Lot Essay
It is rare to find such an intricately carved jade figure of a camel shown with both a harness and saddle-cloth. A similarly intricately carved jade camel from the Sheng Xiang Guan Collection, also with a saddle cloth and fine markings delineating the fur, was included in the exhibition, Exquisite Jade Carvings: Figures, Animals, Ornaments, The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, 6 December 1995 - 6 February 1996, p. 130, where it is dated Ming dynasty.
For other finely carved examples of jade camels, see an example from the Gerald Godfrey Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 October 1995, Lot 867, and the yellow jade camel illustrated in Ip Yee, Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong 1983, p.138, pl.128, where it is dated to the Tang dynasty. See, also, a jade animal with similar strong and naturalistic details, dated to the Song dynasty, illustrated in Jadeware (II), The Complete Collection of Treasures of The Palace Museum, Hong Kong 1995, p.68, pl.58.
For other finely carved examples of jade camels, see an example from the Gerald Godfrey Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 October 1995, Lot 867, and the yellow jade camel illustrated in Ip Yee, Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong 1983, p.138, pl.128, where it is dated to the Tang dynasty. See, also, a jade animal with similar strong and naturalistic details, dated to the Song dynasty, illustrated in Jadeware (II), The Complete Collection of Treasures of The Palace Museum, Hong Kong 1995, p.68, pl.58.