Page 18 - 2020 Sept 22 Junkunc_ Chinese Jade Carvings _ Sotheby's NYC Asia Week

9/2/2020 Junkunc: Chinese Jade Carvings | Sotheby's

the intricate rockwork, reveals the carver’s advanced skills and understanding of the medium. He has also successfully captured
the differing textures, such as the jagged lines of the rocks that contrast with the soft rounded forms of the figures and rolling
waves. The whirlpool base is a Qing dynasty attribute, while the rockwork is reminiscent of that found in Beihai Park (Winter
Palace), a former imperial garden located in the northwestern part of the Imperial City, Beijing, and reconstructed under the
Qianlong reign; see a view of the garden illustrated in the catalogue to the exhibition The Emperor’s Private Paradise. Treasures
from the Forbidden City, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, 2010, p. 86, fig. 8.

The present carving brims with auspicious meaning. The scene appears to depict the Hehe Erxian, Liu Hai, and other Daoist
immortals at play. The Hehe twins, also known as the Two Immortals of Harmony and Unity, are sometimes depicted with a broom
and vase. Liu Hai, the patron deities of Chinese merchants, is usually accompanied by a three-legged toad that produces coins
from its mouth, representing the wish for prosperity and wealth. The Hehe Erxian and children at play were popular subjects for
artisans, who frequently depicted boys engaged with animals, games, and other pastimes in every medium including painting,
lacquer, porcelain, and jade. Depictions of boys at play (yingxitu), which represent the wish for many sons who would perform
ancestral sacrifices and thus ensure the continuation of the family line, proliferated on porcelain and works of art. A jade 'Hehe
Erxian' boulder attributed to the 18th century, with the twins carrying a vase and a broom, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th
November 2019, lot 3029. For a Kangxi period famille-verte vase depicting four Daoist figures, including the Hehe Erxian and Liu
Hai, see one from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, sold in these rooms, 20th March 2018, lot 329.

本品刻畫四仙童嬉戲於山石之間，雕工卓越，構圖立體，情境生動，石林佈局巧妙，嶙峋山石與翻滾海浪對比分明，展示藝匠技巧高超、
造詣嫻熟。此類海浪表現手法應屬清代風格。山石形態則與曾經的皇家園林、今北海公園中的石景相類，見展覽圖錄《The Emperor’s
Private Paradise. Treasures from the Forbidden City》，皮博迪•埃塞克斯博物館，塞勒姆，麻省，2010年，頁86，圖8。

本品擺件寓意吉祥，刻畫人物包括和合二仙以及劉海。和合二仙，亦稱和合二聖，象徵和合如意，其形象有時為手持掃把及寶瓶。劉海常
以金蟾相伴，蟾吐金錢，寓意財源廣進。和合二仙及嬰戲圖題材蔚為流行，刻畫童子或與動物嬉戲，或遊戲作樂，見於書畫、漆器、瓷器
及玉器等多種材質，有多子多孫、子孫萬代之吉意。可見一玉雕和合二仙山子，斷代十八世紀，二仙亦手持掃把及寶瓶，售香港佳士得
2019年11月27日，編號3029。另可見一康熙五彩四仙圖瓶，包括和合二仙及劉海，潔蕊堂收藏，售於紐約蘇富比2018年3月20日，編號
329。

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