Page 92 - Robert Youngman Collection Of Chinese Jade March 2019 Sotheby's

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A YELLOW JADE ‘BOYS AND CAT’ GROUP
17TH / 18TH CENTURY
the larger of the two boys crouching, straddling a recumbent cat between the knees and attentively petting the animal’s head, the feline with its legs
tucked under and its tail curling up the boy’s back, a delightful grin playing across the boy’s plump face, the hair tied in a pair of knots atop the
head, a cheerful smaller boy kneeling alongside holding a rattle in the left hand and reaching the right arm around the larger boy whilst holding a
paddle, the stone a creamy yellow color transmuting to a subtle honey tone at the back, wood stand (2)
十七 / 十八世紀 黃玉雕歡喜童子把件
Height 2½ in., 6.4 cm
$ 40,000-60,000

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184
pl. 184.

Children at play was a favorite subject for artisans of the Ming dynasty, who frequently depicted boys engaged with animals, games, and
other pastimes in every medium including painting, lacquer, porcelain, and jade. The present carving is notable for both the luminous
quality of the stone and the quality of the craftsmanship. The figures of the children and the cat are deftly portrayed with well-proportioned
bodies, natural gestures and expressions, and just the right amount of attention to bring each figure to life without becoming stifled by excess
detail. The boys’ garments, for instance, are defined by only a handful of lines indicating their hems and essential folds, however, the subtle
variations in the depth, angle, and polish of each line convincingly convey the boys’ carefree movements and the way their simple robes
behave in response. The rounded lines and generous contours of their faces similarly capture the sweetness and joy of the subjects.
Similar treatments of boys can be seen in a gray jade figure of a boy carrying a lantern, from the Chi-jou Chai Collection, included in Chinese
Jades from Han to Ch’ing, Asia Society, New York, 1980, cat. no. 97; a yellowish-green jade carving of a group of boys carrying a vase,
from the Bie Shan Tang Collection, exhibited in Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1983, cat. no. 204; a pale
green jade carving of a child holding a lotus leaf, from the Tingsong Shuwu Collection and included in the same exhibition, ibid., cat. no.
167; and a white jade carving of three boys holding a lotus, from the Chang Shou Studio Collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th April
2017, lot 3315.

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