A WHITE JADE 'BOY AND LOTUS' FIGURE 17TH - 18TH CENTURY |

deftly carved, the standing figure with the body swaying gently to one side wearing a long robe tied at the waist with a sash over trousers, the head slightly tilted and a gentle smile playing across the lips, the hair shaved at the crown of the head leaving a short fringe across the forehead and long locks at the back of the head, the ends of the tresses curling into tight spirals at the shoulders, the right arm bent at the shoulder and holding a ball at the chest, the left hand grasping lotus stem, the shoots of the stem peeling outward in openwork, the stone an even white color with a slight tinge of yellow at the left elbow

Possibly repolished, and with a loss to the uppermost branches of the stem (as illustrated), a small bruise to another branch, and tiny nicks to the feet and right ear. The color of the stone is slightly brighter and greenish-white than in the illustration in the printed catalogue.
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.

During the Song and Yuan dynasties, during the Qixi ('Double Seven') festival, when the constellations of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid met, children would play in the streets wearing waistcoats and carrying lotus leaves. The custom was inspired by Mohouluo figures, which were fertility cult objects associated with this festival. Mohouluo dolls were in the form of a boy holding a lotus plant and could be made from clay, ivory, gold, wood, or jade. Although the cult dedicated to Mohouluo died out at the end of the Yuan dynasty, the production of jade figures of this subject continued in subsequent dynasties. The present figure draws upon the Moheluo tradition but the style of carving places it definitively in the late Ming to early Qing period. See, for instance, a late Ming dynasty gray jade carving of a boy carrying a rice stalk and a lantern, exhibited in Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, Asia Society, New York, 1980, cat. no. 97.  Here, the treatment of the face and the circular movement of the composition — specifically, with the raised left hand holding a plant that is carved in openwork and arcs toward the boy's head, while the right arm sweeps across the chest to complete the composition — bear a striking resemblance to the workmanship of the present figure of a boy carrying a lotus stem. The garments and the curled hair of the 'boy and lotus' figure also compare favorably to a late Ming - early Qing dynasty celadon jade figure of an immortal and a boy, in the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, included in Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1983, cat. no. 171. A similar style of carving was also used for a late Ming - early Qing dynasty figure of an old man and a boy, in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Chu, included in the same exhibition, ibid., cat. no. 174; and a Ming dynasty white jade carving of a recumbent boy, excavated from the Gu family cemetery in Shanghai, and illustrated in Gu Fang, Zhongguo chutu yuqi quanji / The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, vol. 7, Beijing, 2005, pl. 277.