A WHITE JADE 'GOOSE' PAPERWEIGHT QING DYNASTY, EARLY 18TH CENTURY

carved with its head elegantly turned back, grasping a spray of linghzi in its beak, its body slumped slightly to one side, its wings picked out with stylized feathers and archaistic kui dragons, its slender neck accessorized with a floral choker, the underside revealing its webbed feet naturalistically carved in low relief, the smoothly polished stone of an even creamy-white colour with subtle russet inclusions, carved wood stand in the form of swirling waves

Spink & Son Ltd., London.
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., 1988.
Collection of Mary and George Bloch, 2004.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 23rd October 2005, lot 14.

Roger Keverne, Jade, London, 1991, p. 156, fig. 71.

The overall condition is very good. The actual colour of the stone is slightly greyer than the catalogue illustration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

For possible inspirations behind this piece, see a jade goose figure attributed to the Song dynasty, in the Tianjin City Art Museum, carved in a highly stylised and simplified archaistic style, illustrated in Tianjin Shi Yishu Bowuguan cang yu, Tianjin, 1993, pl. 172; and another carving of a goose from the Guan-fu collection, included in James C.Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, Washington D.C., 1980, p. 97, pl. 82.

More common are jade carvings of ducks with the head turned back and grasping a leafy spray in its beak; for an example, see one from the collection of John Laycock, sold at Christie's London, 4th November 2008, lot 192; another illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 196, and exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2003-2004, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1563; and a third archaistic carving of a duck sold in these rooms, 1st November 1999, lot 567.

Geese in China are closely associated with one of the nation's most celebrated calligraphers, Wang Xizhi (303-361 A.D.). Wang's fondness for geese was legendary and the story of him copying the Daoist classic Daodejing for a priest in exchange for a white goose is well known. See an Imperial white jade screen carved on one side with a scene depicting Wang and an attendant carrying a goose, inspired by a painting of the late Ming artist Chen Hongshou, Wang Xizhi with his Caged Goose, sold in these rooms, 27th April 2003, lot 23. The symbolic association of the goose with Wang, coupled with the archaistic surface decoration and graceful form of this piece would have carried a powerful meaning to its owner and to any member of the literati class.