A LARGE CHINESE CHALCEDONY 'POMEGRANATE AND LINGZHI' GROUP

A LARGE CHINESE CHALCEDONY 'POMEGRANATE AND LINGZHI' GROUP
18TH CENTURY

Carved as a vase in the form of a hollowed tree trunk with a ruyi-shaped waterpot to one side, decorated in relief with lingzhi and leafy pomegranate branches bearing fruits trailing over the surface, with one branch uniting the two vessels, with swirls and knots imitating a section of the tree to the base, the stone of a bluish-grey tone with some natural russet inclusions, together with a pierced wood stand similarly decorated with fungi growing amidst blossoming and fruiting pomegranate branches, 26.6cm across. (2)

Provenance: formerly the collection of Hugh S Whitaker; and then the Lawrence Collection of jades and hardstone carvings, purchased from Spink & Son prior to 1959.

Whitaker was a collector of Oriental art in the early 20th century, and many items from his collection are now in major Western museums, including the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Whitaker is recorded in the Sparks' ledger books between 1914 and 1938 as a buyer.

Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline quartz, and has a variety of colour tones that are mainly determined by the presence of trace elements such as chromium and iron. It is treated as a 'jade-like' gemstone and is commonly used by Chinese craftsmen for carving because of its hardness and waxy lustre. Both pomegranate and peach are fruits that symbolically represent abundance and numerous offspring. But, while peach is an indigenous fruit of China, the pomegranate is a foreign plant introduced from Central Asia, along the Silk Road to China. The lingzhi fungus has a strong symbolism in Chinese culture, representing longevity and immortality. The combination of all these auspicious symbols suggests that the vase was probably made for a special occasion such as a birthday.

十八世紀 瑪瑙雕如意多子多福擺件

來源：Hugh S Whitaker舊藏，勞倫斯珍藏玉石，1959年前購於Spink & Son。