Carvings of mountains can be found in a number of different sizes and depicting varied scenes representing idealised landscapes upon which the collector could contemplate. The virtuosity of the carver is demonstrated here with the remarkable depth and use of the relief carving to depict the layered mountain and three dimensional scenes.
Compare the scene with one depicted on a massive jade mountain in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Complete Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, no. 77. A number of boulders, often with imperial inscriptions, have been sold at auction. Compare a slightly larger mountain with a similarly secular scene sold at Sotheby's New York, 29th September 1989, lot 474.