Lot Essay
Wu Hung, op. cit., identifies a trend amongst a specific group of Ming dynasty literati against artificial beauty in favour of 'natural' qualities which redefined the relationship between nature and art. He cites the present piece, where all possible techniques were used to transform a carved jade into a 'natural stone' as an example of the manifestation of this elite aesthetic.
The jade is carved completely devoid of pictorial elements. The material is a chilly white with few inclusions and all attention focuses on the abstract rock formations. Commencing on the lower right hand side, the mountain is built up with rocks piled over each other to form repeated overhangs, which are deeply carved with softened and rounded angles almost like brushstrokes.
A similar treatment of rocks, alongside a miniature landscape, is illustrated in Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, 1955-57, vol. 30, The Arts of the Ming Dynasty, pl. 104.
(US$45,000-65,000)
The jade is carved completely devoid of pictorial elements. The material is a chilly white with few inclusions and all attention focuses on the abstract rock formations. Commencing on the lower right hand side, the mountain is built up with rocks piled over each other to form repeated overhangs, which are deeply carved with softened and rounded angles almost like brushstrokes.
A similar treatment of rocks, alongside a miniature landscape, is illustrated in Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, 1955-57, vol. 30, The Arts of the Ming Dynasty, pl. 104.
(US$45,000-65,000)