12. M4982
£38,000
Description
Chinese large jade pebble carved as an archaic-style goose, hong, with its head turned back holding in its beak three branches of a lotus flower and leaves, the wings and tail feathers incised with key-fret and an archaic-style bird, the neck with a flowerhead band, the feet and legs neatly tucked underneath.
The stone pale celadon with natural russet markings.
4 ½ inches, 11.5 cm long; 2 ¾ inches, 7 cm high.
Ming/Qing dynasty, 16th/17th century.
Wood stand.
Condition
Natural chip out of russet breast.
Provenance & Additional Information
- Purchased by Roger Bluett in Hong Kong from Dunt King, April 1968.
- Sold by Bluett & Sons Ltd. at the Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair, 13th June 1968.
- A similar piece dated Ming or early Qing, also with key-fret and animal heads on the wings with a similar collar, is illustrated by Zheng Xinmiao in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 6, collection no. Gu 87178, no. 276, pp. 266/7; another is illustrated by Robert Kleiner in Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, no. 198, p. 249; another in the Tianjin City Art Museum, is illustrated by Yun Xizheng in The Collection of Jades in the Tianjin City Art Museum, no. 172.
- The goose, hong, is a motif associated with weddings and is regarded as a harbinger of good news.