Page 87 - Marchant Ninety Jades For 90 Years
P. 87
四 44. Openwork pendant of pebble form, carved with a squirrel, songshu, amongst grapes, the tail with detailed hairwork and branches
十 naturalistically carved, the stone white, russet and honey.
四 2 ⅜ inches, 6.1 cm long.
Qinalong, 1736-1795.
松
鼠 • From a private collection in the West of England.
葡
萄 • A similar pendant is illustrated by Xue Gui Sheng in Zhong Guo Yu Qi Shang Jian, ‘Appreciation and Examination of Chinese
墜 Jades’, no. 370, p. 197; another is illustrated by Thomas Fok in The Splendour of Jade, The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, no. 98,
p. 114.
白 • Often described as songshu, literally ‘pine tree mice’, squirrels in China are associated with longevity. To further enhance
玉 their auspicious meaning, during the Qing dynasty jade carvings of squirrels are frequently found with grapes, which are a
homophone for peaches, taozi, another longevity symbol.
乾
隆
85
