, these symbols form the rebus yilu lianke, “May you pass your civil service exams all the way”.
此壺以一把荷葉枝為柄，枝梗伸展，荷葉為底，荷花依壺壁而長，搖曳生姿，優雅雋美。此類裝飾手法，盛行於十八世紀，以複雜的紋飾爭艷鬥麗，展示工匠們的鬼斧神工。
參考一紋飾相近之蓋壺，售於香港蘇富比1979年11月29日，編號419，再售於香港佳士得1996年4月29日，編號706。利國偉爵士舊藏也有一例，尺寸較大，斷代十九世紀，2019年11月28日經香港蘇富比易手，編號88。還見一例，收入約翰．艾爾斯，《The Baur Collection》，日內瓦，1976年，圖版B76。
此壺蓋上雕荷葉鷺鷥，蓋壺呼應，形成了一路蓮科的吉祥意願。古時科舉時代，仕子們為求功名，在器物裝飾吉祥寓意的紋飾，「一路連科」表示科舉仕途順利，便是仕子們的美好意願。蓮又與廉諧音，遂也有「一路清廉」之意。