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Lot Essay
This scene of washing the elephant is a popular motif. A jade carving depicting a similar scene is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 98. It is also depicted on a jade table screen sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 April 2004, lot 1225.
The elephant is an auspicious symbol which is associated with Buddhism and is used in numerous rebuses to convey peace, prosperity and good fortune. In the present example, the significance of the washing is translated into a wish for great happiness. The subject matter of this group is also a lively depiction of an every day scene, and is very much in keeping with the spirit of decoration found on porcelains of the same period.
The elephant is an auspicious symbol which is associated with Buddhism and is used in numerous rebuses to convey peace, prosperity and good fortune. In the present example, the significance of the washing is translated into a wish for great happiness. The subject matter of this group is also a lively depiction of an every day scene, and is very much in keeping with the spirit of decoration found on porcelains of the same period.