A white jade carving of a lotus seedpod and bug.
China, 18th century.
Of pebble form, finely carved in openwork as lotus leaves and pods borne on intertwined stems, with a bug clambering up the larger pod. The translucent stone is of a near-white to very pale celadon tone with few russet inclusions. The high-quality craftsmanship showcases the talent of 18th-century jade workshops.
Provenance (by repute):
English private collection.
Hungarian private collection, acquired from the above.
Condition:
Very good condition with minor wear and a few microscopic nicks with associated old fills (DM for pictures under strong UV light).
Dimensions:
Length 5.4 cm, width 3.4 cm, height 3 cm.
Compare with:
Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2022, lot 2917. Estimate: HKD 80.000 or approx. EUR 9.500.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 9 October 2022, lot 3699, estimated at 80,000 – 120,000 HKD.
A carving from the Morpurgo collection, offered at Sotheby’s London, 8 November 2018, lot 40, estimated at 3,000 – 5,000 GBP.
A carving from the Marchant, est. 1925 Fine Chinese Jade Carvings sale, Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 May 2019, lot 22, sold for 625,625 HKD.
Lit:
Knight, M., Li, He, and Bartholomew, T. T. Later Chinese Jades: Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Asian Art Museum – Cong-Moon Lee Centre for Asian Art and Culture, San Francisco, 2007, p. 299
Inv. No: A00377
