Lot 840
840
A WELL-CARVED MOTTLED GREEN AND BROWN JADE 'BUFFALO AND BOY' GROUP
A WELL-CARVED MOTTLED GREEN AND BROWN JADE 'BUFFALO AND BOY' GROUP
A WELL-CARVED MOTTLED GREEN AND BROWN JADE 'BUFFALO AND BOY' GROUP
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A WELL-CARVED MOTTLED GREEN AND BROWN JADE 'BUFFALO AND BOY' GROUP

MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)

Details
A WELL-CARVED MOTTLED GREEN AND BROWN JADE 'BUFFALO AND BOY' GROUP
MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)
The group is carved as a recumbent water buffalo with a rope threaded through its nose, with a boy playfully climbing onto its back. The boy is shown grasping a flute in one hand, and a straw hat hanging off his neck. The stone is of a green tone with areas of opaque and brown mottling, particularly to the underside.
3 ½ in. (8.9 cm.) long
Provenance
Chung Wah Pui, The Hei-Chi Collection, Hong Kong.
Anthony Carter, London, 29 November 2004.
The LJZ Collection, United States.
Literature
Min Chiu Society, Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary Exhibition, Hong Kong, 1990, p. 454, no. 219.
Hong Kong Museum of Art, Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong, 1996, pp. 166-67, no. 154.
Jiang Tao and Liu Yunhui, Jades from the Hei-Chi Collection, Beijing, 2006, p. 177.
A. Carter, The LJZ Collection of Chinese Jades, London, 2022, pp. 60-61, no. 25.
Exhibited
Hong Kong, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Chinese Jade Animals, 19 April-14 July 1996.
Hong Kong, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary Exhibition, Hong Kong, 30 November 1990-10 February 1991.

Brought to you by

Vicki Paloympis (潘薇琦)
Vicki Paloympis (潘薇琦) Head of Department, VP, Specialist
+1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

The buffalo symbolizes strength and diligence, and is also associated with agriculture and springtime because of its use in pulling ploughs. When paired with a child, the motif represents harmony and peaceful coexistence between man and nature. According to James C. Y. Watt in Chinese Jades From Han to Ch'ing, New York, 1980, p. 65, no. 46, the subject of the boy on the buffalo first appeared during the Southern Song dynasty. In addition to being featured in paintings, ceramics, and bronzes, the buffalo and its boy minder can also be found in jade carvings from the Yuan dynasty through to the Qing.

A similar carving dated to the Ming dynasty, is illustrated in the Min Chiu Society exhibition catalogue, Selected Treasures of Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 1991, p. 454, no. 219.

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