Page 79 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art December 2014

8153

8152 Property from Various Owners
An archaistic jade bowl with dragon handles
Ming dynasty 8153
Inspired by archaic bronze gui vessel, the compressed globular body A finely carved large white jade boulder
with raised bosses below a waisted neck incised with a band of The rounded boulder carved in high relief and deeply undercut to
stylized dragons between short vertical flanges and a pair of animal the front and reverse, depicting a continuous scene of a rugged
masks carved in high relief; further separated by a pair of thickly mountain landscape, with three boys grooming an elephant in a river
carved dragon handles to each side; the stone of a celadon tone with nestled in the deep valley, further detailed with a steep mountainous
opaque russet, buff and grayish areas. pass lined with pine and wutong trees and two pagodas nestled on
5 3/4in (14.6cm) wide promontories; the white stone with a slight grayish tinge, marked with
$4,000 - 5,000 russet inclusions and fissure veins.
6 x 7 3/4 x 3 1/2in (15.2 x 19.8 x 9cm)
Provenance $20,000 - 30,000
acquired 22nd July 1971, from René Kitchen Ltd., London
Provenance
formerly in the collection of Andrew Dole, by repute from Robert C.
Eldred Co., Inc, acquired during the 1970s

Young boys washing the elephant is a well known subject in Chinese
art. The elephant is an auspicious symbol associated with Buddhism
and used in rebuses to convey wishes for peace and prosperity. The
symbolism of boys washing an elephant represents the wish for great
joy and happiness.

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