Page 61 - Bonhams, FIne Chinese Art, Linda Wrigglesworth Collection, May 13, 2021 London

A larger horse fashioned from a mottled jade and
carved in a similar style, Qing dynasty, from the
collection of Sir John Woolf, was illustrated in
The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, London,
2013, no.102, together with a pair of larger pale
green examples, Qianlong, no.101; another jade
horse, 17th/18th century, in the British Museum is
illustrated by J.Rawson, Chinese Jade: From the
Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pl.26:20.
Compare with a related jade carving of a recumbent
horse, 18th century, which was sold at Christie’s
London, 14 May 2019.

52 Y
A LARGE PALE GREEN AND GREY JADE
CARVING OF A WATER BUFFALO
17th/18th century
The recumbent beast naturalistically modelled with
its forelegs and hind legs tucked under the powerful
body accentuated by a pronounced spine, the tail 51
flicked to the left side and head turned to gaze
amenably at the viewer, the gracefully-curved horns
flanking the flat forehead, the stone of pale-green
tone with dark-grey patches, wood stand.
19cm (7 1/2in) long. (2).

£7,000 - 12,000
CNY63,000 - 110,000

十七/十八世紀 青白玉帶皮臥牛

Provenance: Erwin Scharf (1904-1978), and thence
by descent

來源：Erwin Scharf（1904-1978）舊藏，並由後人
保存迄今

Buffalos were emblematic of agriculture. As such, in
Imperial China, where agriculture was considered by
Confucian governments to be the main source of tax
revenue, the buffalo - used for ploughing - became
a symbol of prosperity and hard work. Emperors
frequently likened themselves to farmers ploughing
the fields with an ox or buffalo under their reins. See
for example, the Yongzheng emperor depicted as a
famer in Pictures of Tiling and Weaving Portraying
Yinzhen, Kangxi period, in the Palace Museum,
Beijing (acc.no.Gu6634-8).
Another aspect of the buffalo is its guardian function,
stemming from the legend of the Emperor Yu of the
Xia dynasty casting an iron ox to subdue floods.

See a related jade buffalo, Qing dynasty, illustrated
in Jade: Ch’ing Dynasty Treasures, Taipei, 1997,
no.151. A larger, green jade buffalo, Qianlong, is
also illustrated in The Woolf Collection of Chinese 52
Jade, London, 2003, no.99.
Compare with a slightly smaller mottled dark green
and grey jade buffalo, 17th century, which was sold
at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2019, lot 1172.
See also another celadon and grey jade buffalo,
17th/18th century, which was sold at Christie’s
London, 8 November 2016, lot 4.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue. FINE CHINESE ART | 59