Lot 29
29
AN UNUSUAL WHITE JADE CARVING OF ZHANG QIAN IN A HOLLOW LOG
AN UNUSUAL WHITE JADE CARVING OF ZHANG QIAN IN A HOLLOW LOG

18TH CENTURY

Details
AN UNUSUAL WHITE JADE CARVING OF ZHANG QIAN IN A HOLLOW LOG
18th Century
Finely carved as the Han dynasty statesman depicted seated inside a large hollowed log floating atop cresting waves carved along the sides and on the base, with a double-gourd flask tied to jutting branches at the other end, the well-polished, luminous stone of pale greenish-white tone
8in. (20.3cm.) long, wood stand

Lot Essay

The theme depicted in this carving was popular during the late Ming and early Qing period and is more usually seen in contemporary rhinoceros horn carvings, such as the example included in the exhibition, Treasures from the Shanghai Museum, 6,000 Years of Chinese Art, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, May - September 1983, Catalogue, no. 21 and the one from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, sold in these rooms, 1 December 1994, lot 17.