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A RARE AND FINE CHINESE YELLOW JADE "DRAGON" VASE, QING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY
The vase is superbly carved in high relief with a dragon coiled around the neck, pursuing a flaming pearl.
The rich yellow tone of yellow jade was traditionally associated with imperial authority and was especially prized by the Qing court. The present vase is carved from a finely polished stone of warm, lustrous tone and demonstrates exceptional craftsmanship throughout. As early as 1388, the Gegu yaolun (The Essential Criteria of Antiquities) records that: "the most valuable yellow jade should be stones with the colour of the chestnut kernel, also known as ganhuang; smoky yellow ranks next in quality" (see Sir Percival David, Chinese Connoisseurship, London, 1971, p. 120).
Two covered vases carved from similarly toned yellow jade are preserved in the Palace Museum, one dated to the Qing dynasty and the other to the Qianlong period (1736-1795), illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 78 and 181, nos. 66 and 148. Compare also a related white jade vase with closely comparable decoration, ibid., p. 75, no. 63.
Further comparable examples include a yellow jade carving worked in high relief with a chilong dragon pursuing a flaming pearl, sold at Christie's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 803, and a yellow jade you vessel sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 2930.
清十八／十九世紀 黃玉雕螭龍趕珠瓶
玉瓶取質黃玉，玉色溫潤瑩澤，局部帶深淺天然色沁。瓶頸高浮雕一螭龍盤繞其上，回首追逐火珠，身軀矯健，筋骨遒勁，雕工精湛細膩，極富立體感。
黃玉之色，自古與帝王威儀相聯，尤為清宮所珍重。早於明洪武二十一年（1388）成書之《格古要論》中即載：「玉以黃如栗子黃者為貴，謂之甘黃，煙黃次之。」（見 Sir Percival David 著，《Chinese Connoisseurship》，倫敦，1971年，頁120）足見黃玉自古即備受推崇。
北京 故宮博物院 藏有兩件與本品玉質相近之黃玉蓋瓶，一件定為清代，另一件定為乾隆時期（1736–1795），著錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．玉器（下）》，香港，1995年，頁78及181，圖版66及148。另可比較一件裝飾風格相近之白玉瓶，同書頁75，圖版63。
此外，可參考一件黃玉高浮雕螭龍趕珠器，售於紐約佳士得，2019年3月20日，拍品803；以及一件黃玉卣，售於香港佳士得，2018年5月30日，拍品2930。
17.8cm high
Sold for $22,000
Lot 297
The vase is superbly carved in high relief with a dragon coiled around the neck, pursuing a flaming pearl.
The rich yellow tone of yellow jade was traditionally associated with imperial authority and was especially prized by the Qing court. The present vase is carved from a finely polished stone of warm, lustrous tone and demonstrates exceptional craftsmanship throughout. As early as 1388, the Gegu yaolun (The Essential Criteria of Antiquities) records that: "the most valuable yellow jade should be stones with the colour of the chestnut kernel, also known as ganhuang; smoky yellow ranks next in quality" (see Sir Percival David, Chinese Connoisseurship, London, 1971, p. 120).
Two covered vases carved from similarly toned yellow jade are preserved in the Palace Museum, one dated to the Qing dynasty and the other to the Qianlong period (1736-1795), illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 78 and 181, nos. 66 and 148. Compare also a related white jade vase with closely comparable decoration, ibid., p. 75, no. 63.
Further comparable examples include a yellow jade carving worked in high relief with a chilong dragon pursuing a flaming pearl, sold at Christie's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 803, and a yellow jade you vessel sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 2930.
清十八／十九世紀 黃玉雕螭龍趕珠瓶
玉瓶取質黃玉，玉色溫潤瑩澤，局部帶深淺天然色沁。瓶頸高浮雕一螭龍盤繞其上，回首追逐火珠，身軀矯健，筋骨遒勁，雕工精湛細膩，極富立體感。
黃玉之色，自古與帝王威儀相聯，尤為清宮所珍重。早於明洪武二十一年（1388）成書之《格古要論》中即載：「玉以黃如栗子黃者為貴，謂之甘黃，煙黃次之。」（見 Sir Percival David 著，《Chinese Connoisseurship》，倫敦，1971年，頁120）足見黃玉自古即備受推崇。
北京 故宮博物院 藏有兩件與本品玉質相近之黃玉蓋瓶，一件定為清代，另一件定為乾隆時期（1736–1795），著錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．玉器（下）》，香港，1995年，頁78及181，圖版66及148。另可比較一件裝飾風格相近之白玉瓶，同書頁75，圖版63。
此外，可參考一件黃玉高浮雕螭龍趕珠器，售於紐約佳士得，2019年3月20日，拍品803；以及一件黃玉卣，售於香港佳士得，2018年5月30日，拍品2930。
17.8cm high
Estimate $25,000 - $35,000
Overall in good condition.
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