Ice-type full green jadeite incense burner, the beauty of a precious artifact

Generally speaking, the jadeite we often see is often small and exquisite , such as egg-shaped pendants, etc .; large and bulky , such as various ornaments and objects. Although the latter has superb craftsmanship, the materials used are usually poor .

A late Qing Dynasty jadeite double dragon and lion-shaped lidded censer with movable ring ears (whole)

Of course, there are a few exceptions. For example, this jadeite double dragon movable ring ear lion button lid furnace from the late Qing Dynasty is carved from full green icy jadeite. It is 19.8cm wide and is not only large in size, but also of high quality. It is very rare and can be called a treasure among jadeites and the best of jadeite artifacts .

A late Qing Dynasty jadeite double dragon and lion-shaped lidded censer with live ring ears (side view)

This jade incense burner is exquisitely carved and has a neat hollowing out. It is round in shape, with a narrow neck and a bulging belly. Both sides of the shoulders are decorated with symmetrical dragon ears, each with a ring, and under the belly there are three lion-head swallowing-style feet. The lid has a round top, carved with floral patterns, and decorated with Taishi and Shaoshi buttons.

A late Qing Dynasty jadeite double dragon and lion-shaped lidded censer with live ring ears (side view)

Jadeite flowed into China from Burma during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century. Most of it was owned by the royal family, and very little was distributed among the public. From Emperor Qianlong to Emperor Xuantong, all seven emperors and their concubines had a special fondness for jadeite. Princes and nobles used the abundance of their jadeite collections to measure their wealth, so jadeite is also called "royal jade" and "imperial jade" , and its status surpasses all kinds of gems.

A late Qing Dynasty jadeite double dragon and lion-shaped lidded censer with movable ring ears (whole)

It is conceivable that this jade incense burner handed down from the late Qing Dynasty is worth quite a lot of money. Recently, this jade incense burner appeared at Christie's "Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art" auction, with an estimated price of up to 40 million Hong Kong dollars!

A late Qing Dynasty jadeite double dragon and lion-shaped lidded censer with live ring ears (partial)

However, the origin of this jade furnace seems to be quite tortuous.

It is said that on May 17 this year, at the "Fukumaru" antique art props market in Kyoto, Japan, there was also a jade incense burner that was exactly the same in shape, carving, size, jade texture and base , but it was sold for only HK$7.7 million.

Jade furnace at Fukumaru, Kyoto

A closer look reveals that the jade incense burner is also of high quality with exquisite carvings. Logically, it should not have been bought for HK$7.7 million. It must be that the "Fukumaru" company was not sure that the item was natural jade, so it sold it at such a low price.

Jade furnace in Fukumaru, Kyoto (with lights)

Jade is rare, and each piece of jade is unique. It is not surprising to have similar examples, but it is impossible for them to be exactly the same. So some people conclude that this piece is the one from Kyoto. If this is true, it means that in just less than half a year, the value of this jade incense burner has increased from 7.7 million to 40 million, a full five times!

Comparison of two jadeite furnaces

Putting aside issues such as lighting and angle, the two jade furnaces do look very similar in the pictures, but it is not known whether they are the same one. You may wish to take a closer look.

Of course, regardless of whether it is the same piece or not, such jade furnaces have undoubtedly drifted from China to Japan. It would be a happy thing if they could return to the motherland through auction.

Late Qing Dynasty Jadeite Double Dragon Ring Ear Lion Button Lid Censer

The art of incense has a long history in China, and the incense burner is an essential utensil in the art of incense, which is mostly used in daily life and religious sacrificial activities.

Jade incense burners are made from a huge amount of material and are very time-consuming. One needs to use a whole piece of jade and hollow it out from the middle bit by bit to make it . If you are not careful all your efforts will be wasted. Therefore, jade incense burners are relatively rare among jade products.

Qing Dynasty Emperor Guangxu Emperor's jadeite nine-lion movable ring ear cover censer

2015 Poly Autumn Auction Estimated Price: HKD 12,000,000-18,000,000

Jade incense burners like this one, although of different sizes and proportions, all have only a small amount of carvings against the plain walls to highlight the luster and moisture of the jade. The materials used are expensive, and they are truly treasured and appreciated by dignitaries. They have been passed down from the Qing Dynasty to the present day. They can be said to be a combination of history, culture, craftsmanship and quality . They are extremely precious, and every time they are listed at auction, the estimated price is over 10 million .

With the annual decrease of jade deposits and the scarcity of high-end raw materials, the principle of rare materials has been increasingly implemented in jade carving creation. Most of the high-end jade materials with excellent quality, water and color are used to make egg-shaped pendants, and are rarely used to carve large ornaments . Once they appear, they must be treasures and worth a lot of money.

For example, this jade piece titled "Bringing Children to Court" was created by Li Bosheng, a national top-grade craftsman. His works have both typical traditional style and brand-new advanced consciousness. They are delicately carved, vivid and lifelike, and they see the big in the small and the refinement in the big.

This work is carved with a jade seal, and the base is a dragon body with fine gold patterns. It weighs 5 kilograms and is worth 1.3 million !

The icy green jadeite double dragon finely carved jade seal was placed on a luxurious gold base . It attracted a lot of onlookers after being exhibited at the Shanghai International Jewelry Exhibition and Shanghai Gold Jewelry Festival held in Shanghai.

According to industry insiders, this work is worth more than 1 billion yuan .

Although it is only an estimate, it is enough to reflect the high value of this work. Moreover, as the price of high-quality jade has been rising, high-end jade ornaments have often been auctioned for high prices in recent years.

Emerald violet grape ornaments,

Starting price: 18 million

2013, Yunnan's first Cultural Expo,

Hong Fushou's work, the Thousand-armed Thousand-eyed Guanyin with 42 arms,

The transaction was completed at RMB 230 million.

It became the most expensive work sold at the auction!

2014 Spring Auction,

Spring-colored jadeite ornament "One Thought",

Approximate size: 40 x 20 x 15cm,

The final auction price was 5.52 million yuan!

2005, at the “Shanghai Summer” Jade and Watch Auction,

Lingzhi Ruyi Jadeite Ornament, weight 450 grams

The auction started at a high price of 10 million yuan.

The final price was 33 million yuan.

It set the highest price for jadeite auction in China at that time!

In recent years, the market trend of jade ornaments has been rising steadily. Some high-end jade raw materials, such as ice-type or even glass-type jade, are made into large ornaments. They are often priceless and have good collection value and appreciation potential. They are favored by many investment collectors. As for ordinary people, such rare jade artifacts also have a shocking charm and are worth careful appreciation.

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