IMPORTANTE COUPE DE MARIAGE EN JADE BLANC

The present lot is one of the most refined examples of the ideals of Qing jade carving where twin elements appear together, in this instance the double-happiness character and the pair of tasselled endless knots appearing together to symbolise harmony and eternal marital bliss. Dishes of this type are known as 'marriage bowls', and with their carefully chosen auspicious decoration, were popular in China, especially under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795).
From the subject-matter, it is possible that this vessel was made as a wedding present, and a number of these remain in the Palace Museum, Beijing.
A very similar water-pot from the Helen and Peter Collection was included in the 45th Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Chiu Society, Auspicious Emblems, Hong Kong, 2005, and illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 218; a slightly smaller water-pot of comparable design is illustrated by Yang Boda (ed.), Essence of Qing Jades, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 200-201; an example with a Shou character on the bridge is in the Tianjin Municipal Museum, illustrated in Cang Yu, Hong Kong, 1993, pls. 204-205; and another also with a Shou symbol, was included in the Indianapolis Museum of Art exhibition, Three Dynasties of Jade, 1971, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 44.
Compare to a superb Qianlong white jade marriage bowl from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman Part, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2007, lot 1539. Also see a Qianlong pale celadon jade marriage bowl from the collection of Paul-Louis Weiller (1893-1993), sold at Christie’s Paris, 12 June 2012, lot 203.