A FINELY CARVED WHITE JADE 'PINE' VASE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY |

the tapering vessel superbly modelled as a section of a tree trunk, the scaly bark interrupted by burls and knots, intricately worked to the exterior with gnarled branches issuing clusters of pine needles, the smoothly polished stone of an even white tone suffused with occasional russet patches and veins

The vase is in very good condition, with only expected minor nicks to the extremities of the small pine branches.
"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 vase is notable for its vibrant high-relief carving and naturalistic modelling of the pine branches which wrap around the trunk. Vases of this type were inspired by vessels for the scholar’s desk made from bamboo and carved in high relief in the style of the three Zhus, a renowned family of bamboo carvers, active from the 16th century. See for example a bamboo brushpot signed Zhu He, in the Nanjing Museum, included in the exhibition Literati Spirit, Art of Chinese Bamboo Carving, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2012, cat. no. 1. A slightly larger white jade vessel similarly carved as a pine trunk in the Palace Museum, Beijing is illustrated in Scholar’s Paraphernalia. Classics of the Forbidden City, Beijing, 2015, pl. 37; one of slightly smaller size from the De An Tang collection was included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 9; another from the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, was illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 111; and a fourth example, from the collection of Ernest and Helen Dane, now in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, was included in the Asia Society exhibition Chinese Jades from Han to Ch’ing, The Asia House Gallery, New York, 1980, cat. no. 108.