Eight Geese Box
18th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This jade piece is a tour de force of intricate carving, almost certainly from a workshop under imperial patronage. The box is carved from a single block of translucent pale green jade whose original size would have been no smaller than 40cm x 40cm. Then the jade block was carved into a group of eight geese in various positions, some preening, some about to take flight, some entangled amid sinuous waterweeds which are finely carved in openwork. The whole piece is divided horizontally into two halves so that the body of each goose is hollowed out to form a small box. The lower half of each body has an internal riser over which the lid fits. The carving is naturalistic, with details of the birds' heads and feathers indicated by incised lines.
This object might not have served any practical function, but it would have stunned everyone who set eyes on it. It was a vehicle through which the jade carver showed off his virtuosity. It was also a sure way for the owner to win the esteem of his peers.
This object might not have served any practical function, but it would have stunned everyone who set eyes on it. It was a vehicle through which the jade carver showed off his virtuosity. It was also a sure way for the owner to win the esteem of his peers.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Nephrite jade, carved |
| Brief description | Box with lid, carved nephrite jade, China, Qing dynasty, 1700-1800 |
| Physical description | Nephrite jade box carved as a group of eight geese; some preening, some on the point of taking flight with details of heads and feathers incised, all entangled in water weeds carved in openwork. The piece is divided horizontally to form a group of eight boxes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by the Museums and Galleries Commission, from the estate of Mrs L. F. Palmer |
| Object history | From the estate of the late Mrs.L. F.Palmer. It is claimed, though without any firm proof, to have come from the collection of Yixin (1833-1898), the first Prince Gong. He was the grandson of the Qianlong emperor and played a prominent role in attempts to modernise the empire in the nineteenth century. He had many foreign contacts and the set of boxes may have been a present from him to one of them. Craig Clunas 08/08/1984: The dating of this piece is influenced by the periodization proposed in Yang Boda, 'Qingdai gongting yuqi', Gugong Bowuguan Yuankan 1982.1. Craig Clunas 04/09/1989: Compare a four-goose box in a very similar style, Lot 302 in Fine Jade Carvings and Jadeite Jewellery, Christie's Swire HK 25/09/1989. This is likely to be a product of the same workshop. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This jade piece is a tour de force of intricate carving, almost certainly from a workshop under imperial patronage. The box is carved from a single block of translucent pale green jade whose original size would have been no smaller than 40cm x 40cm. Then the jade block was carved into a group of eight geese in various positions, some preening, some about to take flight, some entangled amid sinuous waterweeds which are finely carved in openwork. The whole piece is divided horizontally into two halves so that the body of each goose is hollowed out to form a small box. The lower half of each body has an internal riser over which the lid fits. The carving is naturalistic, with details of the birds' heads and feathers indicated by incised lines. This object might not have served any practical function, but it would have stunned everyone who set eyes on it. It was a vehicle through which the jade carver showed off his virtuosity. It was also a sure way for the owner to win the esteem of his peers. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.57-1983 |
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| Record created | January 20, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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