Jade still holds a magical appeal in the region

Updated: 2011-02-18 06:50

(HK Edition)

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Jade still holds a magical appeal in the region

Although jade is treasured and collected throughout Asia, it has always held an elevated position of importance in Chinese culture and is traditionally regarded as more valuable than gold by savvy investors.

From Neolithic times, jade was used in rituals and ceremonies, and Confucius (551-479 BC) compared its qualities to the five human virtues of benevolence, wisdom, integrity, strength and purity. Jade has long been associated with preservation and magical properties.

Because it can be carved to within one centimeter and not shatter, jade took on symbolic properties in later dynasties. Highly polished jade was reserved mostly for the elite from the Tang to Qing dynasties.

Modern collectors appreciate jade for its density, translucency, tactile and visual aspects. The first rule of the collector is look for quality, then second, color. Jade objects become precious heirlooms, passed down through generations of a family.

Sotheby's Senior Director of China and Southeast Asia and International Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Nicolas K.S. Chow said, "Collectors of antique jade value imperial pieces above all. Although jade comes in many colors, white jade, usually from Burma (Myanmar) is highly prized by the serious collector".

One of the most common forms of carved jade is seals, used as chops on paintings and writings. Naturally the most important and valuable were seals used by emperors, especially seals made for Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1735-1796). A world's record for white jade was set in 2008 at Sotheby's Hong Kong autumn auction, when an exceptional imperial white jade Qianlong yubi seal from the estate of Emile Guimet achieved HK$63,380,000 ($8.1 million), and in 2010, a massive imperial white jade "xintian zhuren" seal, Qianlong period sold for: HK$121,620,000 ($15,592,308).

The Emperor's double dragon nephrite green jade seal, which sold for HK$37,620,000 ($4,814,231) still shows the traces of the red ink he applied to his favorite art works and poems. Emperor Qianlong was famous for his discerning jade collection.

Famous carvers would buy the jade, of many colors, from Khotan in Xinjiang and take it to Suzhou, where there was a huge industry. Artisans used to work with jade by wearing away the surface using tools, bamboo and other implements, primed with abrasives such as crushed silica, corundum and garnet. By the late 16th century, foot treadles allowed the craftsmen to carve the jade more easily, but until modern times, jade carving was a very time-consuming endeavor.

The best carvers worked for emperors, especially the Qing's Qianlong, whose love and appreciation for fine jade stimulated the trade to achieve great triumphs of the art. Translucent tea cups, tea bowls, statues, screens, incense burners, vases, ewers, brush washers, brush pots, boulders, seals and many other stunning pieces populated his collection. He wrote poetry about his favorite pieces, so they can be traced and dated.

Although imperial white jade pieces are rare, other small figurines in green or other colors often depict a boy with a pomegranate, symbolizing fertility, or a boy with a drum, a wish for children. Mandarin ducks are also depicted as closely intertwined, lifelong pairs, to indicate a happy marriage. Mythical tigers or dragons that curl so cunningly around themselves that they seem to move and dance in the hand. The prices have been steadily climbing for these items, from HK$500,000 to 1 million each.

Chow also displayed a white jade sash belt hook or pendant that was pierced for attachment and used when Chinese men still dressed in robes. One pure white jade piece he showed was not only carved on both sides with intricate designs, but also the yin-yang disk in the middle of the pendant had been completely carved out of the surrounding jade so that it actually rotated freely within.

These oblong, two-sided carved jade pieces are very valuable now, with Christie's selling over 20 such pieces in the May 2009 auction for between HK$100,000-200,000 each. These pendants are carved in relief with decorations around the edges and a panel with a landscape, a scholar, a lady or a pavilion on one side and beautiful calligraphy on the other.

Although white jade was the favorite of the imperial court throughout Chinese history, jade comes in a wide range of colors. Millions of little jade artworks can be seen in the Hong Kong jade shops, while the bigger pieces are becoming rarer.

Modern collectors should take expert advice when buying jade pieces. Finding an imperial piece in an antique store or junk shop is highly unlikely, Chow advises.

(HK Edition 02/18/2011 page2)