Beschreibung:

A RARE ARCHAISTIC WHITE JADE TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER AND COVER, DINGQianlong Finely carved around the compressed globular body with archaistic taotie motifs beneath a galleried rim and supported on three cabriole legs issuing from mythical beast-heads, the sides flanked by a pair of S-shaped handles, the domed cover carved with further taotie motifs and surmounted by a rope-twist finial, zitan wood stand. 14.3cm (5 5/8in) wide (3).Footnotes清乾隆 白玉雕仿古饕餮紋三足蓋爐 Provenance: Christie's London, 8 April 1981, lot 228 James Basil Wilson and Julia Wilson, and thence by descent In 1945, James Basil Wilson returned from The Second World War having served with the Gurkhas. He married Julia Burke in 1949 and they moved to London. James started working for Iron and Steel Exporters and later that year, he was offered the chance to set up an office Hong Kong, so they moved there and set up home. The business was successful, they loved Hong Kong and they lived the life of ex-patriates to the full. They swam, played golf, made friends and indulged their passion for fast cars, competing in amateur road races. Julia claimed to have won at the first Macau Grand Prix. As well as enjoying the pastimes of the culture they brought with them, they developed an enduring love for China, Chinese people, Chinese food and Chinese art. With a growing family, they returned to England in 1957. They brought with them the pieces they had bought in Hong Kong and James made many trips to Hong Kong and continued to build their collection throughout the following decades mainly from dealers in London. 來源：倫敦佳士得，1981年4月8日，拍品編號228 James Basil Wilson與Julia Wilson伉儷舊藏，並由後人保存迄今 James Basil Wilson二戰期間曾於廓爾喀軍團服役，1945年返回英國。 1949年與Julia Burke結婚，婚後搬至倫敦，並開始為Iron and Steel Exporters效力，同年被委任籌備香港辦事處，遂移居香港。事業發展蒸蒸日上的同時，Wilson伉儷也充分享受著外派人士的理想生活；游泳、打高爾夫、結交朋友，沉迷賽車運動甚至參加業餘車手街道賽，Julia聲稱曾完賽首屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車。在保留西方生活方式的同時，Wilson伉儷也對中國及其民眾、美食和藝術產生了長久的熱情。 1957年，隨著家庭的不斷壯大，Wilson一家回到英國，並帶回了其在香港購置的藝術品。此後，James多次前往香港，並在接下來的幾十年中持續造訪倫敦的古董商，擴充藏品。 The present lot embodies the brilliant creativity of Qing craftsmen in its combination of contemporary and archaic motifs. Continuing the Song tradition of reinterpreting large archaic ritual bronzes into relatively small jade vessels, this incense burner is carved with the archaic taotie motif. In response to jade carving in the 18th century, characterised by decorative objects with ornate high-relief designs, the Qianlong emperor commissioned a large number of jades which were inspired by the forms and designs of antiquity. Jade carvers were encouraged to move away from the 'new style' by studying archaic bronze vessels in the Palace collection or in illustrated woodblock prints, and adapting them to the medium of jade. Inspired in both form and decoration by archaic bronze ding, this incense burner epitomises this trend. Compare with a related white jade incense burner and cover with archaistic taotie design, Qing dynasty, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, 10, Beijing, 2011, p.135, no.98. See also another related white jade tripod incense burner and cover but with bow-string design, Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2006, p.72, no.60. See also a related pale green jade tripod incense burner and cover, Qianlong, which was sold at Bonhams London, 5 November 2020, lot 164.