Beschreibung:

China, 1736-1795. Composed of three separately carved sections: the rectangular base with inward-curved feet and ruyi-shaped aprons; the finely curved body with canted corners as well as a pair of chilong handles, the cover with canted corners as well, a large oval aperture in the center, and surmounted by a finely carved side-facing Buddhist lion standing foursquare with scrolling bifurcated tail and mane. The stone of exceptional natural clarity with only faint ‘cloud’ inclusions. (3) Provenance: Previously in the collection of Dr. J. P. Schotte (1931-2000), Brussels, Belgium. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and few minuscule nicks to edges, one of the four top corners of the main section minimally reduced. Weight: 445 g Dimensions: Height 18.9 cm Naturally occurring crystal has long been prized in China amongst the literati who associated its understated qualities with plain beauty. Flawless in appearance with an almost glass-like clarity, the raw material of the present vessel alone would have been a great luxury in the 18th century, before the annexation of Xinjiang in 1759 that led to more abundant sources of crystal. One of the earliest records on crystal dates from the Tang dynasty (618-907) where it is mentioned as a product of “water turned to stone” and “a beautiful material imported from Persia”, hence the Chinese name shuijing, ‘the brilliance of water’. It is particularly rare to find a piece of rock crystal of this exceptional size and natural clarity without internal flaws or inclusions. The craftsman who worked this piece created a design of great simplicity and elegance, to allow the astonishing quality of the stone to speak for itself. Clearly, the material itself was highly valued and only utilized for the highest quality works of art. Expert’s note: While the form of this vessel presents somewhat of a mystery, the exceptional clarity of the stone and superb quality of carving clearly indicate it was crafted for imperial use. It is this author’s personal belief that the present lot was used as a parfumière, perhaps in a bath such as the Yude tang (Hall for Bathing in Virtue). This breathtaking, singular Turkish bathhouse was first built during the Yuan dynasty, later used to steam paper for Qing Emperors’ personal calligraphy and stands in the southwest corner of the Forbidden City to this day. According to one source, the Yude tang was commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor for his concubine Xiang Fei, who had been captured for him in Xinjiang, where abundant sources of rock crystal were found. For further reading on this subject, see Adriana Proser, The Magazine ANTIQUES, March 2000 issue, p. 454-455, pl. VIII. Literature comparison: Rock crystal objects produced for the imperial court are rare, with only a small number recorded from the Qing Court collection and preserved in the holdings of the Palace Museum, Beijing; two cups flanked with handles, one of lobed form and the other with facetted sides, are published in Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese jades], vol. 6, Shijiazhuang, 1993, nos. 13 and 14 respectively; and a cup, vase and duck-form water dropper are published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Treasures of Imperial Court, Hong Kong, 2004, pls. 22, 23, and 181. Unmarked examples, all crafted with the same level of exquisite craftsmanship and unique in form and design, include a small washer from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection, included in the Fung Ping Shan Museum exhibition, op. cit., cat. no. 93; and two archaistic vases, one from the collection of Lord Fairhaven and the other in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, published in R. Soame Jenyns, Chinese Art, The Minor Arts II, Fribourg, 1965, pls. 187 and 188, respectively. Compare another tall rock crystal vase from the Baur Collection, but with four more complex loose-ring handles, illustrated by P. F. Schneeberger, The Baur Collection: Chinese Jades and other Hard