An imperial white jade cup and cupstand, Mark and period of Qianlong, yuyong marks of Jiaqing and Daoguang

Lot 3338. An imperial white jade cup and cupstand, Mark and period of Qianlong, yuyong marks of Jiaqing and Daoguang; cupstand 17.3 cm, 6 3/4  in.; cup: 6.7 cm, 2 1/4  in. Estimate: 1,200,000 — 1,800,000 HKD. Lot sold 1,500,000 HKD (191,340 USD). Courtesy Sotheby's.

the cup with steep curving sides rising from a straight neatly trimmed footring, well carved in shallow relief around the exterior with a band of stylised foliate sprays entwined with ruyi strapwork, encircled by a chevron band at the rim, the cupstand of oblong section, with shallow rounded sides rising from a short foot to an everted rim, the centre of the interior worked with a double-lotus pedestal with beaded edges, bordered by stylised lotus scrolls on the flat rim, the stone of an even white tone with natural veins, the base of the cupstand engraved with a four-character Qianlong yuyong mark above a horizontal Jiaqing yuyong mark, the cup similarly engraved with a Daoguang yuyong mark.

Provenance: Sotheby’s London, 12th November 1974, lot 43.

Exhibited: Chinese Jades from Han to Ch’ing, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1980, cat. no. 147.

Note: The exceptional quality of the stone and craftsmanship of this cup and stand is evidenced in the yuyong imperial marks which show it was admired by three of the great Qing emperors. Designated for objects created for the personal use of the emperor, the yuyong mark is probably the most prestigious of all marks found on imperial wares, closely followed by the yuzhi designation which was applied to objects made by imperial command. While a small number of vessels with yuyong marks of two rulers is known, it is exceptionally rare to find three rulers' marks as seen on the present; white jade vessels with Qianlong and Jiaqing yuyong marks include a two-handled cup and its matching stand, ornately carved with dragons surrounding a similarly carved double lotus pedestal as the present, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is published in Gugong bowuyuan wenwu cangpin daxi. Yuqi juan/Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, vol. 10: Qing, Beijing, 2011, pl. 140; and a ewer, from the collections of Sir Ernest Joseph Cassel and Lady Delamere, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1st June 2011, lot 3600.

In its decoration, this piece combines the Qianlong Emperor's taste for both archaistic designs and exotic western motifs. The craftsman has cleverly fused the two to result in a piece that is both familiar and innovative: the foliage encircling the cup, together with the chevron band, is reminiscent of archaic bronze taotie designs, while the traditional Chinese motif of the lotus scroll on the rim of the stand has been embellished with a European rococo flair.

The majority of cups extant today has been separated from their original cupstands and only a small number of original sets is known, including several in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Gugong bowuyuan wenwu cangpin daxi. Yuqi juan/Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade., op. cit., pls 137-142; a two-handled cup and stand, attributed to the late Ming dynasty, is included in the exhibition Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1980, cat. no. 146; and two pairs of cups with stands, attributed to the Qianlong period, sold at Christie's New York, the first sold 24th/25th March 2011, lot 1506, from the collection of Sir Harry and Lady Judith Solomon, and the second, 15th September 2011, lot 1021.