A WHITE AND RUSSET JADE 'BAMBOO' WRISTREST QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

the stone of a milky white tone with russet-brown skin, naturalistically carved as a flattened section of bamboo culm, deftly adorned in low relief with a leafy shoot growing from a node

China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005-6, p. 227, cat. no. 140.

There are a a couple of very minute nicks along the upper edge of the narrow end on one side, a few other minuscule nicks on the top of the left edge on the underside, but overall the wristrest is in very good condition. The actual colour is a fraction more celadon and the skin somewhat more brown when 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."

While a number of jade wristrest and known, in a wide variety of forms and decorations, the present example is special for the skilful use of the material and the naturalistic carving of the decoration.  The pebble skin is exemplary, mixing areas of brown cameo relief with shading on both the ground, and relief planes. The colouring is used in a sophisticated and abstract manner, as it might appear in a painting. The bamboo stem design is there to remind the scholar, for whom the present piece was made, that he is a perfect gentleman. The bamboo plant flourishes all year round, is pliant and can withstand adverse conditions without breaking, thus it has come to represent a man of integrity in difficult circumstances.

For the inspiration of this piece see an earlier, Ming dynasty, jade wristrest bearing the signature of Lu Zigang, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, published in Great National Treasures of China, Taipei, 1994, pl. 84. A closely related white and russet jade wristrest, similarly carved in relief in the form of a bamboo section, was sold at Phillips London, 7th June 1995, lot 190; another example, in the Alan and Simone Hartman collection, is illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, 1996, p. 117, pl. 97; and one fashioned in celadon jade was sold in our London rooms, 4th November 2009, lot 9, attributed to the Qing period.

For examples of jade wristrests of other forms, see one included in Chinese Jades: Archaic and Modern From the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, London, 1977, p. 140, pl. 178, of open scroll form decorated with an eagle perched on one leg in a landscape with peaches; and another published in James C. Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch’ing, New York, 1980, p. 141, pl. 117, also of open scroll form decorated with a chilong in clouds.