Lot 1150
Treasury 5, no.909 (‘Ancient Jade’)
HK$52,500

Transparent ruby-red and bluish emerald-green glass, both sparsely suffused with air bubbles of various different sizes, some elongated; with a flat lip and recessed flat foot surrounded by a protruding flat foot rim; carved as a single overlay on each main side with a pair of confronting chi dragons enclosing a shou (‘longevity’) character, the narrow sides with archaistic ‘C’-scrolls and a cross-hatched lozenge motif
1740-1800
Height: 6.06 cm
Mouth/lip: 1.00/1.49 cm

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

Published:
Treasury 5, no.909

Certain colours are rarely found together in glass overlay for the very good reason that they do not work well in combination. This ruby-red on green is an extremely rare combination that has certain appeal, although part of the gem-like quality that is so much a part of its charm is sacrificed because the green turns the ruby-red rather brown. A view through the overlay alone reveals colour as bright and vibrant as the standard ruby red, but much of that is lost by being combined with the green.

A number of features suggest this to be a courtly experiment, probably from the imperial glassworks. Such formalized dragon designs are typical of the court and were produced frequently across a wide range of wares, with or without the central shou character. The narrow sides are covered with various archaistic elements taken from ancient jade carving, a known court obsession in the eighteenth century. The mouth is wide and the foot crisp and confident, with perfect formal integrity and good definition of the overlay colour. The green of the ground is unusual in being slightly bluish. With the longevity symbol at its centre, it would have made an ideal birthday gift.

This is not the Sotheby’s sale catalogue. This is a product of Hugh Moss for the purposes of this website. For the catalogue details please refer to Sotheby’s website or request a copy of a printed sale catalogue from Sotheby’s.