A fine jade 'bi' mounted in a Zitan stand with imperial poem

Description:

China, Qianlong period, the Bi probably Han dynasty
H. 29,7 cm (Stand), D. 18,7 cm (Bi-Scheibe)
Beige caramel-coloured jade bi with burled decoration. Excellently crafted stand in the shape of an altar stele above waves of zitan. The characters of the imperial poem were filled with gold, two seals: "Bi De", "Lang Run".
Klaus Nierhoff Collection (1926 - 2011), acquired at Lempertz Köln, 15.11.1963, lot 1097 (collection cataloguing with old description preserved)
The Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty is one of the greatest periods in history in terms of art collections and their appreciation. The Qianlong Emperor himself is undoubtedly one of the greatest imperial collectors in Chinese history. His collections are far more diverse and comprehensive in many respects and continue to exert a significant influence to the present day. The search for and production of jade artefacts is one of the most important components of art appreciation and collecting at the imperial court of the Qianlong period. It is no exaggeration to say that the largest part of the surviving jade collection of the Qing court was collected, produced and included in the court collection during the Qianlong period. If we look back at the history of imperial jades during the Qianlong period, we can see the trend that a large number of jades were combined with court furniture and interior decoration;and interior decoration, which were kept and used as decoration in various rooms of the palace, greatly expanding the uses of jadeware at court. Among them, for example, table screens or scholars' objects made of jade developed into a category of interior decoration, which is a new phenomenon in the collection, production and use of imperial jade pieces in the Qianlong period. A jade bi disc mounted in an imperially inscribed wooden stand, with a central boss securing the bi disc, is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, and is illustrated in Masterworks of Chinese Jade in the National Palace Museum. Supplement, Taipei, 1973, fig. 4 - Very slightly chipped, minimal traces of age