MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)

The pose of this recumbent jade camel, with the head turned to the front hump, is seen as early as the Tang dynasty and continued into the Qing dynasty. The pose allowed the carver to accentuate the graceful curve of the neck and the contours of the body. Those that are dated as early as the Tang dynasty include one in the Victoria and Albert Museum and another in the collection of Dr. Paul Singer, both published by J. Rawson and J. Ayers in Chinese Jade throughout the ages, Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1975-76, nos. 201 and 202. Another is illustrated by d'Argencé in Chinese Jades in the Avery Brundage Collection, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 1977, pl. XXXII.