Page 59 - Christie's Leisurely Life May 29, 2019 Hong Kong
P. 59
PROPERTY FROM THE QUEK KIOK LEE COLLECTION
2940
A SOAPSTONE LUOHAN AND GROTTO GROUP
QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY
The boulder is deeply undercut and hollowed in high relief on one side with a meditating
emaciated Luohan: a depiction of Xueshan dashi, seated cross-legged, holding a string of
beads in his right hand with eyes downcast, beside an incense burner from which rises a
wisp of smoke. The scene is set within a grotto surrounded by trees. The reverse is carved
as a continuation of the rocky mountainside.
4 in. (12.5 cm.) high
HK$150,000-250,000 US$20,000-32,000
The subject of Luohan in a mountain grotto is particularly popular in Chinese art.
There is a discussion on the origins and significance of this group of carvings in
J. Rawson’s Chinese Jade, London, 1995, p. 410, illustrated with two comparable
examples from the British Museum Collection and the Sir Joseph Hotung Collection.
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