A NEPHRITE JADE ‘DRAGON CARP’ SNUFF BOTTLE, ATTRIBUTED TO THE IMPERIAL PALACE WORKSHOPS
China, Beijing, 1720-1780. Well carved in the form of a carp with short fins on its back and sides and neatly incised scales, its gaping mouth forming the rim of the bottle. The carp is being transformed into a dragon, clearly visible from the pair of horns which have sprouted from the carp’s head. The translucent stone is of a grayish-white hue with black and dark brown patches and veins as well as icy inclusions.


Provenance:
Collection of Mei Lin. Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd.. London, United Kingdom, 2000. A private collection in the United Kingdom, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice from Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd., dated 20 June 2000, confirming the Imperial attribution and dating above, and stating a purchase price for the present lot of GBP 2,800 or approx.
EUR 7,400
(converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Mei Lin is an important collector of Chinese works of art. From September 2021 to January 2022, the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong held a long-anticipated exhibition titled Reflected Beauty: Chinese Reverse Glass Paintings from the Mei Lin Collection. The Mei Lin Collection was acquired in East Asia between 1968 and 2012 and is one of the world's most important collections of Chinese reverse glass paintings from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Parts of the collection have been shown at the City Museum of Augsburg, Germany, at the Swiss Glass Museum in Romont, Switzerland, and are on show in Germany at the Landesmuseum Hannover until 16 April 2023 and the Museum Werdenfels in Garmisch-Partenkirchen until 31 March 2023.

Condition:
Superb condition with only minor wear. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures.

Stopper: Natural pearl
Weight: 40.1 g
Dimensions: Height excl. stopper 47 mm, Diameter neck 18 mm and mouth 4 mm


Expert’s note:
The quality and sophistication of detail on this bottle are clear pointers to a Palace workshop provenance, as is the subject matter. The dragon carp is a symbol of a candidate passing the Imperial examinations and qualifying as an official. The symbolism came from the carp which were observed swimming up the Yellow River. According to legend these carp would leap the Longmen Falls, an extremely arduous task, and upon successful completion the fish would be transformed into a dragon. A bottle embodying this symbolism would possibly be given by the Emperor to the most successful candidates. The carp also symbolizes wealth since the Chinese word for it (yu) puns with yu meaning prosperity, and passing the Imperial examinations was a guarantee of prosperity.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 3 October 2017, lot 3747
Price: HKD 162,500 or approx.
EUR 21,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A white jade ‘carp’ snuff bottle, Qing dynasty, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related carp motif, with the mouth also forming the rim of the bottle, although this carp shows no signs of transforming into a dragon.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 15 May 2014, lot 462
Price: GBP 31,250 or approx.
EUR 54,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A white jade ‘bixi’ snuff bottle, 18th/19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related style of snuff bottle, with the mouth of this bixi also forming the rim of the bottle. Note the size (60 mm).




玉雕龍魚鼻煙壺，或爲御製

中國，北京，1720-1780年。鼻煙壺呈鯉魚造型，背部和側面有短鰭，鱗片刻畫清晰，張開的嘴巴構成了瓶的邊緣。從鯉魚頭上長出的一對角可以清楚感應到鯉魚正蛻變成一條龍。半透明玉石呈灰白色，帶有黑色和深棕色的斑塊和紋理以及內沁。


來源：
梅林收藏；英國倫敦Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd.藝廊，2000年；英國私人收藏，購自上述藝廊。隨附Robert Kleiner & Co. Ltd. 於 2000年 6 月 20 日開具的原始發票副本，確認了上述御用來源和日期，並註明了此拍品當時的價格為 2,800 英鎊或約 7,400 歐元（根據撰寫本文時的通貨膨脹情況進行換算和調整）。 梅林是一位重要的中國藝術品收藏家。 2021年9月至2022年1月，香港大學藝術館舉辦了一場萬眾矚目的展覽，名為《鏡花薈萃：梅林收藏的中國玻璃畫》。 梅林收藏中的藏品是在1968年至2012年間在東亞收購，是世界上最重要的十九世紀末和二十世紀中國玻璃畫收藏之一。部分藏品已在德國奧格斯堡市博物館和瑞士羅蒙瑞士玻璃博物館展出，並在德國漢諾威州立博物館展出至2023年4 月16 日，在加米施-帕滕基興韋爾登費爾斯博物館展出至2023年 3 月31 日。

品相：
狀況極佳，僅有輕微磨損，具有天然內沁和裂縫。

壺蓋：天然珍珠
重量：40.1 克
尺寸：不含蓋高47 毫米，頸部直徑18 毫米及壺口直徑4毫米


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2017年10月3日，lot 3747
價格：HKD 162,500（相當於今日
EUR 21,000
）
描述：清十八世紀白玉鯉魚鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較相近的鯉魚主題，嘴也形成了瓶子的邊緣，儘管這條鯉魚沒有表現出變成龍的跡象。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦邦翰斯，2014年5月15日，lot 462
價格：GBP 31,250（相當於今日
EUR 54,000
）
描述：十八/十九世紀白玉雕贔屭形鼻煙壺
專家評論：比較相近的鼻煙壺風格、碧璽的嘴。請注意尺寸(60 毫米)。