Shallow oval bowl with poppy garland

This decorative jade carving is a good example of the so-called "craft for the market." This shallow bowl was probably intended for use on a scholar's desk as a brush washer. It has an oval shape with an openwork garland of poppy blossoms (or Ying-su) and leaves. The poppy is a recent, common crop throughout China. In early times, it was considered an emblem of protection against diseases. Its inclusion in ritualistic vessels usually connects it to the cult of sun praise. The petals have sharp corners. The flowers and leaves queue each other in an awkward way. This brush washer is carved out of a boulder with a flat base. Although the carver probably tried to imitate the Qianlong artistic style, there is a sense of discordance in this piece. The garland is stiff and sticks out as if it were glued to the bowl. Despite its shiny and smooth surface, the elements of this object reluctantly belong to each other. The blurring line between social and stylistic characteristics from the 18th to the 20th century did not mean that any object produced in this period was purely art. In the case of decorative jade carvings, all sorts of crafts like this piece were meant to be exported. The mark "CHINA" on the teak wood base proves that this is a recent piece. As Arthur Chu notes, as required by the U.S. law, any object exported to the United States after 1891 had to be marked "China," or "Made in China." Of course, unmarked pieces were brought back by missionaries, businessmen, and tourists as personal property. The highly decorated relief carving style of this bowl demonstrates the vulgarity of the late Qing, when the art of jade carving started its downward trend, due changes in technique, to meet the demand of the trading industry