AN EXCEPTIONAL WHITE AND RUSSET JADE MOUNTAIN QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

of irregular boulder form, superbly worked in openwork to one side with pine and wutong trees and a scholar standing solitarily on a raised ledge with the head tilted back and looking up at a gnarled wutong branch issuing from the crevices of the jagged peak, the figure depicted holding a long staff and dressed in long robes, the reverse rendered with two cranes standing beneath an overhanging pine tree next to a steep gushing waterfall crashing against the craggy rockwork, the base detailed with a countersunk whirlpool, the stone of a pale celadon-white colour with grey inclusions and russet skin skilfully incorporated into the design of the boulder, wood stand

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25th November 1987, lot 403.
The personal collection of Alan and Simone Hartman.
Christie's Hong Kong, 28th November 2006, lot 1370.
Christie's New York, 24th March 2011, lot 1508.

Chinese Jade from Southern California Collections, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1976, cat. no. 34.

'A Collection of Chinese Carved Jade', Lapidary Journal, June 1979, cover.
Paul E. Desautels, The Jade Kingdom, New York, 1986, pl. 7.
Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 131.

The carving is in overall good condition. The tip of the mountain is slightly abrasive, suggesting it may have been polished to conceal an earlier nick. There are also insignificant nibbles and bruises to the fragile extremities as expected with age, as well as areas of pitting, particularly to the russet skin.
"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."

Impeccably modelled in multiple levels of relief and intricate details to suggest a lofty landscape, the present piece is an exceptional example of a jade mountain (yushan) carving. Every detail of the composition has been expertly executed; from the sensitive modelling of the figure, carved with his head tilted back to observe the overhanging rocks, to the naturalistic rendering of the flowing water that ends in crashing waves, and the incorporation of the natural fissures of the stone in rendering the craggy rocks. The subject matter of two cranes, symbolic of longevity, suggests that the figure may be an immortal. The carving has been created to maximise the use of the entire boulder so as to waste as little of the precious material as possible, evident in the inclusion of the russet skin at the edges and the use of the charcoal grey section to fashion a tree in the round.

The Qianlong Emperor advocated that jade mountains and carved panels should carry the spirit of paintings by famous past masters. It is recorded that a number of classical paintings from the emperor's own collection were ordered to be reproduced in jade, such as the celebrated painting Travellers in the Mountains, by the eminent Five Dynasties painter Guan Tong (907-960). The sense of harmony and ethereality captured through the deep undercutting of rocks was essential to provide the scholar and connoisseur a means of inspiration and escape from the regulated life of the court.

Compare a jade boulder with a similar use of the russet skin, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum's exhibition The Refined Taste of the Emperor, Taipei, 1997, cat. no. 47; another illustrated in Roger Keverne, Jade, London, 1991, pl. 117; and a third sold at Christie's London, 16th December 1996, lot 151.

Following the Qianlong Emperor's conquest of the north-western territories, large resources of jade became available from the jade-rich territories of Khotan and Yarkand, and sent as tribute to the court. The finest quality pebbles were then selected to be carved by artisans working in the Palace Workshop, in the jade workshops of Suzhou or in those belonging to the Huai and Changlu Administrations. Suzhou, in particular Zhangzhu lane, became the centre of jade craftsmanship in the 18th century, with carvers renowned for their masterly use of the natural areas of colour and the skin of the stone.  The court regularly ordered Suzhou carvings in apparently quite large quantities through the local Silk Manufactory, and it is probable that this piece was one such commission.