Lot 159
  • 159

A SUPERBLY CARVED WHITE JADE 'THREE RAMS' GROUP QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Estimate
150,000 - 200,000 HKD
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Description

  • Jade
the translucent white stone skilfully worked in the form of a recumbent ram with its head turned backwards, finely rendered with a pair of striated curved horns, the haunches decorated with a yin-yang motif, further portrayed flanked by two smaller rams nuzzling against it endearingly

Provenance

Christie’s New York, 28th March 1996, lot 48.

Exhibited

Auspicious Emblems. Chinese Cultural Treasures - 45th Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Chiu Society, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 2005, cat. no. 179.

Condition

The group is in overall good condition. There are expected minute nicks to the edges and extremities.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Small jade carvings of animals, often depicted in reclining poses, became an essential item for the scholar’s desk as they were used both as paperweights and as works of art in their own right. Three jade groups of rams fashioned in similar poses were sold in these rooms, the first 21st May 1987, lot 654, the second, 27th October 1993, lot 488, and the third, 31st October 1995, lot 738; two were sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, one 5th/6th November 1997, lot 1004, and the other, 27th May 2009, lot 1970; and a further group, included in the exhibition A Matter of Taste, Selected Chinese Art from California Collection, San Francisco Cultural Center, San Francisco, 1986, cat. no. 62, was sold at Christie’s New York, 24th March 2011, lot 1482.