A very fine white jade carving of a qilin carrying the Heavenly Books


QianlongSuperbly carved, the mythical beast in a recumbent posture with its head turned back, its clasped jaws holding a lingzhi fungus spray supported on its back and surmounted by a pile of books, tian shu, the raised head with bulging round eyes below finely incised eyebrows, the pair of horns resting on its neck flanking the mane, the haunches well delineated with scales, the bushy tail flicked across the left rear haunch, the finely carved legs and hooves tucked underneath, the stone of a very fine even white tone with very minor pale inclusions, wood stand, box. 9cm (3 1/2in) long (3).
|清乾隆 白玉麒麟負書擺件Provenance:An English private collection, acquired in Hong Kong in the 1950s Christie's London, 14 May 2013, lot 68Durwin Tang Collection來源：英國私人舊藏，1950年代購於香港倫敦佳士得，2013年5月14日，拍品編號68鄧德雍收藏This representation of a qilin is reflective of Qing taste and sensibilities. Earlier representations of mythical beasts were commonly exaggerated in their grotesque, fearsome and mysterious nature. J.Rawson notes in Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pp.349-357, that early jades carved as mythical creatures primarily resembled tomb sculpture in their powerful form and protective function; however, by the Qing dynasty, such jades were the prized possessions in the Imperial Court and of scholars and officials, intended for sumptuous display and discerning admiration. See a related but larger pale green and russet jade qilin carrying books, Qing dynasty, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 9 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, p.154, no.142. The qilin represents a number of positive attributes including benevolence, longevity, grandeur, felicity, illustrious offspring and wise administration. It is considered a good omen as it is said to appear only during the reign of a benevolent ruler. Compare with a related white and brown jade carving of a qilin, 17th/18th century, from the Oscar Raphael Collection, in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, illustrated by J.C.S.Lin, The Immortal Stone: Chinese Jades from the Neolithic to the Twentieth Century, Cambridge, 2009, no.44. See a related very pale green and russet jade carving of a recumbent qilin, 18th century, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lot 13.白玉玉質，帶皮色。以圓雕技法，雕麒麟卧狀，身體略傾，雙眼圓睜，相貌神武，造型豐滿。麒麟負書的題材在清代廣見，為天降祥瑞的吉慶裝飾，清朝皇室尤為好之，士人、庶民亦隨其好，常用於陳設品和供器裝飾；而早期的靈獸形象，在古代中國則不乏奇醜、兇惡的外表，多用於鎮墓，相關討論可參見J. Rawson著《Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing》，倫敦，1995年, 頁349至357頁。《禮記・禮運》曰：「麟、鳳、龜、龍，謂之四靈。」麒麟因有另外三靈，龍首、鳳鱗和龜壽的特徵，故為四靈之首。北京故宮藏有一件清代青玉負書麒麟，體量較大，見《故宮博物院藏品大系：玉器篇》，卷九，北京，2011年，頁154，編號142。劍橋大學菲茨威廉博物館藏一件十七/十八世紀之白玉棕沁麒麟亦資比較，見J.C.S.Lin著，《The Immortal Stone: Chinese Jades from the Neolithic to the Twentieth Century》，劍橋，2009年，編號44。另可比較香港邦瀚斯售出一件十八世紀青玉帶皮麒麟，2016年11月29日，拍品13號。