A PALE CELADON JADE 'HORSE AND MONKEY' GROUP QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY |

carved as a recumbent horse, the mane falling in fine waves down both sides of the neck, the tail to one side, the head turned backwards to look at a small monkey clambering up the hind quarters, clasping the end of the bridle, the striated stone a milky celadon with white mottling and faint caramel veining

Deqingshuwu Collection.
Christie's Hong Kong, 26th April 2004, lot 1216.
J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 29th June 2004.

The carving is in overall good condition, however, there is a small loss to one reign (as illustrated) and a tiny nick to one hoof. The stone has a few fine natural fissures, as illustrated. The color of the stone is slightly whiter than in the illustration in the printed catalog.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Such a carving would have been presented to an aspiring official, as the depiction of a monkey atop a horse forms the rebus Ma shang feng hou, conveying the wish for a speedy promotion. Additionally, as Terese Tse Bartholomew notes in Hidden Meanings: Symbolism in Chinese Art, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, 2006, p. 118, the combination of a monkey with a horse also stems from an ancient Indian belief that monkeys could prevent horses from falling ill, as seen in early agricultural guidebooks such as Han E's Essential Sishi zuanyao / Notes for the Four Seasons and Li Shizhen's Compendium of Bencao gangmu / Materia Medica.  Compare a related horse and monkey group sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd December 1976, lot 728. A similar carving but with a patch of russet, sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, first on 21st May 1987, lot 653, and again, 18th May 1989, lot 824. A larger example sold in these rooms, 22nd September 2005, lot 351. See also one illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York, 1996, pl. 184, and later sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1556.