AN INSCRIBED IMPERIAL JADE BOULDER QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

well carved in varying layers of depth with a craggy mountainscape, the front depicting two scholars strolling in a rocky landscape amidst pine trees and below a five-column inscription finely incised in lishu (clerical script), a fast flowing waterfall tumbling over a precipice crossed by a small stone bridge leading to a small pavilion, the reverse carved with an immortal and his attendant walking towards a small thatched pavilion, followed by two deer and surrounded by lofty pine trees, all beside a similar decor as the front with a pagoda, the mountain crags cleverly worked into the natural fissures of the stone of pale celadon-green tone, suffused with light russet and brownish inclusions

There are minor nicks around the edges, with the largest one measuring no more than 2 mm. There is some wear to the gilt decoration, but the boulder is otherwise in overall very good condition.
"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."

The inscribed poem can be translated as follows:

At a thatched cottage deeply hidden
     among ridges and peaks,
Hemmed in by precipitous river cliffs,
     I gaze up at the long stretch of sky.
More beautiful here than at other valley mouths
     locked up in clouds,
Where on the embankment I've come
     to pay a visit to Ge Hong.

Ge Hong (284- 363), the great Daoist author of the Baopu zi ('Sayings of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity'). The emperor in the poem is paying a visit to a contemporary Daoist recluse.