AN EXTREMELY RARE IMPERIALLY INSCRIBED JADE 'LOHAN' BOULDER QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

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the pale celadon stone of irregular form carved in high relief with a chubby balding lohan dressed in a long monastic robe seated cross-legged while opening a scroll with both hands, his slippers placed neatly in the foreground, set within a rocky grotto with the side of one rockface incised in xinshu (running) script with a thirty-two character poem and three seals Chui lu, Ying shui lan xiang, Hui yue you se shui you sheng, and the title written on another rockface further below with two more seals, Wei jing wei yi, and Qianlong chenhan, the characters picked out in gilt, the stone with russet inclusions and veining

There is a 0.4 x 0.8 cm chip to the rockwork near the base. Apart from a few minute nibbles, including a 1 mm nick to the scroll, 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."

The inscription comes from Qing Gao Zong yuzhi shi wen quanji, yuzhi wen chu ji (Anthology of Imperial Qianlong Poems), juan 29, p. 3, and reads and can be translated as follows:

He came to understand all dharmas
By reflecting on such scriptures as these,
Just as, caressed by running water, a stone grows cold,
Or, visited by breezes, a blossom becomes fragrant.
He manifests the ground of undifferentiated wisdom
And reveals the storehouse of brilliance,
Purged of established concepts
For they are but impediments to truth.

The present piece is an outstanding example of lohan jade mountain carvings known to have been produced during the Qianlong period. According to the record of Neiwufu zaobanchu ge zuocheng zuo huoji qing dang ('Crafts Archives of the Imperial Household Department Workshop'), the production of imperial jade lohan boulders has been mentioned several times. On one occasion the record states that "the preparatory drawings of thirteen lohan figures to be made from a celadon jade were presented," and on another occasion "to rub off the old inscriptions on the jade lohan figures and incise new inscriptions based on the text attached." Such figures were carved in sets of sixteen or eighteen and most of them were inscribed with Imperial poems that were standardised during the Qianlong period for each respective lohan. The style of calligraphy appears to differ between sets, with most executed in regular and clerical script. Inscriptions in running script Qianlong emperor's own hand, such as carved on the present piece, are rarely found on jade mountains. Moreover, the personal seals of the emperor at the beginning and end of the poem suggest that the poem was written by him to be incorporated by carvers in the workshops. Only two other jade mountains display the same calligraphic style, one of Rahula, included in the exhibition Chinese Jade from Distant Centuries, S. Bernstein & Co. Oriental Art, San Francisco, 1992, cat. no. 23; and another depicting Fashenafuduo, offered in these rooms, 2^nd May 2005, lot 530.

This jade mountain illustrates the lohan Panthaka, one of the highest of Buddha's disciples who aimed at excellence by thought. He was an expert in resolving doubts and difficulties in doctrine for weaker followers, as well as possessing extraordinary powers (siddhis) such as passing through solid objects, shooting through the air and causing fire and water to appear on command. He was also capable of shrinking himself down to nothing. These siddhis were called upon when the Buddha made an expedition to subdue and convert the dragon-king, Apulala. Panthaka is often portrayed holding an open book or scroll, or charming a dragon into his alms bowl.

Lohan, the disciples of the Buddha, are identified as having achieved the highest level of enlightenment; holy figures because they have awakened to selflessness, eradicating all passions and desires. The subject of the lohan boldly carved within a craggy mountainscape represents a microcosm, depicting their common essence and interconnectedness through the lohan's characteristic weightiness which is emulated in the heavy monumental forms of the boulders.

For further examples of lohans carved with inscriptions in mountainous grottos, see two in the National Palace Museum, included in Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, National Palace Museum, 1997, cat. nos 39 and 43; one included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade from the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 33; two sold in these rooms, 27^th April 2003, lot 33, and 25^th April 2004, lot 98; and another sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1^st May 1995, lot 801.