A MASSIVE CARVED CELADON AND RUSSET JADE BOULDER QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD

depicting a mountainous landscape, well carved in varied relief with two scholars playing weiqi on a rocky promontory, while observed by another scholar and an attendant, meanwhile a sage and his attendant walk on a lower cornice carrying a double gourd on a staff, surrounded by pine and a rushing stream flowing between wutong trees, the reverse further carved with gnarled pines and wutong rising from jagged cliffs, the smoothly polished stone of greyish-celadon tone accented with brown inclusions on the reverse and russet patches predominantly on the base, wood stand carved in openwork with a deer and crane standing among the 'Three Friends of Winter'

Sotheby's London, 24th February 1976, lot 22.
Collection of the British Rail Pension Fund.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 16th May 1989, lot 98.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9th October 2007, lot 1572.

There is a small polished area to the top of the right summit, possibly original to the carving, but apart from this the boulder is in very good condition. The actual colour is slightly more green, less grey, compared to the catalogue illustration.
"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."

 Notable for its deep relief carving and the craftsman’s clever manipulation of the stone to render a scene that complements the boulder’s natural shape and colouration, this piece represents miniature idealised landscapes into which the scholar could retreat without having to leave his study. Compare a related boulder sold in our Toronto rooms, 1^st April 1981, lot 423, published in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 127, together with another boulder depicting a Daoist scene, pl. 129; another included in the China Institute in America exhibition Chinese Jade throughout the Centuries, China House Gallery, New York, 1968, cat. no. 77; and a taller example fashioned from a dark green stone, included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, London, 1975, cat. no. 452.