Jade Appreciation | Every piece of jadeite in the Qing Imperial Palace is exquisite!

Jade is very common as an ornament in our daily life. Many collectors have a special liking for top-quality jade. Today, I will show you what the jade in the Qing Dynasty palace looks like.

▲A jade water container carved to ward off evil spirits, made by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty

The Pi Xie is a mythical beast in ancient times, and people hope to use it to drive away ominous things. It looks like a lion but has wings. This evil-repelling water container is made of a whole piece of jadeite, with collections 186, 755, 557, and 67. The material is huge, with almost no impurities and cracks. The jadeite stone used is dense and uniform in texture, translucent, and uniform in color. It presents a uniform light water green throughout, with some yellow jadeite color in some parts. The carving is fine, the hair is meticulously carved, the eyes are like torches, and the shape is both divine and naive. The shape not only follows the style of Han Dynasty jade evil-repelling objects, but also captures the essence of Six Dynasties stone carvings of evil-repelling objects.

The image of the evil-repelling dagger has rarely appeared since the Tang Dynasty. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong had an extraordinary obsession and love for ancient jade because he was fond of antiques. We can see the imperial year mark and pre-made poems engraved on several ancient jade evil-repelling daggers collected in the palace at that time, which shows the importance and love that Emperor Qianlong attached to them.

▲Jadeite Lotus Boy Qing (19th century)

This ornament is made of jadeite and is carved into the shape of a boy holding a lotus. The jadeite is as transparent as water, yet has a soft luster. A closer look at its internal structure reveals a few "ripples" and emerald green in it, which is set off by the boy's face, body, flower basket and fruits, making it a very clever piece. The boy has a round face and sits cross-legged, holding a lotus in his hand and with a fruit basket beside him. His eye sockets, eyebrows and clothing folds are all depicted with fine lines. His eyes are bright, his lips and teeth are distinct, his expression is lively and natural, and his posture is dynamic. The original wooden base underneath is carved into the shape of a lotus leaf, with clear veins and natural turning, which complements the round-carved jade boy.

▲Qing Dynasty old pit jadeite feather tube

The feather tube is cylindrical in shape as a whole, with a hollow middle and a semicircular button on the top. It has a hole in the middle and is finely ground and polished. It is carefully carved from top-grade natural old pit jadeite, which is smooth, translucent and pure, and very attractive. The main pattern on the surface of the feather tube is a shallow relief of a coiled dragon. The dragon head is slightly raised, the eyes are wide open, the eyebrows are clear, the dragon body is winding, the lines are delicate and smooth, the carving is exquisite and detailed, and both the form and spirit are captured. Paired with beads, each bead is round and solid, clean and pure, with a strong contrast in color, echoing each other, which is just right and adds the icing on the cake.

▲Jadeite bracelet from the Qing Dynasty

A bracelet, also known as a "bracelet" or "ring", is a ring-shaped ornament worn on the wrist. The bracelet symbolizes good luck and peace, and is believed to ward off evil and bring good fortune. This jade bracelet is round in shape, with a smooth, polished ring that is beautiful and elegant. The jade used is pure in texture, has both quality and moisture, is full of green all over, has excellent green color, is fine in texture, is translucent to transparent, has a glassy luster and has good transparency. The luster is excellent and clear like ice, giving people a feeling of icy and jade-like, like holly after rain. It requires processing from large pieces of perfect raw materials, which is quite rare. It looks pretty and delicate when worn on the wrist, and has the charm and grace of a classical beauty. It is worth collecting and wearing.

▲Qing Dynasty Jade Animal Face Movable Ring Furnace

The plain stove is partially decorated with lions and beasts. This creativity was popular on jade and jadeite stoves in the middle and late Qing Dynasty. The stove style also has an antique style, which should be influenced by the antique style of the Qianlong period. This furnace is made of jadeite, and the rich white has a hint of green, which is lightly applied to the surface and penetrates lightly into the interior, like floating clouds. The top of the furnace lid and the furnace body are made of double beast ears holding rings, and the bottom is connected with three beast heads and feet, with the foot ends turned outward. The lion and beast carvings on this furnace and the style of the furnace all have the interest of the late Qing Dynasty, and it should have been made at this time.

▲A jade figurine of a lady playing with a bird, dated Qing Dynasty, with the mark of Feng Xiaolian

This lady ornament is made of jadeite, which has a solid texture. It is bright light purple all over, with slight emerald green in some parts, and the color is lustrous and bright. The three-dimensional round sculpture depicts a lady with a beautiful face, a high bun on her hair, her head tilted to the left, a graceful figure, and a long skirt. She stands slowly with her left arm hanging naturally and her right arm holding a bird. The inscription "Feng Xiaolian" is written on her back.

Feng Xiaolian was the concubine of Gao Wei, the last emperor of Northern Qi. She was originally a maidservant of Empress Mu Huanghua, and later became the emperor's favorite. The whole piece is exquisitely carved, and the figures are lifelike, making it a great desk display.

▲ Qing Dynasty jadeite carved dragon pattern Buddhist beads

This Buddhist necklace is made up of 25 jadeite beads strung together, with alternating black jadeite and gold spacer beads. Each Buddhist bead is full and round, and in excellent condition. Each bead is decorated with dragon patterns using exquisite openwork techniques. The carving is exquisite and complex without losing the rules, and the craftsmanship is evident in every inch of space. During the Qing Dynasty, jade was mainly processed in Beijing, Suzhou, Yangzhou and other places. Among them, those with best quality were selected to make Buddhist beads, thumb rings, feather tubes, dragon hooks and other utensils. This piece is exquisitely crafted and is top-notch among similar works.

▲Jadeite Jue from the Qing Dynasty

This jade artifact imitates the shape of a "jue". It is a three-legged standing cup with two symmetrical pillars embossed on the rim. The cup body is carved with Bogu patterns and decorated with animal heads holding rings. The three legs at the bottom of the cup are all outward-slanting. Jue is a type of ancient bronze vessel, originally used as a drinking vessel. It is shaped like a bird, with a spout, two pillars and three legs.

▲Eighteen-bead jade bracelet from the Qing Dynasty

This bracelet is made of 18 jadeite pieces, which are crystal clear and colorful. It is divided into four sections by four pink tourmalines. The pink tourmaline Buddha head pagoda is gorgeous and dazzling. There are also rice-grain pearls, gathered into knots. A vajra is tied with a light-colored ribbon at the bottom, and below that is a delicate and small pink tourmaline lock-shaped pendant. The lock is engraved with the words "long life and wealth", and the two pendants are made of pink tourmaline. The craftsmanship is delicate and the carving is meticulous.

▲Jadeite bracelet from the Qing Dynasty

The jade bracelet has excellent luster, is polished smoothly, and is beautiful and elegant. The jade used is pure in texture, has quality and wateriness, is full of green all over, the green color is excellent, it is translucent to transparent, has a glassy luster, good transparency, and is clear like ice, giving people a feeling of icy and jade, like holly after rain. It requires processing from large pieces of perfect raw materials, which is quite rare. It looks pretty and delicate when worn on the wrist, and has the charm and grace of a classical beauty. It is worth wearing and collecting.

▲Qing Dynasty jade carving of the story of the West Chamber

The device is carved with jadeite to reveal characters from The West Chamber. The characters are lifelike, the images of the scholars and ladies are vivid, and the houses, pavilions, flowers and plants are all extremely lifelike. It is a scene from the traditional drama "Romance of the West Chamber". The figurine depicts Zhang Sheng dressed as a scholar with a gauze hat and clear collar, giving him a scholarly demeanor, simple and elegant; fresh and moving. Cui Yingying, wearing a long skirt and covering her face with her hands, is clearly shy. The entire ornament is fresh and lively, with a beautiful theme, exquisite carving and precious materials. It is a fine piece of jade carving.