Bottle ID: 492

< Previous page

APPLE GREEN, CARVED

Date: 1780-1850

Height: 59 mm

Jadeite, very well hollowed, of rounded form with a slightly everted lip and with an indented oval foot, the stone in tones of white and apple green with streaks of emerald green, carved with a continuous scene depicting the four noble professions; a fisherman in a sampan in waves in a riverscape scene, with a woodcutter on rocks to one side and a farmer overlooking them; the reverse with a Manchu Bannerman galloping across a bridge with is attendant running before him with a furled banner.

Similar Examples:

Moss, Hugh, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang. The Art of the Chinese Snuff bottle - The J & J Collection, 1993, Vol. I, p. 71, no. 25.

Provenance:

Asian Art Studio
Bonhams & Butterfields, November 4, 2003, lot 3312
School of American Research, Indian Arts Research Center, Sant Fe, New Mexico
Mr. Rand, collector's no. 167

The carving of jadeite to highlight the best areas of colour and texture is an aesthetic game played by the carvers and appreciated by the final owners of the pieces. Finding the most translucent areas is known as gao shui fen, "playing with water" and is one of the greatest skills of the carver. In addition, the Chinese acceptance of a material that is less than perfect, is indicated by their use of stones which are flawed where the flaw is essential to the overall design. In the case of this bottle this has been cleverly achieved with the most translucent green areas being focused on the figures and animals. Jadeite bottles carved with a scene, such as this, are very rare making it almost impossible to find similar examples. The J and J Collection example listed is a nephrite bottle from the Suzhou School allowing for an intruiging possibility that whilst this bottle is clearly not from the Suzhou School, there may be some connection between the workshops carving the two groups. 

< Back to full list