Page 166 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

155 Y
A MAGNIFICENT LARGE VERY PALE GREEN JADE ‘STAG AND This group is of unusually large size for an animal carving of this period.
YOUNG’ GROUP Skilfully modelled in the round, the sturdy animals effectively contrast
Qianlong with the finely carved branches of lingzhi fungus that scroll around the
Superbly carved as a large reclining stag with its head held high and larger deer to create a sense of movement. The quality of the carving
turned sharply towards a smaller deer, the stag with long antlers and polish is also of the highest standard. Compare also with a related
extending down its neck, its legs tucked beneath its body, both deer pale green jade three ram group, Qing dynasty, and a pale green jade
clasping a large, leafy sprig with five lingzhi fungus heads in their carving of a stag and doe with lingzhi fungus, Qing dynasty, in the Qing
mouths, the stone of a very pale green-white tone with russet patches, Court Collection, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the
with silver-inlaid wood stand. 19cm (7 1/2in) long. (2). Palace Museum: Jade, Qing Dynasty, vol.9, Beijing, 2010, pls.143
and 145. See also a related jade recumbent deer with lingzhi in its
£30,000 - 50,000 mouth, Qing dynasty 1700s, in the Cleveland Museum of Art (acc.
CNY260,000 - 440,000 no.1952.498).

Deer have a number of auspicious meanings in Chinese culture.
清乾隆 青白玉雕雙鹿銜芝擺件 Shoulao, the Star God of Longevity, is usually depicted accompanied
by a spotted deer, crane, peach and pine tree. Thus each of these,
Provenance: Erwin Scharf (1904-1978), and thence by descent including the deer, has come to represent long life. Deer are also
believed to be the only animals that can find the fungus of immortality.
Erwin Scharf (1904-1978) emigrated from Germany to Britain in the In addition, deer may represent Luxing, the God of Rank and
1930s to escape Nazi persecution of the Jews. He graduated from the Emolument. The Chinese word for deer (lu 鹿), sounds like the word
university of Leipzig with a doctorate in law but never practiced, rather for emolument or an official salary (lu 祿), thus deer are symbolic
going into the family business of manufacturing sound reproducing of the rank and wealth that are associated with such a salary. The
components. His brother, Dr Alfred Scharf was an art historian and it word for deer is also a homophone for ‘road’ and for ‘six’. Thus two
was he who encouraged Erwin’s interest in art. deer suggest two auspicious phrases: Lulu shunli, ‘May all roads be
smooth’, and Liuliu dashun, ‘May everything be smooth sailing’.
來源：Erwin Scharf（1904-1978）舊藏，並由後人保存迄今
Compare with a smaller white jade group of stag and doe with lingzhi,
Erwin Scharf（1904-1978），二十世紀三十年代，為逃避納粹對猶太 18th century, which was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 01 June 2011,
人的迫害，自德國移民英國。 Erwin畢業於萊比錫大學並獲法學博士 lot 3561.
學位，後加入製造聲音再現裝置的家族企業。其兄Alfred Scharf博士
是一名藝術史學家，激發了Erwin對藝術的興趣。

The Qing Court Collection; image
courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing

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