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Lot Essay
The fine carving and pale, even tone of the jade is a testament to the high standard of jade workmanship during the Qianlong era. The Luohan depicted on this screen are even-numbered, with the second identified as Ajita, the fourth as Kalika, the sixth as Bhadra, the eighth as Kanaka Bharadvaja, the tenth as Rahula, the twelfth as Angaja, the fourteenth as Nagasena, and the sixteenth as Abhyeda.
Compare an impressive white jade table screen carved also with eight Luohan in a grotto illustrated in Spink & Son Ltd., The Minor Arts of China IV, London, 1989, p. 123, catalogue no. 172. It is interesting to note that that screen is carved with the odd-numbered Luohan, whereas the present lot is carved with the complementary even-numbered figures.
Compare an impressive white jade table screen carved also with eight Luohan in a grotto illustrated in Spink & Son Ltd., The Minor Arts of China IV, London, 1989, p. 123, catalogue no. 172. It is interesting to note that that screen is carved with the odd-numbered Luohan, whereas the present lot is carved with the complementary even-numbered figures.