A LARGE AND RARE CHINESE IMPERIAL CELADON JADE DATED BI DISC

INSCRIBED QIAN LONG JI YOU, CORRESPONDING TO THE YEAR 1789

In Western Han dynasty style, carved in shallow relief to each side with rows of studs, encircled by a band to the rim containing taotie masks divided by pairs of stylized phoenix, the flattened edge with an extensive inscription including the seals Gu xiang and Tai pu, 22.8cm.

Provenance: a private collection in the south of France.

Cf. Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, Jade 8, Qing Dynasty, pp.62-3, no.34, where a closely related bi is illustrated.

The inscription translates loosely as 'this beautiful gift from Hetian, wholesome, soft and warm, was immersed in fertile soil which enriched its beauty. Carved in the traditional methods of craftsmanship, I [the Emperor Qianlong] ordered the sculptor to carve it as an archaistic bi disc. The objective was not to remain accurate with the proportions of the carving, but to maximize the beauty of the jade'.