A JADE GROUP OF FOUR HORSES AND TWO BADGERS 17th...
A Distinguished Collection of Jade Carvings, Part II, Lots 228-249
A JADE GROUP OF FOUR HORSES AND TWO BADGERS
17th to 19th century
Comprising four recumbent horses, each with its head turned over to the left, detailed with nostrils, almond-shaped eyes, pricked ears, their tails resting along one side of the flanks, the stone ranging in tone from pale green with russet inclusions to white; and two grey and white jade badgers, each depicted in a crouching posture with the head turned left and looking back. The largest: 4.8cm (1 7/8in) long. (6).
Footnotes
十七至十九世紀 玉雕馬四件及玉雕獾兩件
Horses carry rich symbolic meaning in Chinese culture. They have long been associated with status, authority, and the cultivated life of the elite, and frequently appear in paintings as companions to scholars or as metaphors for talent, ambition, and achievement. Exceptionally gifted individuals are often likened to a 'thousand-li horse' (千里馬) which refers to a horse capable of travelLing a thousand li in a single day.
See a related jade pendant in the shape of a horse, Ming to Qing, in the Qing Court collection, the Palace Museum, Taipei (acc.no.故玉005798N000000000).
A Distinguished Collection of Jade Carvings, Part II, Lots 228-249
A JADE GROUP OF FOUR HORSES AND TWO BADGERS
17th to 19th century
Comprising four recumbent horses, each with its head turned over to the left, detailed with nostrils, almond-shaped eyes, pricked ears, their tails resting along one side of the flanks, the stone ranging in tone from pale green with russet inclusions to white; and two grey and white jade badgers, each depicted in a crouching posture with the head turned left and looking back. The largest: 4.8cm (1 7/8in) long. (6).
Footnotes
十七至十九世紀 玉雕馬四件及玉雕獾兩件
Horses carry rich symbolic meaning in Chinese culture. They have long been associated with status, authority, and the cultivated life of the elite, and frequently appear in paintings as companions to scholars or as metaphors for talent, ambition, and achievement. Exceptionally gifted individuals are often likened to a 'thousand-li horse' (千里馬) which refers to a horse capable of travelLing a thousand li in a single day.
See a related jade pendant in the shape of a horse, Ming to Qing, in the Qing Court collection, the Palace Museum, Taipei (acc.no.故玉005798N000000000).
