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Expert’s note
The translucent stone is of a spectacular deep pink color. The brilliance and saturation of the color recalls fine pink tourmaline and place the material among the very highest quality rose quartz known. Such a level of material refinement is fully consistent with standards expected for objects produced for the Imperial palace.
During the reign of Qianlong, material selection was governed by an uncompromising hierarchy of quality. For stones such as agate, carnelian, rock crystal, rose quartz, lapis lazuli, and tourmaline only specimens of exceptional purity, color intensity, and translucency were considered suitable for imperial use. Stones showing dull coloration, excessive clouding, or structural weakness were systematically excluded from palace workshops.
Qianlong’s well-documented engagement with hardstones went beyond mere aesthetic preference. He regarded such materials as embodiments of cosmic order and moral clarity. Agate and carnelian were prized for their saturated hues and visual depth; lapis lazuli for its association with antiquity and transcendence; tourmaline for its vivid and deep color ranges; and rose quartz for its rare combination of luminosity and chromatic softness. In each case, visual brilliance and material integrity were paramount. The present stone, with its unusually rich pink tone and internal luminosity, corresponds precisely to these imperial criteria.
China, 1736-1795. The sizeable stone is carved and reticulated as a larger and smaller leaping carp emerging from turbulent, swirling waves. Each fish is finely detailed with a scaly body, dorsal and pectoral fins, and eyes inlaid with tiger’s eye cabochons. The larger carp is depicted with its mouth agape, revealing sharp teeth, and is hollowed to form a vase. The exterior is carved in high relief with a sinuous horned dragon winding across the surface. The translucent stone is of a rose-pink color with icy inclusions.
According to legend, the Yellow River carp makes its way upstream and passes above the rapids at Longmen (Dragon Gate) in Henan province where it is transformed into a dragon. Accordingly, the motif implies a wish for success in passing the civil service examinations.
The tiger’s eye inlays forming the fishes’ eyes most likely date from the 19th century, as tiger’s eye appears to have become available in China no earlier than around the 1820s-1830s. The original inlays were presumably rock crystal cabochons, possibly painted on the reverse. Their exact original appearance can no longer be reconstructed, as such small inlays inevitably became detached over time and were subsequently replaced. Microscopic examination of the present tiger’s eye cabochons reveals distinct surface wear, indicating that they are historic replacements rather than modern additions.
Provenance: Spink & Son, London. An important European collection, acquired from the above. Christie’s London, 5 November 2013, lot 76, sold for GBP 40,000 or approx. EUR 68,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). The private collection of Jules Speelman, London, acquired from the above. Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 2 April 2018, lot 3427, mid-estimate HKD 1,250,000 or approx. EUR 160,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). The figure with a label from the Sotheby’s sale. Jules Speelman is a world-leading dealer and collector of East Asian art with 60 years of experience. In 1964 he joined his late father, Alfred, in the family business which already stretched back three generations to 19th century Holland and expanded into England around the turn of the century. Originally, A & J Speelman dealt with antiques, from European ceramics, silver, tapestries, and furniture to Chinese porcelain, and works of art. With his father, Jules gradually shifted the focus towards Asia and under Jules Speelman's skilled direction, A & J Speelman is now considered amongst the foremost dealers in Asian antiques, with a particular emphasis on figurative sculpture and works of art from the past 2000 years.
Condition: Very good condition with only minor wear. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into thin hairline cracks. The base is drilled with two apertures.
Weight: 2,794 g (excl. stand), 2,918 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 23 cm (excl. stand), 27.5 cm (incl. stand)
With a fitted wood stand finely carved as crashing waves and dating from the Qing period. (2)
Imperial works of art carved from rose quartz for the Qing court are exceptionally rare. A highly valued and rare imported material, it was reserved for the finest quality items, such as the rare Imperial rose-quartz bowl with a gilt Qianlong mark and of the period at Sotheby’s, Imperial Pursuits. Treasures from the Palace Workshops, 2 May 2005, lot 556 (fig. 1). Usually such costly material was used sparingly for miniature works of art, such as an imperial rose-quartz miniature snuff bottle, carved in the form of a peach, possibly created as a birthday gift for the emperor, illustrated in Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1998, no. 272, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 23rd November 2010, lot 86 (fig. 2).
The present piece is of substantial size and powerfully carved, the movement of the carp depicted with great vigor, the natural variance in color skillfully utilized into the carving. No comparable example appears to have been published. However, closely related counterparts are found in other materials, including two superlative works of art still in Beijing; one of these is illustrated in the literature comparison for no. 113, while the other is shown below.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related rock crystal double fish vase, dated Qing dynasty, 14.8 cm tall, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, reference number 故00106011. Compare also a related rose quartz censer, dated to the Qianlong period, 17 cm tall, in the Nanjing Museum, reference number 449.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 11 June 2003, lot 29
Price: GBP 193,650 or approx. EUR 420,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An exceptionally fine Imperial yellow and brown jade 'double carp' vase
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, modeling, and subject. Note the different stone.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2013, lot 1393
Price: USD 423,750 or approx. EUR 527,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A finely carved pale greenish-white jade dragon-carp vase, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, modeling, and subject. Note the different stone and similar size (24.8 cm).
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