A CHINESE BROWN AND CELADON JADE CARVING OF A HORSE

A CHINESE BROWN AND CELADON JADE CARVING OF A HORSE
MING DYNASTY

Depicted in a recumbent pose with its legs neatly tucked under its body, the horse turns its head back towards its tail which is flicked up over its haunches, its body rendered with details of its ribs and muscles, with finely incised hairs to its forelock, mane and tail, the mottled stone with inclusions, varying in tone from a pale greenish-grey to a dark brown, 7.8cm.

Provenance: the Lawrence Collection of jades and hardstone carvings, purchased from Spink & Son prior to 1959.

Jade animal carvings have a long history in China. They are thought to have first appeared in prehistoric times when they were probably used for religious or ritual purposes. By the Tang dynasty, miniature jade animals were used as decorative objects and playthings, and they remained popular throughout the following dynasties. Of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, the horse represents wealth and prosperity. This jade horse was probably made as a 'handling piece', but could also have been used as a paper weight. The mottled nephrite with dark brown inclusions gives this miniature sculpture an archaic feel. This aligns with tastes of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties when the archaic style was highly prized by the literati class and many jades were worked to simulate those of antiquity.

明 褐玉臥馬

來源：勞倫斯珍藏玉石，1959年前購於Spink & Son。