A FINE WHITE JADE RETICULATED INCENSE BURNER AND COVER

Qianlong

Qianlong
Exquisitely carved and pierced in openwork with a dense profusion of undulating leafy peony stems, within plain and stylised key-fret pattern borders and lotus lappets above the stepped foot, the domed cover similarly carved and surmounted by a large single peony spray forming the finial. 10.6cm (4 1/4in) diam. (2).

清乾隆 白玉鏤雕牡丹紋帶蓋花薰

Provenance:
Spink & Son Ltd., London
E. A. Parry (1879-1946), London, acquired from the above on 26 February 1920, and thence by descent

來源：
倫敦古董商Spink & Son Ltd.
倫敦E. A. Parry（1879-1946）舊藏，於1920年2月26日購自上者，並由後人保存迄今

The present jade incense burner is remarkable for the intricacy of design of the multiple interlacing floral tendrils, and attention to detail and naturalistic realism noted in the overlapping petals of the blossoming peonies. Referred to in Chinese as mudan or fuguihua, peonies were regarded as the 'King of Flowers' and symbolise wealth and honour.

See a related white jade incense burner and cover, but with floral handles, Qianlong, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated by E.Rawski and J.Rawson, China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2006, p.301, no.228; another white jade example with handles, Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl.42.

A related pale green incense burner and cover, Qianlong, was sold at Christie's New York, 20 September 2005, lot 16; and a related white jade incense burner and cover, 19th century, was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 26 May 2014, lot 184.

牡丹素有「花王」之美譽，雍容華貴，富麗堂皇。乾隆年間，鏤雕玉器頗為盛行，以人力之工剔除及掩蓋玉材自身之瑕疵。參考北京故宮博物院藏一例清乾隆白玉鏤雕牡丹紋帶蓋香爐，見E.Rawski與J.Rawson編著，《China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795》，倫敦，2006年，頁301，編號228。另見一例清中期碧玉鏤雕牡丹紋熏爐，形制與紋飾皆似本例，收錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：玉器（下）》，香港，1995年，圖版42。

紐約佳士得曾售一件清乾隆青白玉鏤雕熏爐，2005年9月20日，拍品編號16；以及倫敦邦瀚斯曾售一件十九世紀白玉鏤雕牡丹紋花薰，2013年11月7日，拍品編號108，可資比對。