AN EXQUISITE PAIR OF WHITE JADE QUAIL-FORM BOXES AND COVERS
AN EXQUISITE PAIR OF WHITE JADE QUAIL-FORM BOXES AND COVERS
1 More
THE PROPERTY OF AN AMERICAN LADY
AN EXQUISITE PAIR OF WHITE JADE QUAIL-FORM BOXES AND COVERS

QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details
AN EXQUISITE PAIR OF WHITE JADE QUAIL-FORM BOXES AND COVERS
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
Each naturalistically carved as a seated quail with its taloned feet tucked under the full body, the upper half forming the cover perfectly fitting along the scalloped edges on the box, and the plumage incised in minute detail, the semi-translucent stone of an even white tone
4 1/2 in. (11.5 cm.) long (2)
Provenance
T.Y. Chao Private and Family Trust Collections, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 18 November 1986, lot 144
The Alan and Simone Hartman Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2006, lot 1401
Literature
Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 196
Exhibited
Christie's New York, 13-26 March 2001
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, August 2003 - December 2004

Brought to you by

Aster Ng
Aster Ng

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

Sign in
View condition report

Lot Essay

The quality of finish and the execution of detail on the present lot are of the highest standard. Quails are auspicious birds because they are pronounced an in Chinese, which is a homophone for 'peace'. Two quails can be read as shuang an, or 'double peace', and thus, these birds appear as a pair on paintings, porcelains and textiles from as early as the Song dynasty.

Compare with a few other quail boxes of this type: one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo Yuqi Quanji, vol. 6, pl. 106; a pair illustrated by Ip Yee, Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1983, no. 196; another pair carved from brownish-yellow jade, illustrated by James Watt, Chinese Jades from the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Washington, 1989, no. 73; and a single white jade example from the Tianhe Shanfang Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 May 2005, lot 1557.

More from Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

View All
View All