Chinese Antiquities book review

Forever Jade: Chinese Jade Miniatures from Four Millenia

Book Review by Eric J. Hoffman

Edited by Alexandra Von Przychowski with contributions by Markus Rottmann and Alexandra Von Przychowski. Distributed by U. of Chicago Press for Scheidegger & Spiess, 128 pages, 63 color plates, 9 1/4 x 12 1/4, $45.00

In 1952 the Rietberg Museum (Zurich, Switzerland) had the good fortune to receive the more than 200 Chinese jades collected by Dr. Reinhard J. C. Hoeppli (1893-1970). A medical doctor and zoologist, Hoeppli was teaching in China at a time when such jades were readily obtainable. This book catalogs the exhibition, spanning 4000 years of jade carving, formed by the Hoeppli jades, augmented by a few (mostly archaic, some later) from others.

Arranged in roughly chronological order, most of these exquisitely carved jade masterpieces are small, an inch or two in size. Some were intended as pendants but the majority are simply superb little sculptures, mostly depicting tiny animals and flora that convey hidden Chinese auspicious wishes. Essays by curator Alexandra Von Przychowski and museum director Annette Bhagwati give a solid background on old Chinese jades, with up-to-date jade scholarship. The translation from the German is excellent throughout.

Felix Streuli’s photography is first-rate, and there’s even a brief essay (by Markus Rottmann) on how he took these pictures. A few extreme close-ups show the fine detail, revealing how the jades were worked. Snippets of text on vellum inserts add further interesting details about jade, including short stories and poems. Unfortunately, the photos themselves are not captioned at all. Instead, the reader must refer to the back of the book for all captions as well as a helpful paragraph of information about each piece (including provenances). But this is not an uncommon arrangement for museum catalogs. A concise bibliography rounds out the catalog.

Favorites? Each of these little treasures is a joy to look at. But those that particularly won my admiration are the two Badgers (p. 41 and the cover), the Cong (p. 3), Monkeys with Cicada and Peach (p. 37), Zodiac Pig (p. 72), two Mythical Qilins (pp. 74 & 76), the Buddha Hand Fruit (p. 54), and the Snuff Bottle (p. 106).

Here is a book that is a pleasure to read and can be enjoyed by the advanced student of Chinese jades as well as the novice.

Two badgers, carved from a single piece of jade.

Originally published in ASJRA Newsletter, March 2023.