A SMALL WHITE JADE 'ELEPHANT AND BOYS' GROUP

18TH CENTURY

Details

A SMALL WHITE JADE 'ELEPHANT AND BOYS' GROUP
18TH CENTURY
The flattened carving depicts a blanket-draped elephant flanked by two attendants, one holding a stem of lingzhi, the other a vase from which escapes lingzhi-shaped vapor that drifts across the top of the elephant where two bats are in flight. The stone is of even white color.
2 1/16 in. (5.2 cm.) wide

Provenance

Distinguished private collection, England.

Brought to you by

Olivia Hamilton

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

Elephants with two boy attendants were popular subject matter for jade carving in the Qing dynasty, as the elephant is an auspicious symbol used in numerous rebuses to convey peace, prosperity and good fortune. The white elephant is also one of the seven treasures of Buddhism, and the reference to Buddhism is given further emphasis by the decoration of lotus petals encircling the blanket on its back.

Compare a carved jade elephant with children and ruyi, from the collection of the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 42 - Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 97. Compare, also a related white jade carving sold at Christie’s London, 14 May 2013, lot 81.

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