A WHITE JADE DOUBLE-HORSE CARVING QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

finely modelled in the form of two horses, one lying on its side with both hind legs turned up and pulled in towards its body, the other caparisoned with a saddle and bridle, gripping a long rope in its mouth which falls over its backside while playfully nuzzling its companion's left hind leg, the hair of the mane and tail finely incised, the stone of an even white tone with russet veins

Exquisite Jade Carving, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 126.
Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 176.

Apart from a minute bruise to the edge of one of the hooves and very minute nick to the edge of the saddle is 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."

Thoroughly naturalistic in their poses, great attention has been paid to the meticulous detailing of the saddle, locks of hair and the gentle but crisply-rendered faces of the horses. The shape and natural inclusions of the stone have been cleverly manipulated to create a variation of the popular double-horse motif, where both are depicted reclining. While the subject of two horses in combat or biting each other can be found in various art forms and paintings of the Song period, which gradually evolved into playful or resting scenes in the later periods, it is rare to find example with one figure standing and the other reclining.

See an example of a standing horse nuzzling its recumbent young, sold in our Los Angeles rooms, 26^th October 1977, lot 694. Compare also carvings of two reclining horses; one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware III, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 89; another sold in our New York rooms, 1^st December 1992, lot 31; and a third example sold at Christie's London, 10^th June 1996, lot 155.

Jessica Rawson suggests that carvings such as the present piece are paper weights, made for the literati and for those who wished to join the ranks of the literati (see Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jades from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1994, pp. 372-3).