Bird Staff Head |
Ch'ien-lung Reign (1736-1795), Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911) This bird staff head here is one of the jades that the Ch'ien-lung Emperor had made to rectify what he considered vulgar trends in the new style of jades becoming popular among the people, which is why he promoted "imitating antiquity". To achieve this, he used images of ancient objects in the imperial catalogues as "blueprints" for producing jades. This bird staff head is divided into three levels. The lower one is a ram's head, the middle is in a "C" shape, and the upper portrays a bird with a bead in its beak. The bird's feathers have been finely carved down to the smallest detail, which is why the Ch'ien-lung Emperor appreciated it so much. The stand made for it is also finely engraved underneath with an imperial poem written for it in 1775. Text: Chang Li-tuan
|