18TH CENTURY

This carving of a monkey holding a large peach while its baby clings to its back represents the rebus shoutao, which Terese Tse Bartholomew interprets as “Sacred monkey offers longevity (linghou xianshou), in Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, 2006, p. 198, no. 7.40.1, where a green jade carving of this subject is illustrated. See, also, the white jade carving, dated 17^th century, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, illustrated by Jessica Rawson, “Chinese Jade throughout the ages”, Victoria and Albert Museum, T.O.C.S., vol. 40, 1973-75, p. 123, no. 402.