A WHITE JADE BOWL18th/19th centuryWith deep rounded sides rising from a circular ring foot to a gently everted rim, the finely polished semi-translucent stone of an even white tone with faint striations.17.5cm (6 7/8in) diam.Provenance: 十八/十九世紀 白玉光素撇口盌Provenance:An European private collection來源：歐洲私人收藏The Chinese venerated jade from ancient times. As The Book of Rites states, 'The greatgui is uncarved, so as to manifest its beautiful nature.' By the same token, these bowls are undecorated to showcase the perfection and translucency of the material. See a pair of similar bowls, of smaller size (14.5cm diam.), dated 18th century, in the British Museum, see J. Rawson,Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p.400, no.29:13.盌白玉質，撇口，圈足。中國自古尚玉，《禮記》有曰：「大圭不琢，美其質也」，盌通體光素無紋飾，良玉不琢，更顯玉質凝潤剔透。見一對相關的十八世紀白玉盌，體積較小，直徑14.5公分，現藏於大英博物館，見《Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing》，羅森，倫敦，1995年，頁400，編號29:13。