Page 174 - Bonhams, Roger Keverne Moving on Part 1 May 11, 2021 London

271
A RARE PALE GREEN JADE CARVING OF A QILIN CARRYING
THE HEAVENLY BOOKS
18th century
The mythical beast finely carved recumbent with its head turned back
to the left, its clasped jaws holding a spray of lingzhi fungus supported
on its back and surmounted by a pile of books, tian shu, the raised
head with bulging round eyes below finely-incised eyebrows, the
pair of horns resting on its neck flanking the mane, the haunches
well delineated with scales, the bushy tail flicked across the right rear
haunch, the finely-carved legs and hooves tucked underneath, the
stone of pale green tone with very minor pale and russet inclusions,
wood stand.
10cm (4in) long. (2).
£30,000 - 50,000
CNY270,000 - 450,000

Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價

十八世紀 青白玉雕麒麟負書擺件

Provenance: an English private collection
Bonhams London, 12 May 2011, lot 67

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter
Exhibition, London, 2011, no.87.

來源：英國私人舊藏
倫敦邦瀚斯，2011年5月12日，拍品編號67

展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《冬季展覽》，倫敦，2011年，
編號87

The refined carving of the present mythical creature skilfully captures
its playfulness and the archaic roots. The qilin represents a number of
positive attributes including benevolence, longevity, grandeur, felicity,
illustrious offspring and wise administration. It is considered a good
omen as it is said to appear only during the reign of a benevolent ruler.

See a related but larger pale green and russet jade qilin carrying
books, Qing dynasty, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in
the Palace Museum: Jade 9, Beijing, 2011, p.154, no.142. Compare
also with a related white and brown jade carving of a qilin, 17th/18th
century, from the Oscar Raphael Collection at Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge, illustrated by J.C.S.Lin, The Immortal Stone: Chinese
Jades from the Neolithic to the Twentieth Century, Cambridge, 2009,
no.44.

A related pale green jade carving of a bixie, 18th century, was sold at
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 6 April 2016, lot 62.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
172 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.