Page 198 - Sotheby's Speelman Collection Oct. 3, 2018

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A CELADON AND RUSSET 明 青白玉雕太平有象把件

JADE ‘ELEPHANT AND BOY’
來源：
GROUP Fryers 中國藝術品收藏

MING DYNASTY

substantially worked in the round as a caparisoned elephant
standing foursquare with its head turned backwards, a boy
depicted dressed in loose robes and clambering atop the
elephant, holding a vase with his left hand and a ruyi sceptre
in his right, the elephant further harnessed with decorative
trappings and detailed with naturalistically outlined wrinkles
across the body, the stone of a yellowish-celadon colour
extensively accentuated with russet patches, wood stand
h. 9.3 cm, 3⅝ in.
PROVENANCE
The Fryers Collection of Chinese Art.
HK$ 500,000-700,000
US$ 64,000-89,500

Sensitively fashioned in the round to depict a highly auspicious
subject, the present piece demonstrates the craftsman’s
ability to make full use of the contours of the jade pebble to
create a whimsical object with minimal waste. The playfulness
of the subject is heightened by the natural russet inclusions
of the skin of the jade pebble, which successfully endow the
overall composition with a layer of three-dimensionality.
A related figure of an elephant with a saddlecloth, from the
Guan-fu collection, was included in the exhibition Chinese
Jades from Han to Ch’ing, Asia House Gallery, New York,
1980, cat. no. 57, where it is noted that the zig-zag pattern on
the saddlecloth, also seen on the present piece, is reminiscent
of Ming brocade designs. Compare also a greenish-yellow
russet jade elephant carving, attributed to the seventeenth
century, sold at Christie’s New York, 23rd March 2012, lot
1815; and a russet jade figure of an elephant and a boy, from
the collection of H.R.H. Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester,
attributed to the Yuan to Ming dynasty, sold at Christie’s Paris,
10th December 2014, lot 5, and again in these rooms, 3rd
October 2017, lot 3758.
The incorporation of numerous auspicious motifs imbues
this carving with well-wishes. The character for elephant,
xiang, is homophonous with ‘luck’ in Chinese; when illustrated
surmounted by a vase on its back, they form the auspicious
rebus ‘taiping youxian’, symbolising peace and harmony;
whereas the theme of a boy climbing or riding an elephant,
symbolises the wish for good fortune.

196 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比