Lot 129. A fine white jade bowl, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Estimate 300,000 — 500,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's;

superbly carved with deep rounded sides rising to a gently everted rim, supported on a neatly cut footring, the smoothly polished stone of even pale celadon-white colour with light occasional cloud inclusions - 15.6 cm, 6 1/8  in.

Notes: Perfectly proportioned and finished to a lustrous sheen to draw attention to the quality of the jade, the sensitive modelling and lack of any embellishment reflects the deep respect for the stone itself. Such bowls represent some of the finest jade carving of the Qianlong period as such large flawless stones, characterised by an evenness of tone, were only available from the mid-18th century to result in the production of complete services for the imperial court.

Further bowls of this type, and possibly from this special commissioned group, include one included in the exhibition Later Chinese Jades. Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, 2007, cat. no. 113, where it is noted that the thin walls of the vessel highlight the translucence of the material and purity of its colour, two characteristics shared with its porcelain prototypes. A pair of bowls, in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pl. 29:13, where the author notes that such undecorated jade vessels in porcelain shapes probably represented the highest quality eating and drinking utensils. Sumptuary laws, which restricted the use of jade vessels, and passages in novels that mention the utilitarian use of jade cups and bowls, indicate that jade was highly valued and used for eating and drinking (see p. 400). Compare also a bowl included in the exhibition A Romance With Jade, From the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 116; a pair, from the collection of Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Dingwall DSO, sold in our London rooms, 14th May 2014, lot 23; a pair, from the Cunliffe collection, sold at Bonhams London, 11th November 2002, lot 10, and again in these rooms, ; and another pair sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2012, lot 3001. 

 A fine pair of white jade bowls, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Sold 458,500 GBP at Sotheby's London, 14th May 2014, lot 23. Photo Sotheby's.

Qianlong mark and period bowls of this form carved from various coloured jade stones are also known; see two, one of spinach green colour and the other white, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 3248; and a pair of jadeite bowls sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 31st October 1995, lot 754, and again in our New York rooms, 20th March 2012, lot 278.

A pair of jadeite bowls, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Sold 43,750 USD at Sotheby's New York, 20th March 2012, lot 278. Photo Sotheby's.

Sotheby's. The Muwen Tang Collection of Chinese Jades, Hong Kong, 01 Dec 2016, 10:00 AM