AN 'ELEPHANT AND BOY' JADE, EARLY QING DYNASTY

A CELADON AND RUSSET JADE 'ELEPHANT AND BOY' GROUP, EARLY QING DYNASTY
China, 17th-18th century. The elephant massively carved standing foursquare with its head turned sideways, a boy dressed in loose robes clambering atop, holding a brush in his right hand.

Provenance: Property from an English Private Collection. Collector label '58' to base.
Condition: Excellent condition with old wear and, as a result, a fine natural patina.

Weight: 567.1 g
Dimensions: Length 9 cm

The elephant further detailed with naturalistically outlined wrinkles across the body. The stone of an attractive yellowish-celadon color extensively accentuated with russet veins.

This carving is full of auspicious imagery, such as the motif of a boy riding or climbing on an elephant representing the wish for good fortune, as the phrase 'ride an elephant' is close in pronunciation to 'good fortune' (jixiang).

Auction result comparison: Compare with a related carving of an elephant of 7 cm length at Christies London in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 15 May 2019, lot 50, sold for GBP £8,125.

青玉童子洗象擺件，清初
中國，十七至十八世紀。大像頭部轉向側面，一個男孩穿著寬鬆的袍子爬象背，右手握著刷子。

來源：英國私人收藏，底部藏家標簽"58"
品相：品相極好，老磨損，良好的天然包漿

重量：567.1 克
尺寸：長9 厘米