China, 18^th century. The interior boldly carved in relief with lingzhi and long, elegantly curved leaves. The deep rounded sides carved to the exterior with the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism (bajixiang) alternating with lotus sprays. The bowl is supported on four ruyi-shaped feet, the handles issuing from butterflies suspending foliate rings. The translucent stone is of a pale celadon tone with few russet and cloudy white inclusions.

Provenance: The property of a Lady in Scotland, United Kingdom.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.

Weight: 958.8 g
Dimensions: Width 24.5 cm (across handles)

This fine jade bowl with its superbly carved butterfly handles belongs to the category of ‘marriage’ bowls alternatively carved with butterfly, bat, or dragon handles, popular in the Qing dynasty Imperial court. The two butterfly handles suspending loose rings in mirror image symbolize a ‘joyful encounter’ (Xi xiangfeng), and by extension marital happiness. Combined with the auspicious Eight Buddhist Emblems (bajixiang) – Pair of Fish, Victory Banner, Wheel of Dharma, Parasol, Lotus, Endless Knot, Treasure Vase, and Conch Shell – this would have been a particularly fitting present on the event of a wedding celebration.

The present bowl demonstrates the highly skilled craftsmanship achieved at the height of the Qing dynasty, during the celebrated Qianlong reign. This is exemplified in the remarkable carving of the loose ring handles and the evenly spaced Eight Buddhist Emblems on the exterior, finely balancing the symbolic embellishment of the exterior yet successfully allowing the fine quality of the pale celadon jade to show at the same time.

It is likely that the present bowl was carved after the Qianlong emperor's campaign for the pacification of the Dzungars and Xinjiang (1755-1759), as this campaign secured control over the area of Khotan, allowing direct access to greater quantities of larger-sized high quality jade and therefore for the production of generously proportioned carvings and vessels such as the present lot compared to previous periods. The sheer opulence of the present bowl is emphasized by the generous proportions of the well-hollowed interior, and the significant wastage of the prized jade stone in the carving of the flanking loose ring handles, thus creating a spatial depth of form. The four ruyi-shaped supports also raise the bowl, allowing a greater appreciation of the well carved borders and finely balanced suspended rings.

Literature comparison: For a related example of the use of butterfly handles see a white jade censer and cover with four butterfly handles suspending loose rings, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (II), Beijing, 2008, pl. 27. See also a related white jade 'marriage' bowl, Qianlong, illustrated in The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, London, 2013, no. 71; and a similar jade 'marriage' bowl, Qianlong, illustrated by Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 88. For related jade 'marriage' bowls from the Qing Court Collection, see Zhen Xinmiao, Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, Qing Dynasty, vol.10, Beijing, 2010, pls. 180, 198 and 205.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related pale celadon jade marriage bowl, similarly carved in relief with fish and lingzhi to the interior, also dated to the 18^th century, at Christie’s London in Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 14 May 2013, lot 28, sold for GBP 385,875. Compare also a closely related pale celadon jade marriage bowl, dated to the 18^th century, supported on ruyi-shaped feet, and carved to the exterior with the bajixiang, at Christie’s Hong Kong in Imperial Sale; Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 29 May 2013, lot 2336, sold for HKD 930,000, and another in white jade, dated to the Qianlong period, at Bonhams Hong Kong in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 4 June 2015, lot 56, sold for HKD 937,500.

清代中期罕見八吉祥紋蝴蝶耳活環青白玉洗
中國，十八世紀。青白玉質，洗圓身，敞口，底承五如意雲足，器身兩側作蝴蝶耳，耳下有活環。器内精美雕刻修長的葉子和靈芝。器身外壁一周浮雕八吉祥紋。青白玉質自身瑩潤有光澤，局部留皮，有白色絮狀物。

來源：英國蘇格蘭一位女士的收藏。
品相：狀況極好，有輕微磨損。 具有天然脈絡的玉料，隨著時間的推移，可能會發展成細小的裂縫。
重量：958.8 克
尺寸：寬 24.5 厘米 (across handles)

這種雕有精美蝴蝶耳的玉洗屬於清代宮廷流行的“婚”碗，玉洗的耳部由蝴蝶、蝙蝠或龍交替雕刻。兩隻蝴蝶耳下活環，象徵著“喜相逢”，進而像徵著婚姻的幸福美滿。結合八吉祥——寶傘、金魚、法螺、寶瓶、蓮花、盤長、白蓋、法輪，這將是一件特別合適作爲婚禮的器皿。

此玉洗展示了清朝乾隆年間的制玉的高超技藝。這體現於活環和均勻間隔的八寶，雕刻巧妙，同時成功地讓這清白魚的瓷的優良品質得以展現。

現在的碗很可能是乾隆皇帝平定準噶爾和新疆（1755-1759）之後雕刻的，因爲當時大量上等玉料進入宮廷，促進了宮廷玉器的製作生產。更因此可以製作比例較大的雕刻品和器皿。內部鏤空的寬大比例以及在雕刻活環大量珍貴的玉石，強調了當前玉洗的純粹富足。四個如意足，因此可以更好地欣賞雕刻精美的邊框和精美平衡的活環。

文獻比較：一件玉雕蝴蝶白玉香爐，有蓋，蝴蝶耳，活環，可見北京故宮博物館目錄 The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (II), Beijing, 2008, pl. 27.；一件乾隆時期白玉洗見 The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, London, 2013, no. 71；乾隆時期相似玉洗見Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 88。還有一件清宮收藏玉洗，見Zhen Xinmiao, Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, Qing Dynasty, vol.10, Beijing, 2010, pls. 180, 198 and 205。

拍賣結果比較：一件十八世紀青白玉洗，内部浮雕魚與靈芝，見倫敦佳士得Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2013年5月14日lot 28, 售價GBP 385,875；一件十八世紀青白玉洗，如意形足，外壁八吉祥紋，見香港佳士得 Imperial Sale：Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2013年5月29日 lot 2336, 售價HKD 930,000；一件乾隆時期白玉洗，見香港邦翰思Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2015年6月4日 lot 56, 售價HKD 937,500。