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A rare and fine pale green jade carving of an elephant and grooms 17th/18th century image 1
A rare and fine pale green jade carving of an elephant and grooms 17th/18th century image 2
Lot 5*

A rare and fine pale green jade carving of an elephant and grooms
17th/18th century

8 November 2012, 10:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £49,250 inc. premium

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A rare and fine pale green jade carving of an elephant and grooms

17th/18th century
Finely modelled as an elephant with its head turned to one side to face a boy on the side carrying a vase filled with blossoming flowers, the tasselled saddle cloth draped across its back elaborately carved with bats amidst scrolling clouds, all surmounted by a potted evergreen sacred lily between two smiling boys, one holding a branch of the plant and the other grasping the pot, the stone of pale green tone with russet inclusions, wood stand.
16.3cm (6½in) high (2).

Footnotes

十七/十八世紀 青玉雕童子戲象

An evergreen plant is called wannianqing 萬年青, meaning 'ten thousand years green'. When an elephant is combined with an evergreen plant, it represents 'everything (萬象)'. Therefore, this auspicious motif implies everything to be changed and take on a new aspect (萬象更新). An elephant and children holding a vase forms the rebus 'tai ping jing xiang', which translates as 'peace and prosperous future'.

Compare a related jade elephant with children and dated to the Qing Dynasty, illustrated in Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1996, pl.177. For another similar example, see R.Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl.170, later sold at Christie's Hong Kong, on 27 November 2007, lot 1562.

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