

Although jade mountains of varying sizes rendered with similar subjects were widely known in the late Ming and Qing dynasties, pebbles of such form worked with a scholarly scene were relatively unusual. The present carving, with its manageable size, would have served not only as a paperweight, but also a pleasing object to handle or amuse in a scholar's studio.
Compare a slightly larger pebble from the collection of Dr Ip Yee, carved with a luohan in a grotto, attributed to late Ming-early Qing dynasty, included in the exhibition Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1983, p. 262, cat. no. 234.