A CELADON JADE BIXIE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

the fabulous animal depicted recumbent with its legs tucked underneath the body and tail curled alongside its rear haunches, the head turned sharply backwards, its mouth issuing a stream of scrolling clouds supporting a rice measure (dou) on its back, the beast detailed with round eyes, flaring nostrils and a curled beard, all surmounted by a pair of horns incised with geometric scrolls, the stone of an even pale celadon tone

Collection of Captain Thomas S. Barlow, J.P., until 1961.
Sotheby's London, 7th November 1961, lot 342 (£68).
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1963 (£68).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1963 (£110).

The carving is in very good condition except for a small triangular shallow chip to one corner of the rice measure on the qilin's back and another small one to the tip of the lingzhi cloud on its opposite side. There is also a small bruise to the edge of the right horn.
"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."

This animated mythical creature has been skilfully carved in the round to capture both its playfulness and its archaic roots. The carver’s dexterity with the medium is apparent in the intricately detailed paws and crisply rendered openwork web of lingzhi-shaped clouds, as well as the inclusion of unusual details such as the slightly raised paw and the asymmetrical depiction of the pendant around the animal’s neck. Small jade carvings of this type were commonly kept in the scholar’s studio where they were admired as prized possessions and employed both as paperweights and as works of arts in their own right.

While carvings of mythological animals depicted in this pose are well known from the Qing dynasty, the present piece, which probably depicts a bixie, is very unusual for the rice-measure form vessel on its back. Compare a slightly larger carving of a qilin modelled with a book on its back raised on clouds, from the collection of H. F. Goldstein, included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Chinese Jade throughout the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, cat. no. 374; another included in the exhibition Jade as Sculpture, Minnesota Museum of Art, Minnesota, 1975, cat. no. 11; and a third sold in our London rooms, 6th/7th June 1967, lot 341, and again at Christie’s New York, 15th September 2011, lot 1030.