A very rare Imperial inscribed greyish olive-green jade bowl, China, Qianlong period. Photo Nagel

The flared sides carved as six barbed petals, each inscribed in lishu calligraphy with a poetic inscription alluding to the beauty of nature and flowers and high-lighted in gilding, the whole raised on six ruyi supports, the translucent grey-green stone with altered areas of opaque buff and brown color. Very minor wear. D. 18,1 cm - Estimate 50 000/80 000 €

Provenance: Christie’s New York, 21.3.2000, Lot 130, former collection T.T. Tsui, Hongkong

Each of the six poems begins ‘imperially inscribed’ and poetically describes a different flower, including zui mei, a kind of plum blossom; lan ju, blue chrysanthemum or aster; shuixian, narcissus; shancha, camelia; and fegxian, balsam or garden balsam.

Nagel. "Asian Art". 2012/11/02 http://www.auction.de/