Page 70 - Roger Kaverne Moving On part 2 Bonhams UK June 7, 2021

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528
A GREEN AND RUSSET JADE CARVING OF A QILIN The subject matter of boys attending to an elephant represents
Yuan/Ming Dynasty multiple layers of meaning and auspiciousness. The phrase ‘ride an
Carved from an oval pebble, the body recumbent with the head elephant’ (qi xiang 騎象), has a similar pronunciation as ji xiang (吉
turning to the right and the forepaws tucked in front, the wide face set 祥), meaning ‘good fortune’. Furthermore, boys cleaning or ‘washing
with round eyes, pointed ears, a tapering beard, and a long bifurcated the elephant’ (sao xiang 掃象), forms a rebus for ‘sweeping away
horn extending down the neck and between the shoulders, the finely- the phenomena of the outside world’, which are thought to be mere
incised tail wrapping around the right side, the stone of green tone with illusions. The pun is based on the fact that the pronunciation of
fine russet striations. 6.8cm (2 5/8in) long. ‘elephant’ and ‘image’ is the same in Chinese (xiang 象). Compare with
a related carving of an elephant being groomed by two boys, illustrated
£800 - 1,200 in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade,
CNY7,200 - 11,000 Beijing, 2011, no.136.
Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 530
A PALE GREEN AND RUSSET JADE CARVING OF A QILIN
元/明 玉雕麒麟 CARRYING BOOKS
Ming Dynasty
See a related example of a jade carving of a mythical beast, illustrated The horned mythical beast carved with bulging eyes beneath bushy
by J.M.Hartman, Three Dynasties of Jade, Indianapolis, 1971, no.14. brows, its legs tucked under its body and head raised issuing ruyi
vaporous clouds, supporting a bundle of books on its back, finely
See also a rare pale green and russet jade carving of a mythical beast, detailed with scales on its legs and thighs, the rear with a carefully-
Ming dynasty, from the Durwin Tang collection, which was sold at incised mane, the stone of a very pale green tone with beige
Bonhams Hong Kong, 27 November 2018, lot 131. inclusions. 7.3cm (3in) long.

529 £2,500 - 3,500
AN OLIVE-GREEN AND RUSSET JADE ‘ELEPHANT AND BOYS’ CNY23,000 - 32,000
GROUP
Ming Dynasty Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價
The recumbent pachyderm with the head turned to its right side and
with sharply-curled trunk, resting contentedly as one young groom 明 玉雕麒麟負書
scrubs its left foreleg and another climbs across its back, the stone of
olive-green tone with russet veins, wood stand. Provenance: a Scottish private collection
8.3cm (3 1/2in) long. (2). Bonhams London, 17 May 2012, lot 81

£3,000 - 5,000 來源：蘇格蘭私人舊藏
CNY27,000 - 45,000 倫敦邦瀚斯，2012年5月17日，拍品編號81

Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 The phrase lin tu yushu (qilin issuing a jade book) is used as a wish
for the birth of an illustrious male child, as the qilin is believed to only
明 玉雕童子掃象 appear before the birth of a sage. A carving such as this would have
been given as a gift to a wealthy family on the birth of a male child.
See a related white and russet jade carving of a qilin and books, Ming
dynasty, 17th century, which was sold at Christie’s London, 24 March
2011, lot 1484.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
68 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.