A MUGHAL-STYLE WHITE JADE ‘CHRYSANTHEMUM’ MARRIAGE BOWL, 18TH CENTURYChina. Superbly carved as a chrysanthemum flowerhead, the elegantly-rounded sides with finely-curved petals radiating from the central pistil, the foot similarly carved as petals, flanked by bat-form handles suspending loose rings, the translucent stone of a pure white tone with russet veins.Provenance: From a noted private collection of jades and snuff bottles.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, microscopic nicks, the stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks over time.Weight: 203.9 g (excl. stand)Dimensions: Length 17.8 cm (across)With a finely carved and fitted zitan stand dating from the same period. (2)The present lot demonstrates the craftsman achieved in the jade ateliers during the height of the Qing dynasty. 'Hindustani' jades, as they were called by the Qianlong Emperor, were highly prized and therefore influenced Chinese jade carvings. Bowls decorated with auspicious symbols expressing wishes relating to marital bliss and blessing were traditional gifts bestowed at Imperial celebrations.Chrysanthemums were emblematic of longevity and fertility, because of their health-giving properties and the multitude of their petals. The word for chrysanthemum is a homophone with that for 'eternity' but also with the number nine which also evoked infinity, being the product of three times three, the most basic unitprising Heaven, Man and Earth.From at least the Han dynasty, people drank chrysanthemum wine on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month to prolong their life. As symbols of good luck and happiness, bats have few rivals in Chinese culture, and their admiration for bats is ancient. The Chinese word for bat is 'fu,' pronounced the same as the word for good fortune.Out of over 800positions which the Emperor wrote on jade, more than 50 were devoted to Mughal jade, which he described as 'thin as paper'. One such example is a poem written in 1770 in praise of a Hindustan white jade bowl and may be translated as:Hindustan jade is selected from the river,Smoothed by stream water to give its exceptional finish.Fine workman makes a myriad of petals to form a steady foot,Double flowers are exquisitely paired.Fine jadees from Xi Cheng* as of old,Fair and delicate it now surpasses the jade maiden.Forbidden to be used regardless of the tea,A stern prohibition edict issued long hence.*Name of an ancient location near XinjiangThis poem was also followed by a note written by the Emperor, in which he mentions that the Hindustan bowl is carved with “twelve long leaves rising to the mouth rim, flanked by a pair of handles each in the form of a flower supported on leaves. The material is glossy and smooth, worked to be thin as paper. This fine jade is so exquisitely carved tha