AN OLIVE-STONE CARVING AND STAND BY GUSHENG, QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY, DATED TO THE JIAZI YEAR (IN ACCORDANCE WITH 1864)

carved in the form of a boat with an enclosed section with an attendant depicted fanning a scholar under the awning, the entrance flanked by two further attendants, the bow of the boat carved with two gentlemen seated at a table, and a group of passengers riding on top of the roof, for a total of eighteen passengers, finely rendered with windows that open and close, the underside carved with a poem, paying tribute to poet Su Shi who visited the Red Cliff (Chibi), signed Gusheng laoren zuo and dated to the seventh lunar month of the jiazi year, corresponding to 1864, the separate domed stand carved from a half of an olive-stone, decorated with flowers and waves

The overall condition is very good. There is a 0.2 cm shallow indentation (possibly original) on the underside at the bow of the boat.
"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."

The vogue for miniature crafts, including carving on olive, peach, walnut and various other fruit stones was started during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor and remained popular throughout the Qing and Republican era. Examples of imperial miniature craft are illustrated in Masterpieces of Chinese Miniature Craft in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1971, pls. 1-50, with an introduction to its history, pp. 78-9.

The present carving is the work of Gusheng (1802-1876), a scholar who became a xiucai (county-level rank) at the age of 22, but did not progress any further. A native of Guangdong, Gusheng took up a career as a carver specialising in miniature craft. He became known for his olive-stone carvings, especially those depicting the Song dynasty poet Su Shi and his companions in a pleasure boat visiting the Red Cliff (Chibi).

Compare a carved walnut, the shell worked in high relief with a design of figures and dragons amongst a flower and rock landscape, included in the exhibition The Minor Arts of China IV, Spink and Son Ltd., London, 1989, cat. no. 28; and a pair of finely carved walnut-shell hand exercisers illustrated in Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss, Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, pl. 259. See a peach-stone carving well hollowed and finely pierced with a picture of Magu on one side and Shoulao on the other, offered in our New York rooms, 18th September 1996, lot 91; and another miniature carving of a smiling fisherman clutching a giant carp with a boy seated behind him on a peach stone, sold in our New York rooms, 18th September 1996, lot 89.