THE QIANLONG EMPEROR AND JADE CARVINGS FROM SUZHOU GUO FUXIANG Research Fellow, The Palace Museum, Beijing Translation by Emily Jui-chi Tu and Bradley James Gardner 1 Emperor Qianlong Appreciating Antiques Height 118 cm, width 198 cm Appreciating works of art became an essential part of the Qianlong emperor s life at court. His infatuation with jade ware, his collection of and commentaries on these objects contributed to the sheer size and exceptional quality of the Qing court s jade collection.
2 Zhuanzhu Lane of Suzhou (Photograph taken in April 2011) Located within the Chang gate of Suzhou city. This tiny north-south lane has since the Ming dynasty been a crucial site for jade ware production in China. It has also long epitomised the highest standards of private jade ware production.
3 Jade Yue Battle-Axe with a Beast Mask Pattern Height 19.4 cm, width 13 cm National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei This item is carved with the Qianlong emperor s poem, Yong Fang Gu Kui Wen Fu Pei (Ode to an Axe-shaped Jade Pendant Adorned with an Old Kui Dragon Pattern), written in the thirty-ninth year of the Qianlong reign. The verses, which read, not to be commissioned to an uncultivated craftsman...new styles ruin the essence of jade, are the Qianlong emperor s earliest recorded criticism of jade objects fashioned in new style. 4 Spinach Jade Gong Wine Glass with a Dragon Pattern Height 12.9 cm, width 12.1 cm, depth 4.8 cm National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei Engraved on this piece of jade is a poem written by the Qianlong emperor entitled, Yong He Tian Lu Yu Long Wei Gong (Ode to a Green Khotan Jade Gong Wine Glass in the Shape of a Dragon s Tail), dated to the forty-sixth year of the Qianlong reign. It mentions that jade craftsmen at the time competed to create new styles where vessels were tawdrily marked by crude craftsmanship, the advent of which created a jade calamity.
5 Celadon Jade Ruyi Sceptre Height 5.5 cm, length 45.3 cm, width 4.9 cm From the emperor s words engraved on this ruyi sceptre, which is dated to the fifty-forth year of the Qianlong reign, remade from a jade ruyi sceptre produced by a tasteless craftsman, it can be deduced that the aesthetics of this ruyi sceptre did not meet the Qianlong emperor s standards. When it reached the court, it had to be re-carved.
6 Green Beast-Shaped Jade Yi Water Vessel Height 10.2 cm, width 13.2 cm, depth 6.6 cm This is a Qianlong period jade article fashioned after ancient styles. The engraved imperial poem dated to the forty-first year of the Qianlong reign reflects the emperor s aesthetic principles for producing jade ware at that time; a return to the classics in the pursuit of purity. 7 Stand for the Green Beast-Shaped Jade Yi Water Vessel It bears the engraving of an imperial poem by the Qianlong emperor.
8 Khotan Jade Vase in the Shape of a Frost-Covered Cabbage Height 16 cm, width 12.2 cm, depth 6.1 cm This Suzhou-made jade article bears the carved inscription of an imperial poem dated to the forty-first year of the Qianlong reign. It was considered by the emperor to contain an advising quality, which artisans expressed through forms of art. 9 Khotan Jade Vase Decorated with a Coiled Dragon Guarding a Pearl Height 20.5 cm, diameter of mouth 11.5 cm National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei Carved on a band around the centre of the vessel is a poem written by the Qianlong emperor entitled, Yong He Tian Yu Pan Long Shou Zhu Pin (Ode to a Khotan Jade Vase Decorated with a Coiled Dragon Guarding a Pearl), which is dated to the fortyfirst year of the Qianlong reign. This item is regarded as serving the dual purpose of advising against extravagance while reminding the emperor to guard his territories.
10 Cloud and Dragon Khotan Jade Vase Height 18.1 cm, diameter of mouth 3.6 cm This is also a jade vessel that the Qianlong emperor deemed to have an advising quality, which artisans expressed through forms of art.
11 Green Jade Boulder Carved with the Image of Spring Dawn over the Elixir Terrace Height 23 cm, width 28.3 cm, depth 11 cm This jade boulder is mentioned in an imperial poem from the fifty-ninth year of the Qianlong reign, which is entitled, Yong He Tian Yu Shi Shi Cang Shu Tu (Ode to a Khotan Jade Piece Depicting a Stone Chamber for Storing Books). The Qianlong emperor considered this a successful example of a Suzhou craftsman redressing a tasteless jade article by imitating a landscape painting. 12 Spinach Jade Brush Pot Carved with a Stone Book Storage Chamber Height 16 cm, diameter 12.5 cm National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei On the rim of the brush pot is a carved poem by the emperor from the fifty-ninth year of the Qianlong reign. It is entitled, Yong He Tian Yu Shi Shi Cang Shu Tu (Ode to a Khotan Jade Piece Depicting a Stone Chamber for Storing Books). The poem mentions that Suzhou jade craftsmen have gradually followed the ancients by learning from the classics and have also removed vulgar influences to create jade articles through imitating old styles or pictorial works. The Qianlong emperor placed equal acclaim on this brush pot.
13 Green Jade Boulder Carved with Zhao Mengfu Bathing Horses Height 16.3 cm, width 23.5 cm, depth 6 cm This jade boulder is sculpted in the style of a painting by a renowned painter from a previous dynasty, thus offering new sources for motifs applied in the private production of Suzhou jade objects during the late Qianlong period. This jade mountain was modelled after the famous Yuan dynasty artist, Zhao Mengfu s handscroll, entitled Bathing Horses.
14 Record of Zhu Xiaochun s Tribute to the Qianlong Emperor First Historical Archives of China Collection, Beijing This February 14th entry from the forty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign records that the Qianlong emperor appreciated and accepted up to ninety-six tributary gifts from Zhu Xiaochun. Since ninety-four of the gifts were made from jade, this demonstrates that jade ware accounted for a considerably large portion of all tributes from officials. 15 Record of Gao Pu s Tribute to the Qianlong Emperor First Historical Archives of China Collection, Beijing This January 13th entry from the forty-first year of the Qianlong reign records that Gao Pu s tributary gifts to the Qianlong emperor were rejected, all of which were made of jade.
16 Record of Li Shiyao s Tribute to the Qianlong Emperor First Historical Archives of China Collection, Beijing This February 14th entry from the forty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign records that tributary gifts to the Qianlong emperor from Li Shiyao, Director General of Yungui, were rejected. Li Shiyao was adept at procuring treasured items for tributary purposes and won the appreciation of the Qianlong emperor. The tributary jade items that he presented were likely to have originated from private jade workshops in Suzhou.
17 White Jade Boulder with Pavilions in the Immortal-Inhabited Mountains Height 16.4 cm, width 21.7 cm National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei The design of this jade piece received the Qianlong emperor s acclamation for the artisan s clever utilisation of the material s natural colours by carving its yellow skin into mountains and its white areas into streams.
18 Spinach Jade Boulder with Pavilions in the Immortal-Inhabited Mountains Height 22.9 cm, width 22.2 cm The design of this piece of jade utilises the natural shape of the material and incorporates carvings of majestic structures on both the front and back. It is probable that the design draft came from a printed landscape illustration found in a book. This was a popular method used in the process of Suzhou jade production during the late Qianlong reign.
19 Green Jade Boulder with Myriad Pine Retreat Height 20.6 cm, width 28 cm, depth 4.6 cm When officials presented jade items as tributary gifts in the late Qianlong reign, their designs often exhibited motifs and details that were expressed in the imperial odes of the emperor. These tributary jade items were designed to catch the emperor s attention with their pictorial themes to increase their chances of being accepted. Depicted on the jade boulder is the scenery of Wansong Shanfang (Myriad Pine Retreat) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The Qianlong emperor once visited this location during his inspection trip of the south and wrote a poem in dedication of his experience there.