The Jadeite cabbage Carved in the workshops of the Chinese emperors at an unknown date, this famous
The Jadeite cabbageCarved in the workshops of the Chinese emperors at an unknown date, this famous piece one of the most exquisite jade carvings in existence. Skilfully using the natural colours of ‘moss in snow’ jadeite, the artist replicated a cabbage with two insects hiding amongst the leaves. The natural variations in hue of Chinese cabbage are so wonderfully represented that one could almost eat it. The veins in the leaves are skilfully exploited flaws and naturally stained fractures in the rough material.The first record of thie piece occurs in 1889, when it was exhibited in the Forbidden City as part of the dowry given to the empress Jun on her marriage to emperor Guanxu. It is held to be an allegory of female virtue, with a white stalk for purity, leaves for fertility and the insects representing offspring. The creation process also shows the process of turning defects into perfection. Now gracing the collection in the National Palace Museum in Taipei after an adventurous voyage through wartime China, it measures 18.7x9x5cm.LozImage credit: peelldenhttp://www.npm.gov.tw/exh99/jade/2_en.htm -- source link
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