A JADE CARVING OF AN ELEPHANT YUAN DYNASTY

the creature well carved in the round, standing four-square with its trunk curling up to its right foreleg between pointed tusks, its tail curled alongside its left leg, wearing a bejeweled harness and caparisonned with a saddle cloth decorated with floral roundels on which a foreigner sits, the boy grasping the harness in his left hand and a pale in his right, the pale grey stone with taupe inclusions and areas of calcification

Exquisite Jade Carving, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 92.

The overall condition is very good.
"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."

It is rare to find jade carvings of a foreigner riding an elephant, and even rarer to find standing animals prior to the Ming dynasty. The passage from the seated position to the standing reflects the technical developments and bolder experimentation of the carver. Only the most confident craftsman would attempt to carve legs in the round, and early examples like the present piece have legs that are short, thick and close to the body. The skill of the carver is further evident in the considerable detailing of the figure's robes and saddlecloth.

A variation of a foreigner on an elephant in the Kirknorton collection is illustrated in Brian Morgan, Naturalism and Archaism: Chinese Jades from the Kirknorton Collection, London, 1995, pl. 62; and another was sold at Christie's New York, 19^th September, 1996, lot 112. Compare also a slightly later example with similarly carved elephant and saddlecloth, in the Guan-fu collection, included in the exhibition Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1980, cat. no. 57.