TWO-DAY AUCTION - Fine Chinese Art / 中 國藝術集珍 / Buddhism & Hinduism (CA0321) Fri, 5th Mar 2021 Lot 66

Starting price: €500 Estimate: €1000 A PALE CELADON, GRAY AND RUSSET JADE FIGURE OF SHUO, QING DYNASTY 清代青白玉帶皮 東方朔 China, 18th-19th century. The immortal carved standing with a double gourd on the ground before him, holding a peach on a leafy stem in one hand and a lingzhi sprig raised in the other, wearing a long flowing robe and hat, the face with a benevolent expression. The stone of a translucent pale celadon tone with opaque shadings of gray and russet. With a matching wood base. (2)

Provenance: French private collection. Condition: Good condition with some wear, a small chip to the brim of the hat, microscopic nibbles here and there.

Weight: 109.7 g Dimensions: Height 7.8 cm

Dongfang Shuo (c. 160-93 BC) was a Han Dynasty scholar- official, (‘master of esoterica’), author, and court jester to Emperor Wu (reigned 141-87 BC). In , Dongfang is considered a Daoist xian (immortal) and the spirit of Venus who incarnated as a series of ancient ministers including .

The legend of Dongfang Shuo has him attempting to steal one of the famous 'peaches of longevity' from the orchard of Xi Wangmu, the , whose palace was believed to be in the . The peaches were believed to ripen only once in 3,000 years and to confer immortality on anyone who ate them.

Literature comparison: Compare a celadon jade figure of Dongfang Shuo, attributed to the 18th-19th century, in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, acc. no. 1633&A-1882. Another, attributed to the late Ming/early Qing period, is illustrated in Chinese Jades from Han to Ching, Asia Society, New York, 1980, pl. 101. See also a white jade figure attributed to the late Ming period illustrated in Jades from China, The Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, 1994, cat. no. 101. For a late Qing example, see one in the collection of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, included in Michael Knight, He Li, and Terese Tse Bartholomew, Later Chinese Jades: to Early Twentieth Century, San Francisco, 2007, pl. 324.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a related celadon jade figure of Dongfang Shuo, but of considerably larger size, at Sotheby’s New York in Junkunc: Chinese Jade Carvings on 22 September 2020, lot 236, sold for USD 30,240. Compare also with a related but much larger and earlier chicken bone jade of the same immortal, dated to the 16th/17th century, at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 17 September 2008, lot 294, sold for USD 10,000. For a similar jade figure of a gentleman, dated to the 19th/20th century, see Christie’s London in Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles on 16 May 2014, lot 1075, sold for GBP 7,500.

清代青白玉帶皮東方朔 中國，十八至十九世紀。東方朔身前有一個大葫蘆，他一隻手拿 著桃子，另一隻手舉著一隻靈芝，頭戴長袍和帽子，表情慈祥。 玉石為半透明的淡青色，帶有不透明的灰色和赤褐色紋理。 相 配的木底座。

來源：法國私人收藏 品相：狀況良好，有些磨損，帽子邊緣有小磨損，局部有細微的 磕損。

重量：109.7 克 尺寸：高7.8 厘米

拍賣結果比較：一件相近青玉東方朔但尺寸更大，見紐約蘇富比 Junkunc: Chinese Jade Carvings 拍場2020年9月22日 lot 236, 售價USD 30,240. ；一件相近但尺寸更大更早的雞骨玉東 方朔，十六至十七世紀，見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 拍場2008年9月17日lot 294, 售價USD 10,000. ；一件相似人像，十九至二十世紀，見倫敦佳士得 Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles 拍場2014年5月 16日 lot 1075, 售價GBP 7,500.