LOT 729 A FINE WHITE JADE 'FOUR SCHOLARLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS' CARVING Q...
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A FINE WHITE JADE 'FOUR SCHOLARLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS' CARVING Qianlong The smoothly-polished stone deftly carved in the form of a seven-stringed guqin within a brocade sash loosely tied with a ribbon and partially exposing the instrument, wrapped together with two scroll paintings on the side, a book on the front and a weiqi board on the reverse, finely incised on one side of the instrument with a qian trigram seal, the semi-translucent white stone with faint russet inclusions. 7.2cm (2 3/4in) long. Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 清乾隆 白玉雕琴棋書畫把件 The carefully-carved qian trigram flanked by two chi-dragons on the present lot can be also found on one of the personal seals of the Qianlong emperor, of which the seal impression is published in the Collections of the Palace Museum: Album of the Seal Impressions of Qing Emperors and Empresses, vol.6, Qianlong part II (Gugong bowuyuan cang: Qingdai Dihou Xiyinpu. Di Liuce. Qianlong juan er), Beijing, 2005, p.127. This delicately-carved jade group depicts 'The Four Scholarly Accomplishments', siyi: the four main academic and artistic accomplishments required of the aristocratic Chinese scholar-gentleman, which comprised playing the seven-stringed zither, qin, the strategy game of qi, writing calligraphy or shu, and painting or hua. The seven-stringed zither or qin was an instrument which every scholar in Imperial China was expected to play. The board game of weiqi was considered equally a pastime and an art form. Chinese calligraphy equally comprises a minimalist set of rules which facilitate a system of complexity and grandeur. Calligraphy was highly regarded as an expression of the practitioner's poetic nature and a significant test of manual dexterity. Finally, every scholar was expected to learn the art of brush painting, which was regarded as the greatest expression of individual creativity, through which a Chinese scholar would demonstrate his mastery over the art of line. Compare with a related white jade 'Four Scholarly Accomplishments' paperweight, 18th century, of slightly larger size, but without the qian trigram, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 October 2010, lot 2196; and another pale green jade carving, 18th century, worked with a similar motif, which was sold at Christie's London, 8 November 2011, lot 172. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
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