Lot 78L
East Asia, China, Qing Dynasty, ca. 19th century CE. Skillfully carved from white jade, a lovely vessel with a thick lip and a rounded body incised with sections of horizontal striations, and surrounded by two opposing fish - their visages, scales and curled tails nicely delineated - flanking a central floral blossom, perhaps a lotus. An exquisite example, replete with impressive artistry and symbolic meaning. The lotus symbolizes the sacred seat of Buddha, and one Han dynasty legend tells of a man who was far from home and sent his wife two carp fishes. When the wife was about to cook the fish, she discovered a silk strip with a love note that read, "Eat well to keep fit" followed by, "Missing you and forget me not." Size: 3.6" L x 2.9" W (9.1 cm x 7.4 cm)
Chinese art has incorporated jade since the Neolithic period; quarries for nephrite, the type of jade found in China, have been found in modern-day southern Mongolia that date to ca. 4000 BCE. The stone was prized for its hardness, its beautiful coloration (with a milky white that we see in this example being the most desired), and its durability. By the third millennium BCE, we know that jade had also come to be associated with immortality. Jade was used to make everything from everyday household objects and decoration to the ceremonial suits in which Han dynasty emperors were buried, given the belief that jade would preserve the body and the soul for eternity.
Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection, 1980s-2000s
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#154611
- Condition: Intact and excellent with light earthen deposits throughout.
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