A WHITE JADE ARCHAISTIC INCENSE BURNER AND COVER, FANGDING18th/19th centuryCarved in low relief on four sides with archaistictaotie mask decoration, separated by notched flanges, with further flanges at the corners, similarly decorated on the cover, surmounted by an openwork coiled dragon finial, flanked to both sides with tall angular handles at the mouth rim, the stone of an even white tone with a slight celadon tinge, box.17cm (6 3/4in) highProvenance: 十八/十九世紀 白玉雕仿古紋盤龍鈕蓋方鼎Inspired by the shape and decoration of bronze ritual food vessels, fangding, of the Zhou dynasty, the present lot is a fine example of the stylistic developments during the 18th century inspired by the wishes of the Qianlong emperor. Aiming to 'restore the ancient ways', the emperor wished to reinstate the intrinsic qualities of simplicity, sincerity and happy exuberance of the ancient cultures. For this purpose, the emperor instructed the court to collect drawings of antiquities, such as the 'Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities' (Xi Qing Gu Jian 西清古鑑), which served as sources of designs for the production of contemporary vessels. See Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pp.49-50.For three examples in the form of a fangding: one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, dated Qing dynasty, see ibid., Taipei, 1997, pp.58-9, pl.2; a green jade ding, Qianlong period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in thependium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 10 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, p.94, pl.64; and one in the collection of the Asian Museum of San Francisco, also dated Qianlong period, illustrated in René-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argencé, Chinese Jades in the Avery Brundage Collection, Tokyo, 1977, pl.LIII.此器代表了清朝自雍正及乾隆帝始的仿古風，器型乃商代青銅方鼎的形式：長方形橫切面，折沿，方唇，朝冠耳，四壁琢獸面紋，回紋填地，柱狀足，加上玉蟠龍紐蓋。關於乾隆帝對於「仿古」及「示稿内府玉人」，將内府收藏古器物的圖錄，如《西清古鑒》交付玉工作爲新製玉器時造型、紋飾的要求等討論，見《宮廷之雅: 清代仿古及畫意玉器特展圖錄》中張麗端《清乾隆朝「仿古」、「畫意」及「新樣」玉器研究》一文，展覽圖錄，台北，1997年，頁49-50。參考三例博物館收藏：一台北故宮博物院藏清代玉「文王」方鼎，器型靈感與本器相關，唯帶板狀夔龍形扁足，見前書，頁58-59，圖版2；清宮舊藏一件乾隆青玉召夫鼎，飾以直耳，柱狀足上雕蟬紋，收錄在《故...