A SUPERB AND LARGE WHITE JADE 'ELEPHANT AND VASE' GROUP QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD |

substantially worked with a well-hollowed figure of an elephant standing foursquare with its head turned backwards to face a standing young boy, caparisoned with a long tasselled saddle rug decorated on each side with five bats soaring above waves crashing against rockwork, the back of the elephant further depicted with two clambering boys, one holding a ruyi sceptre, the other a rhinoceros horn, the two boys rendered flanking a cover worked in the form of a hollow lobed baluster vase, detailed on the exterior with taotie masks and archaistic plantain blades, the stone of a even white colour, wood stand

One short lobed edge of the vase (3.2cm wide) has a section restuck. There are minute nicks along the extremities, including a 0.4cm chip to the inner rim of the bottom tassel.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Deftly carved in the round, a sense of harmony and playful energy has been skilfully achieved in this piece through the masterful composition and varying depths of carving. The three boys, each individually carved with delighted expressions as they each enthusiastically engage in the washing of the elephant, contrast with the solidity of the creature to successfully embody the power and wisdom it symbolises. The fine shallow-relief carving further accentuates both the flawless quality of the white stone as well as the intimacy of the scene. It is extremely rare to find elephant and boys carvings of this type whereby the elephant has been hollowed and the vase fashioned as a cover. Compare a white jade vessel of a similarly rendered elephant surmounted by a hollowed jar flanked by two boys, from the De An Tang collection, included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 87, sold in our London rooms, 5th December 1995, lot 101; and another illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese jades], vol. 6, Shijiazhuang, 1993, pl. 270. The motif of children washing an elephant represents happiness and good fortune while a vase on the back of an elephant evokes the rebus taiping youxiang, yutang fugui ('may there be peace and may your noble house be blessed with wealth and honour'), which is traditionally spoken during New Year celebrations.

Related white jade figure carvings of elephants with boys include one, depicting two boys with floral sprays clambering about the elephant surmounted with a potted plant, from the Alan and Simone Hartman collection, illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 170; another modelled with two boys riding an elephant, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Gugong bowuyuan wenwu cangpin daxi. Yuqi juan/Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, vol. 9: Qing, Beijing, 2011, pl. 136; and a green jade version from the collection of Sir Jonathan Woolf, illustrated in The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, London, 2013, pl. 96.

In the Qing dynasty, elephants were associated with the imperial court and very often appeared carrying vases on their backs during processions celebrating the Emperor's birthday. This imagery originates in Buddhism, where the vase represents an offering to the deity being worshipped. In Buddhism the elephant enjoyed high status, as white elephants symbolise the tamed and strong mind of the practitioner. Furthermore, it is also related to both Shakyamuni Buddha, the Historical Buddha, and Samantabhadra, the bodhisattva of compassion; the former is said to have been born as an elephant in one of his previous incarnations, while the latter is often shown riding a white elephant. The ears of the elephant, which are characterised by thin veins running through them, are believed to resemble the leaves of the lotus flower, which symbolise spiritual purity and the ability of all sentient beings to attain Buddhahood.