A yellow jade recumbent horse, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 黃玉臥馬擺件

Property from a French Private Collection
A yellow jade recumbent horse
Qing dynasty, Qianlong period

carved wood stand
(2)
Length 9 cm, 3½ in.
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Collection particulière française
Cheval en jade jaune, dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong
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法國私人收藏
清乾隆 黃玉臥馬擺件

Condition Report:
Some natural inclusions and fissures to the stone, including one to the rump, apart from that, this figure is in good condition.
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玉料天然含沁及綹裂，如馬臀部，此外品相良好。

Catalogue Note:
This elegant and rare yellow jade horse is an excellent example of animal jade carving, its delicate facial details and smooth, rounded forms creating a captivating contrast to its dynamic posture. Horses have long been associated with power and wealth in Chinese history. The style in which this figure has been crafted embodies the artisan's intent to capture not only the physical likeness, but also the innate strength of the animal through its deliberately dramatical pose, evoking a moment in time or a hidden narrative.

Small jade animal sculptures as such, typically carved in reclining or seated postures to conform to the shape of jade pebbles, were created as functional paperweights for the scholar's desk. Notably, Qing emperors also incorporated jade horse carvings into their 'curio boxes' (多寶格), further attesting to the cultural significance and appreciation of these exquisite art pieces.

Compare a related jade carving of a recumbent horse from the Qing imperial collection, now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (acc. no. 故玉004285N000000000); another formerly in the Heber R. Bishop collection, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 02.18.437); compare two similar yellow jade recumbent horses, one sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th April 2016, lot 3615, and another sold in our New York rooms, 10th September 2018, lot 100; compare also a similar yellow jade example attributed to the 17th century, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th April 2014, lot 3061.

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此黃玉臥馬，恬雅細膩，乃玉雕動物之難得佳作，面部細緻入微，通體圓潤光滑，與其靈動身姿相得益彰。縱觀中國歷史，馬長久以來象徵權力與財富。巧匠妙手雕琢臥馬，形似之餘，優游之身飽含勁力，凝一瞬成雋永。

此類動物玉雕小件順應籽料原形，常作欹斜盤坐狀，乃為鎮紙，置於文人案頭。清代帝王更將玉馬陳列於多寶格，足見此類玉雕巧件文化意義深遠，備受皇家喜愛。

比一相似玉雕臥馬，清宮舊藏，現存台北故宮（藏品編號 故玉004285N000000000）；及一例， Heber R. Bishop舊藏，現藏大都會博物館（藏品編號 02.18.437）；另比黃玉臥馬兩例，其一售於香港蘇富比2016年4月7日，編號3615，其二售於紐約蘇富比2018年9月10日，編號100；仍可比一例，斷代至十七世紀，售於香港蘇富比2014年4月8日，編號3061。

Provenance:
Collection of the Lt. Victor Aymé Desiré Rahou (1826-1898), and thence by family descent.

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Victor Aymé Desiré Rahou (1826-1898)中尉收藏，此後家族傳承