A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE CARVED GREEN JADE MOUNTAIN QING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY

carved to the front face with three equestrian figures and an attendant crossing a bridge and ascending a rocky path towards a pavilion encircled in mist, all against a jagged rock face with overhanging pine trees, the reverse similarly carved with two figures carrying provisions up a path, the stone of dark green tone with lighter flecking, carved wood stand, box

A Monegasque private collection, purchased from Spink & Son Ltd., London, prior to 1982 (by repute) and bearing a Spink paper label.

Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury, 19 May 2010, lot 335.

The boulder is in overall good condition, with the expected minor nicks to the surface and extremities.
"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."

Deftly carved to depict a craggy landscape inhabited by recluse scholars, this boulder is notable for its impressive size and weight. The jade employed for the present piece was probably sourced from the jade-rich territories of Khotan and Yarkand, areas opened after the Qing army’s conquest of the north-western territories in the mid-18^th century. Prior to the conquest jade came in relatively small boulders to the court and many poems by the Qianlong Emperor deplore the scarcity of the material, but thereafter large quantities were imported each year as tribute.

A similarly carved boulder of slightly smaller size, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 8, Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl. 113; one from the Avery Brundage collection and now in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, is published in René-Yvon Lefebvre d’Argencé, Chinese Jades in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1977, pl. LXV; and another inscribed with a poem, from the collection of Mrs Oliver Smalley, included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade from the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 55, was sold in our New York rooms, 28^th/ 29^th September 1989, lot 451. Further similar boulders include one sold at Christie’s London, 28^th October 1957, lot 87; and a slightly larger example included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, cat. no. 452.