18TH CENTURY

Details

A PAIR OF PALE BEIGEISH-WHITE JADE ALTAR ORNAMENTS
18TH CENTURY
Each is carved with one of the Eight Buddhist Emblems (bajixiang), one the Wheel of Law (dharmacakra), the other the beribboned vase, set on a lotus pod with recessed seeds nestled in a lotus blossom raised on a stem flanked by openwork curling leaves. The whole is raised on a domed base carved in low relief with a lappet border. The stone is of a pale beige-white tone with opaque white inclusions and sparse areas of russet.
9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm.) high, hardwood stands

Provenance

Gurie Gallery, Montreal, Canada, 27 June 1963

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country. Please note that this lot is subject to an import tariff. The amount of the import tariff due is a percentage of the final hammer price plus buyer's premium. The buyer should contact Post Sale Services prior to the sale to determine the estimated amount of the import tariff. If the buyer instructs Christie's to arrange shipping of the lot to a foreign address the buyer will not be required to pay the import tariff, but the shipment may be delayed while awaiting approval to export from the local government. If the buyer instructs Christie's to arrange shipping of the lot to a domestic address, if the buyer collects the property in person, or if the buyer arranges their own shipping (whether domestically or internationally), the buyer will be required to pay the import tariff. For the purpose of calculating sales tax, if applicable, the import tariff will be added to the final hammer price plus buyer's premium and sales tax will be collected as per The Buyer's Premium and Taxes section of the Conditions of Sale.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Rufus Chen (陳嘉安) Head of Sale, AVP, Specialist

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

Buddhist altar ornaments of this design were made in a variety of materials such as porcelain, precious woods and cloisonné enamel, and complete sets can be found in various Lamaist temples including those in the precincts of the Forbidden City, Beijing, and in the Summer Palace in Chengde. It is exceptionally rare to find examples fully executed in jade such as the present pair. A complete set of ‘Eight Buddhist Emblems’ altar ornaments, rendered in pale greenish-white jade, was sold at Chinese Jade Carvings From a Distinguished European Collection; Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2021, lot 2723.

Another complete set of the Eight Buddhist Emblems (bajixiang) altar ornaments, and the Seven Royal Treasures (qizhenbao), but carved from spinach-green jade and supported on elaborate inlaid zitan stands are in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 138-140, no. 114 and pp. 142-144, no. 116, respectively.

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