Page 80 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of art

146
A VERY RARE PALE GREEN JADE ‘RAM AND BOY’ GROUP Despite the rarity of the theme in jade during the Qing dynasty, the
18th century ram and boy group may have its origins in a legend from 2nd century
The smoothly-polished stone superbly carved in the round as a Gandhara.Taizi runying benqijing (Sutra on the Life of the Prince in
recumbent ram with its head slightly turned to the right, a boy leaning Accordance with Good Omens), an early Buddhist sutra, introduced
on the ram and holding a rope tied to the ram’s head, the ridged horns into China during the Three Kingdoms Period (220–280 AD), described
delicately terminating at the back over finely-hollowed ears, the legs that ‘when he was seven-years old, Shakyamuni rode a ram to visit his
tucked underneath the powerful body accentuated by the smoothly- teacher and asked for books to study.’ This story may correspond to
ridged spine, the stone of an even pale green stone, with some russet the motif of a boy riding a ram, which appears to have been popular
to the left horn, wood stand, box. during the 3rd and 4th centuries. Compare with an agate group of boy
16cm (6 1/4in) wide (3). and ram, unearthed from a tomb dated to the Three Kingdoms Period,
and see more discussion on the connection of the group and Buddhist
HKD800,000 - 1,200,000 classics, W.Zhu, Qiyang tongzi: jiekai caowei meishu beihou de silu
US$100,000 - 150,000 mima (Boy Riding a Ram: A Key to Understand the Art of Kingdom of
Wei through Silkroad) in the Journal of Nanjing Arts Institute (Fine Arts
& Design), Nanjing, 2018, vol.1, pp.49-55.
十八世紀 青玉雕童子牧羊擺件
Boy and buffalo groups are seen more often as Qing dynasty
The ram is a popular motif in Chinese jade carving, not only because jade carvings; see for example a pale green jade box and buffalo
its pronunciation sounds close to the pronunciation of the word xiang, group, Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in the
‘auspicious’, but also as a symbol of filial piety, patience and kindness. Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, Jade 9 Qing
A jade group of ram and boy is very rare, compare a jade group of a Dynasty, 2011, Beijing, p.145, no.135. Compare also with a pale
boy riding a ram, Qianlong period, in the Museé Guimet, Paris, (acc. green jade ‘water-buffalo and boy’ group, Qianlong, which was sold at
no.MG95), published in Jade: From Emperors to Art Deco, Paris, Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 May 2019, lot 41.
2016, no.127.

78 | BONHAMS