Lot 17

Lot 17
Treasury 1, no. 93 (‘The Zhirou Zhai Imperial Jade’)
HK$150,000

A white and russet nephrite ‘chi dragon’ snuff bottle

Nephrite of pebble material; very well hollowed, with a sharply concave lip and shallow, recessed foot; carved with a chi dragon with a lingzhi in its mouth
Possibly Imperial, perhaps palace workshops, Beijing, 1750–1820
Height: 7.05 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.58/1.02 cm
Stopper: coral (now replaced with a similar stone); vinyl collar

Provenance:
Zhirou Zhai Collection
Hugh M. Moss Ltd. (Hong Kong, 1993)

Published:
Kleiner 1995, no. 55
Treasury 1, no. 93

Exhibited:
British Museum, June–October 1995
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1997

The form, with its elegantly elongated, compressed meiping shape and narrow, widely flared mouth, is both rare and very pleasing, providing a delightful setting for the lively beast that cavorts on its surface. The carving of the dragon is extremely well executed, with excellent separation of the ground and relief planes and clever use of the natural colouring in the stone to integrate it with its surroundings, allowing the impression that it is emerging from clouds. This interpretation is ideally endorsed by the texture of the off-white nephrite, which is speckled with paler flaws in a cloud-like pattern throughout. The use of such flawed material is another possible clue to the Imperial nature of the bottle.