Page 22 - 2019 September 9th Bonhams Important Chinese Works of Art

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A FINE PALE CELADON JADE DEER FIGURAL GROUP In Chinese, the word deer (lu) is a homophone with rank or emolument
19th century (lu). Further, deer have been traditionally associated with the
The larger sleek-horned recumbent stag seated above a smaller iconography of Shoulao or the God of Longevity, something which
adoring young buck, the juvenile and adult gripping between them in can be enhanced by the magical properties of the lingzhi fungus. As
their maws a different gnarled branch of the same leafy multi-fork frond such, the auspicious subject matter of deer and linghzhi is a common
of lingzhi fungus draping naturalistically over and around their stately trope in Chinese art, and often depicted in jade figural groups like the
frames, over which their intense mutual gaze is enhanced by incised present lot. See the 17th/18th century example sold in our Hong Kong
details along their powerful jawbones and almond shaped eyes, the rooms,27 November 2014, lot 107; or the 18th century example sold
stone of pale translucent celadon hue subtly mottled in large whorled in Christies Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3561. Both of these pieces
patches of icy inclusions. relate to numerous prototypes in the Palace Collection depicting
8in (20.2cm) long this same auspicious subject matter: for example, a pale green jade
carving of a stag and doe with lingzhi fungus, Qing dynasty, from the
$40,000 - 60,000 Qing Court Collection, illustrated by Zheng Xinmiao, ed., Compendium
of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, Qing Dynasty, vol.9,
十九世紀 青白玉雕雙鹿啣芝紋擺件 Beijing, 2010, pl.145. See as well the qilin in the Palace Museum
Collection, Beijing, illustrated in Jadeware (III), The Complete Collection
of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 114, no. 94.

Interestingly however, both of the comparable examples sold depict a
male deer and a female deer, further auguring conjugal bliss on top of
wealth and longevity for the lucky recipient. The 19th century carver
of the present lot however has depicted two horned animals-- two
males. One possible explanation for this choice could be that the adult
and juvenile deer are an ode to filial affection, an intriguing artifact from
a society coming to grips with the challenges and aftermath of the
Qianlong/Jiaqing father/son transition.

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