A FINELY CARVED WHITE JADE GROUP OF THREE RAMS

PROPERTY FROM A CHICAGO COLLECTOR

Details

A FINELY CARVED WHITE JADE GROUP OF THREE RAMS
Carved from a stone of even white tone with a few whitish inclusions with a recumbent ram holding a branch of lingzhi in its mouth, its head turned back to look up at a larger ram standing foursquare, its long horns curled around the back of its head, the third and smaller ram at its side, the details of its fur finely carved
7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm.) long, stand, box

Provenance

Nagatani, Inc., Chicago, 1969.

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Lot Essay

The ram is a symbol of filial piety, kindness and patience. The three rams, san yang, are also an auspicious motif, related both to the sun and to male children, as they provide a rebus for san yang kai tai, 'the opening up of the new growth in spring', which in turn symbolizes happiness and good fortune.

Compare with a jade group of the three rams in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 88. See, also, the slightly smaller (14 cm. long) jade san yang group sold in these rooms, 17 September 2008, lot 304.

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