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5. An Exquisite Pair of White Jade Wine Cups
Early 18th century, probably Yongzheng period (1723–35)
Each deeply rounded cup with straight sides rising from a shallow tapered foot ring. The thinly carved, highly translucent, well polished stone of an even white tone with very fine snowflake inclusions.
5.5 cm. (2 1/8 in.) wide
Provenance: Lady June Horlick Collection
The exquisite profile and the delicately modelled feet of these cups are a direct copy of the falangcai cups produced in the Qing Imperial kilns, and enamelled in the Palace workshops in Beijing, such as the Kangxi example in the Palace Museum, Bejing (3), or the larger Paul Bernat example from the Yongzheng period (4).
However, since there are no jade examples marked with Kangxi reign marks in the Palace collections, and an excavation of a Kangxi period nobleman’s tomb to the west of Beijing in 1962 only yielded two small jade pendants of early Qing style (the other jades being Ming and earlier), it is seems that jade production was fairly limited during this reign. Although it is also very rare to find jade pieces that can be dated to the Yongzheng period, we know from the records of the Palace workshop that the Yongzheng Emperor did commission jade pieces, and two agate cups in the Palace Musem, Beijing, are inscribed with Yongzheng seal marks (5). It is also clear from the Palace records that the Yongzheng Emperor very much preferred undecorated jade vessels, and often ordered the lapidaries to polish the existing decoration on both contemporary and antique jade pieces to conform to this particular taste.
Given that falangcai cups would only be available as models to jade carvers in the Palace workshops, it is likely that these delicate cups would have been made for the personal use of the Emperor by imperial command, just like their falangcai counterparts. Certainly the flawless material, perfect proportions and the wonderful lustrous polish of these cups would have met with the approval of the fastidious Yongzheng Emperor.
3 Illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum – 39 – Porcelains with cloisonné enamel decoration and famille rose decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 11, no. 9
4 sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 15 November 1988, lot 317
5 Illustrated in Yang Boda, Zhongguo yuqi quanji (II): Qin, Han – Ming, Qing, Hebei, 2005, p. 533 and
p. 550, nos. 10 and 62
Next: (6) A Mughal style Pale Celadon Jade ‘Chrysanthemum' Dish
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