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Lot Essay
For a Yangzhou seal school glass overlay bottle depicting a similar scene of Mifu, see an article by Clare Lawrence entitled 'An Analysis of the Suzhou School of Carving with Specific Comparison to the Yangzhou School,' I.C.S.B.S., Journal, Autumn, 1995, pp. 4-19, fig. 20.
See James C.Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Qing, New York, 1980, p. 130 for a discussion of the sage Mifu. "Five centuries after his death, Mifu's reputation rose higher than ever. The late Ming literati admired his eccentric elegance and shared his lore for unusual forms, especially in stones. These two aspects of his personality are best expressed in an episode of his life when he made a formal obeisance to a particularly strange and beautiful rock, and he is usually depicted in this act."
Mountain worship has had a long tradition in China. Mountains were seen as cosmic pillars, connecting heaven and earth and thus inherently powerful.
See James C.Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Qing, New York, 1980, p. 130 for a discussion of the sage Mifu. "Five centuries after his death, Mifu's reputation rose higher than ever. The late Ming literati admired his eccentric elegance and shared his lore for unusual forms, especially in stones. These two aspects of his personality are best expressed in an episode of his life when he made a formal obeisance to a particularly strange and beautiful rock, and he is usually depicted in this act."
Mountain worship has had a long tradition in China. Mountains were seen as cosmic pillars, connecting heaven and earth and thus inherently powerful.