Page 40 - Robert Youngman Collection Of Chinese Jade March 2019 Sotheby's

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A BLACK JADE FIGURE OF A ‘HEAVENLY HORSE’
MING DYNASTY
carved in a recumbent pose on an integral base with natural contours of the stone preserved, the animal’s forelegs tucked by the chest, the hips
turned to rest on the right haunch, the tail swept to the opposite side, the neck elongated, the chin raised and the gaze directed upward, a crest rising
from the crown of the head fringed by the finely carved mane falling down the neck to the shoulders, flame scrolls carved in relief issuing from the
hips and shoulders, the base pierced, the stone opaque black with hints of opaque white on the body and the base, wood stand (2)
明 玉雕天馬把件
Length 2½ in., 6.3 cm
$ 15,000-20,000

PROVENANCE 來源
Purchased in Hong Kong, 1964. 購於香港，1964年
LITERATURE 出版
Robert P. Youngman, The Youngman Collection of 羅伯特•楊門，《楊門藏玉：中國玉器·新石器時代至清代》，
Chinese Jades from Neolithic to Qing, Chicago, 2008, 芝加哥，2008年，圖版110
cat. no. 110.

This carving effectively integrates the stone’s inherent qualities into the composition. The rich black color of the jade interspersed with white
patches at the horse’s nose and knees beautifully mimics the natural coloration of a horse. Additionally, by using the principally white section
of the stone for the base, and leaving the base with a raw appearance, the carver dexterously distinguishes the two parts of the composition
and enhances the overall sense of naturalism.
Carvings of heavenly horses are rare vis-à-vis representations of other animals, both real and mythical. The treatment of the face, mane, and
body, and the incorporation of an integral base favorably compare to a Ming dynasty jade carving of a horse drinking from a river, exhibited
in Chinese Jade throughout the ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, and illustrated in, ‘Chinese Jade throughout the ages’,
Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 40, London, 1973-75, cat. no. 364; and a similar carving from the Zhirouzhai Collection
offered in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2008, lot 2328.

38 SOTHEBY’S