A PALE CELADON JADE FIGURE OF LI BAI QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD |

the poet seated adorned in long flowing robes, with one arm resting on a set of books next to a large, well-hollowed globular wine jar, the jovial serene face delicately carved, the long flowing beard resting on the rotund belly, the hair pulled back into a ribboned cloth cap, the pale stone with faint white variegation 

Christie's London, 21st November 1967, lot 52.

Robert P. Youngman, The Youngman Collection of Chinese Jades from Neolithic to Qing, Chicago, 2008, pl. 185.

In overall good condition, with scattered minute nicks including some to the fingers. The color of the stone is slightly whiter than in the illustration in the printed catalogue, with faint white fissures.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Known for his love of drinking and his many poems celebrating the pleasures of wine, the poet Li Bai (701-762) is often depicted with a wine jar in 17th and 18th century jade carvings. Du Fu (712-770), one of Li's friends and a fellow poet, features Li in his famous poem 'Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup', which describes and celebrates the drinking habits of elite literary men of his time.  Compare a closely related piece, with the poet carved in the same posture but without the wine jar, previously in collection of Dr. Ip Yee, exhibited and published in Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1983, cat. no. 176, and sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th November 1984, lot 59. See also two others in similar poses that sold in the same rooms, 19th May 1977, lot 687 and 29th April 1992, lot 637. For a jade figure of Li Bai leaning against a wine jar, attributed to the 17th/18th century, see one sold at Christie's New York, 19th September 2006, lot 27.