Ninety Jades for 90 Years MARCHANT London

Ninety Jades for 90 Years

Celebrating nine decades of excellence. Nov. 5th-27th, 2015

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Ninety Jades for 90 Years; Starting on November 5th, 2015 the London asian art dealer MARCHANT located at 120 Kensington St. will be conducting an exhibition and sale of fine Chinese jade through November 27th.

MARCHANT London Ninety Jades for 90 Years

Imperial dated rhyton, gong, the deep oval cup with a sloping rim and high spout, carved in high relief with a winged mythical animal mask with ruyi-head nose and horns, the stylised wings incised with cross-hatching, all amongst archaic-style scrolls on a scroll ground beneath a stylised relief rope band, the mouth with a wide band of archaic ‘c’ scrolls beneath a relief key-fret band on the rim, the stone mottled white and grey. 6 ⅜ inches, 16.2 cm high; 5 inches, 12.8 cm long; 3 ⅛ inches, 8 cm deep. The interior inscribed with a sixty-two character poem composed by the Qianlong emperor and two seals, bi de, lang run, together with a four-character mark of Qianlong renzi yuti, corresponding to 1792 and of the period. The stone 18th century or earlier.

This is the sixth exhibition devoted to jades over the last nine decades, it appears they have again outdone themselves. The catalog is well written with superb quality photos, and impeccable provenance for each piece, several examples are of historic importance.

According to Richard P. Marchant in his Foreword to this splendid catalog, their mission this time around was to display as many different forms extant in this medium. Including the wide ranging colors that make carved jade one of the most sought after of all carved hardstones. The carvings date predominantly in age from the Ming to Mid Qing dynasty. With special emphasis on the very best of the Qianlong period (1736-1795).

The Hodgson Rhyton

The undisputed star of Ninety Jades for 90 Years (I think) is the Imperial DATED "1792" and inscribed rhyton cup , known as The Hodgson Rhyton, Ninety Jades for 90 Years, catalog # 88.

The cup formerly in the collection of Mr. M. H. T. Hodgson, had been previously published by Basil Gray, Jessica Rawson and John Ayers in the exhibition of Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, an exhibition organized by The Art Council of Great Britain and The Oriental Ceramic Society, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1975, no. 447, p. 134, pl. 14.

The cup bearing an inscription it is believed was composed by the Qianlong Emperor and translates as:

‘It is well that the head and tail of the dragon be joined in the gong, and that the jewels of the mountains and streams should be treated apart. Of letters the spirit finds its conception in days of former times, of action the method follows the knowledge of the past. The body was formed in a manner completely full of art, and the pattern of the taotieh was used to embellish its face. It is satisfying to stand amongst the vessels of Han. What need have I, then, to add to the craftsman’s fine skill.’ Qianlong renzi yuti, ‘Qianlong period renzi year 1792’, with two seals, bi de, lang run, ‘compare yourself to jade, bright and lustrous’.

Compare the Rhyton Cup to Example in the Fitzwilliam Museum's Collection.

A similar inscribed rhyton cup in The Fitzwilliam Museum jade collection with the corresponding date of 1787, the poem on this cup is also believed to have been written by Qianlong. The museum's rhyton cup is illustrated in James C. S. Lin's book The Immortal Stone. Other examples with similar inscriptions are known, they are however extremely rare and of historic importance.

For more information and hours of this wonderfully done exhibition contact:

MARCHANT
NINETY JADES FOR 90 YEARS
120 Kensington St.
London