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Bottle ID: 259
MINIATURE VASE WITH CALLIGRAPHY
Date: 1786
Height: 40 mm
Nephrite, very well hollowed, of miniature vase form, the shoulders carved with mock mask and ring handles on the slightly tapering neck with a wide mouth and thin lip, the base with a slightly splayed circular footrim, of even white tone, incised on each main side with a twenty four character poem followed by four characters Qianlong yuzhi (by Imperial Command) and dated to mid-Spring of the bingwu year (1786).
Similar Examples:
Crane Collection nos. 161, 162, 406, 500, 920 and 921
JICSBS, Autumn 1995, p. 13, fig. 33.
Provenance:
Clare Lawrence Ltd.
Sotheby's, Hong Kong, May 3, 1995, lot 546
Victor Topper
Exhibited:
Annual Convention ICSBS New York, November 2013
The inscription may be translated as follows:
"This is a piece of jade from Kun Mountain:
the skill of its workmanship outdoes that of heaven.
Like the sages of antiquity it is flawless,
like (each of) the four seasons it has its usefulness.
Cherish constantly the ideals of the gentleman
and do not forget your loyalty to others.
Then your merit in governing the country will be great
and your blemishless name will be recorded in the highest heaven".
A number of imperially attributed jade bottles of this and associated forms have a common characteristic of a wide mouth. It is generally accepted as an attractive feature in glass showing control of the manufacturing process. In jade bottles a wide mouth makes it easier for the carver to hollow the bottle well. However, paper-thin hollowing does not seem to be an essential characteristic of this group; for while the bottles are reasonably hollowed, they are often left with a heavy foot area presumably for balance.