A SMALL MOTTLED JADE CARVING OF A HOUND

in the Ming style, the recumbent dog of exaggerated form, resting on his paws, with a ball between them, the stone with mottled inclusions accentuating his slender body

The carving is of good overall condition. The colour of the jade is less of a caramel and slightly more olive-grey tone on the side visible in the catalogue illustration, on the other side the jade is of a pale celadon colour
"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 the possible inspiration of this fine carving of a hound see one attributed to the Tang dynasty illustrated in James Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, New York, 1980, p. 60, pl. 37, where the author notes that 'houndlike dogs first appear in Chinese art in the T'ang period, when many pottery hounds were produced in a recumbent posture of this jade piece. However, this motif was revived in the Yuan period, and continued in a mannered and simplified form into the early Ming era'.

Another early carving of a hound was included in the exhibition Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 75, from the Mrs. E. R. Randon and Desmond Gure collections; and one attributed to the Ming dynasty was exhibited in Post-Archaic Chinese Jades from Private Collections, S. Marchant and Son, London, 2000, cat. no. 78, formerly in the collection of James W. and Marilyn Alsdorf, Chicago. For a Qing carving of a hound see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Zhongguo meishu quanji, vol. 9, Beijing, 1991, pl. 313.