A JADE 'LOTUS-LEAF' VASE AND A JADE 'LOTUS-LEAF' WASHER Qing Dynasty (2)

A JADE 'LOTUS-LEAF' VASE AND A JADE 'LOTUS-LEAF' WASHER Qing Dynasty Comprising: a jade brush washer naturalistically carved in the form of a large lotus leaf, with edges curled inwards and the base formed by a long twisted stalk, the jade of pale green tone with russet markings from the skin, 13cm (5 1/8in) long; and a jade vase carved in the form of a large lotus leaf supported on a base formed by the twisted stems, the exterior surrounded by lotus blossoms, seedpods, and reeds, further embellished with a carp, an egret and a three-legged toad, 16cm (6 1/4in) high. (2). Footnotes: 清 青玉帶皮荷葉洗 及青玉路路連科花插 Provenance: A British private collection (the washer) Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London 來源： 英國私人收藏 (荷葉洗) 倫敦古董商 Ben Janssens Oriental Art Published, Exhibited and Illustrated: Ben Janssens Oriental Art, The Scholar's Desk, London, 2011, pp.24-25 (the washer) Ben Janssens Oriental Art, TEFAF 2014, p.68 (the vase) Ben Janssens Oriental Art, Landscapes, London, 2018, pp.16-17 (the washer), pp.26-27 (the vase) 展覽著錄： Ben Janssens Oriental Art，《The Scholar's Desk》，倫敦，2011年，第24-25頁 （荷葉洗） Ben Janssens Oriental Art，《TEFAF 2014》，第68頁 （花插） Ben Janssens Oriental Art，《Landscapes》，倫敦，2018年，第16-17頁（荷葉洗），第26-27頁（花插） The decorative features of the jade vase are imbued with symbolic meaning. The Chinese characters for 'egret' 鷺 lu and 'reed' 蘆 lu are homophones for the character 'way' 路 lu, while the character for lotus 蓮 lian is a homophone for the character 'continuous' 連 lian. Together they form the pun 路路連科 lu lu lian ke which can be translated as 'may you pass your exams all the way'. See two jade vases with similar designs of lotus leaves, Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, vol.8, Beijing, 2011, pp.214-215, no.169 and no.170. See also a related white jade 'lotus leaf' vessel, mid Qing dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 24 November 2012, lot 213. Compare the jade lotus-leaf washer with a related pale green and russet jade 'lotus-leaf' brush washer, 17th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 11 May 2021, lot 348. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing