Page 63 - September 23 to 24 Important Chinese Art Christie's NYC

PROPERTY FROM THE JAMES AND MARILYNN ALSDORF COLLECTION
742
A MOTTLED GREY JADE FIGURE OF A RECUMBENT HORSE The horse has a long history as a symbol of power, energy and prestige in
MING DYNASTY (1368-1644) China. Jade carvings of horses are thought to originate in the Tang dynasty,
reflecting the powerful stone sculptures of horses found on Spirit Roads and
The horse is shown with legs tucked under the body and head turned
backwards, the ridged backbone following the elegant curve of the body. the pottery horses found in tombs.
The mane and tail are rendered with fine hair markings, and the softly
polished stone is of mottled pale grey color. A grey jade recumbent horse, dated late Ming or early Qing dynasty, shown
with its head turned to the left but with the proper right foreleg bent up at
8æ in. (22.2 cm.) long the knee, is illustrated by J. Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the
Qing, London, 1995, p. 376, no. 26:19. Another related but smaller (8.3 cm.
$12,000-18,000 long) jade horse is illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji – Sui Tang Ming, Hebei,
1994, vol. 5, p. 169, no. 244.
PROVENANCE:
The Walter C. Goodman and William Stanton Picher Collection, San A related bluish-grey jade carving of two horses, from the collection of Mr.
Francisco, 27 October 1981. H. Marx, dated to the Ming dynasty, and carved in a charming style with
The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago.
the heads turned towards each other, is illustrated in The Oriental Ceramic
Society catalogue, Exhibition of Chinese Jades, London, 1948, pl. VII, no. 123.
阿爾斯多夫珍藏
明 灰玉雕卧馬
來源:
Walter C. Goodman 及William Stanton Picher珍藏，舊金山，
1981年10月27日。
詹姆斯及瑪麗蓮·阿爾斯多夫珍藏，芝加哥。

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