A GREENISH-WHITE JADE CARVING OF A STAG

18TH/19TH CENTURY

Details

A GREENISH-WHITE JADE CARVING OF A STAG
18TH/19TH CENTURY
The carving depicts a recumbent stag with long antlers that extend over its back, and with a dog nestled at its side. The stag grasps a leafy lingzhi branch and flower stem in its mouth. The body is finely carved with small, scattered star-motifs. There is some faint opaque mottling in the pale greenish-white stone.
4½ in. (11.4 cm.) long, wood stand

Provenance

Habib Sabet, Europe and New York, 1970's, and thence by descent within the family.

Brought to you by

Michael Bass

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Lot Essay

A well-known emblem of longevity, and associated with the immortal Shoulao, the deer is the only animal thought to have the capability to find the prized lingzhi of immortality. The small, star-like motifs that are finely incised on the hide of the present piece are thought to be a reference to the heavens (Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 370). Additionally, deer may represent Luxing, the God of Rank and Emolument. The Chinese word for deer, lu, sounds like the word for emolument or an official salary, thus deer are symbolic of the rank and wealth that are associated with such a salary.

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