A Fine Chinese White Jade Rococo-Style Floral Vase and Cover

拍品描述

清十八世紀 白玉洛可可卷草紋雙耳瓶 附出版 Of flattened, elegant moonflask shape, finely carved on both main panels in low relief with lush Rococo-style floral sprays, featuring interlocking acanthus scrolls centering a stylized multi-petaled blossom. Mid-Qing Dynasty period, 18th century. The vessel belongs to a highly distinctive group of imperial jades inspired by European Rococo ornament introduced to the Qing court through Jesuit missionaries active during the eighteenth century. Following the establishment of the Western Palaces (Xiyanglou) at the Yuanming Yuan, European decorative vocabulary—including asymmetrical scrollwork, shell motifs and luxuriant foliate ornament—was reinterpreted by palace craftsmen within the refined aesthetic of Chinese jade carving. While unmistakably Western in inspiration, the present vase retains traditional Chinese elegance through its balanced proportions, restrained relief carving and harmonious treatment of the jade. As discussed in Eleven Exemplary Eighteenth Century Chinese Jades (Littleton & Hennessy, Maastricht, 2009), the scrolling decoration closely relates to Rococo ornamental engravings circulating in Europe during the mid-eighteenth century and corresponds stylistically with decorative elements employed in the imperial Western Palaces. The moulded foot and overall silhouette likewise recall contemporary European ornamental vases while remaining fully integrated into the technical and aesthetic traditions of Qing imperial jade carving. Such works stand among the finest expressions of the cosmopolitan artistic vision cultivated at the Qianlong court, where Chinese craftsmanship absorbed and transformed foreign artistic influences into objects of extraordinary refinement. Published in Eleven Exemplary Eighteenth Century Chinese Jades, Littleton & Hennessy, Maastricht, 2009, the present vase is an important documented example of this rare and celebrated category of eighteenth-century imperial jade carving. Its distinguished publication history further underscores both its scholarly significance and exceptional quality. 此瓶取質上乘青白玉整料雕琢而成，玉質細膩溫潤，拋光精良，色澤淡雅均勻，局部天然石紋及沁色巧妙融入器表裝飾，更顯天然之美。器呈扁壺式，長方外撇圈足，束頸，兩側飾對稱如意卷雲形耳，覆蓋頂承蓮苞形鈕。器身兩面以淺浮雕琢飾繁密纏枝花卉紋，枝葉舒展翻卷，構圖繁而不亂，刀法流暢細膩，於光素玉面上營造出層次豐富而典雅華麗的裝飾效果，充分展現乾隆宮廷玉雕精湛的琢玉工藝。 本器尤為難得之處，在於其融會中西藝術風格。乾隆時期，隨著耶穌會傳教士供職宮廷，以及圓明園西洋樓的興建，歐洲巴洛克及洛可可藝術元素大量傳入清宮。工匠吸收十八世紀歐洲盛行之洛可可裝飾語彙，包括貝殼式曲線、卷草紋及繁麗花葉紋飾，並巧妙融合中國傳統玉雕工藝與審美，形成乾隆宮廷獨具特色的「中西合璧」藝術風格。本瓶器形、卷耳造型及通體纏枝花葉紋飾，均可見濃厚的洛可可藝術影響，然而整體比例端莊勻稱，線條含蓄內斂，仍保留中國宮廷玉器典雅雍容的神韻，堪稱乾隆宮廷吸收西方藝術語言後最具代表性的玉雕作品之一。 本器曾由著名收藏家 Lady June Horlick 收藏，並收錄於 Littleton & Hennessy 編著《Eleven Exemplary Eighteenth Century Chinese Jades》，於2009年荷蘭馬斯垂克 TEFAF（The European Fine Art Fair） 展覽期間出版。書中指出，此瓶之裝飾風格與十八世紀法國洛可可藝術密切相關，其卷葉花飾與圓明園西洋樓建築裝飾理念相互呼應，並認為其足部造型亦受到十八世紀歐洲古典器物設計的影響，是乾隆皇帝推動中西藝術交流背景下所誕生的重要宮廷玉雕精品。其明確的出版與展覽紀錄，不僅彰顯其學術研究價值，亦進一步印證其於乾隆宮廷玉器中的重要地位。出版：《十八世紀中國玉器十一珍》，Littleton & Hennessy 出版，荷蘭馬斯垂克，2009年，頁10，編號10。 展覽：「十八世紀中國玉器十一珍」，歐洲藝術博覽會（TEFAF），Littleton & Hennessy 主辦，荷蘭馬斯垂克會展中心（MECC），2009年3月12日至22日。

图片