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A TURQUOISE CARVING OF XI SHI QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
finely carved, the figure kneeling beside a basket of skeins of silk, holding a single skein in her hands, her finely featured face gazing modestly downward, her hair pulled back, falling in loops to one side and secured with a ribbon at the back, a long slender shawl billowing in pierced relief around her, the stone of brilliant color with attractive black rivering, wood stand (2)
Provenance
Captain Edward George Spencer-Churchill (1876-1964).
Christie's London, 24th May 1965.
Mr. Roger Soame Jenyns (1904-1976).
Sotheby's London, 15th December 1970, lot 8.
Christie's New York, 21st September 1995, lot 391.
Christie's London, 24th May 1965.
Mr. Roger Soame Jenyns (1904-1976).
Sotheby's London, 15th December 1970, lot 8.
Christie's New York, 21st September 1995, lot 391.
Literature
R. Soame Jenyns, Chinese Art III, New York, 1965, no. 160.
Condition
The figure with a one inch (2.5cm) section of the shawl broken and restored.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Turquoise carved figures are rare. Sourced mainly from Mongolia, Tibet and Afghanistan, turquoise was a valued medium by the two dynasties of northern nomadic heritage, the Yuan and Qing dynasties. Earlier Chinese dynasties used the semi-precious stone in very small quantity and primarily to inlay metalwork.
The presentation of ideal feminine beauty was a subject often explored in painting during the Qing dynasty. However, it appears that a group of carved turquoise figures of this subject matter, including the present example, may have been produced. Two carvings of ladies of similar size, quality and style of carving and color of stone with the distinct fine network of black occlusions were sold in our London rooms 24th June 1980 lots 280 and 282. Another related example is in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco illustrated in Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argence, Chinese Jades in the Avery Brundage Collection, 1977, pl. LXXVII, p. 168. The author theorizes that "This delightful group reflects a feminine taste rarely found in jade carvings and may have been part of a set of statuettes picturing young ladies engaged in typical occupations." It would appear from the other examples cited above that the women represented are all famous mythological or historical figures.
Xi Shi, or Shi Yiguang, was one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China. She is said to have lived during the end of the Spring and Autumn Period in Zhuji, Zhejiang, the capital of the ancient State of Yue. Her father was a tea trader and she spent her days washing silk. Her beauty was said to be such that while leaning over a balcony to look at fish in the pond, the fish would be so dazzled by her that they forgot to swim.
The presentation of ideal feminine beauty was a subject often explored in painting during the Qing dynasty. However, it appears that a group of carved turquoise figures of this subject matter, including the present example, may have been produced. Two carvings of ladies of similar size, quality and style of carving and color of stone with the distinct fine network of black occlusions were sold in our London rooms 24th June 1980 lots 280 and 282. Another related example is in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco illustrated in Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argence, Chinese Jades in the Avery Brundage Collection, 1977, pl. LXXVII, p. 168. The author theorizes that "This delightful group reflects a feminine taste rarely found in jade carvings and may have been part of a set of statuettes picturing young ladies engaged in typical occupations." It would appear from the other examples cited above that the women represented are all famous mythological or historical figures.
Xi Shi, or Shi Yiguang, was one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China. She is said to have lived during the end of the Spring and Autumn Period in Zhuji, Zhejiang, the capital of the ancient State of Yue. Her father was a tea trader and she spent her days washing silk. Her beauty was said to be such that while leaning over a balcony to look at fish in the pond, the fish would be so dazzled by her that they forgot to swim.