A YELLOW AND RUSSET JADE FIGURE OF A HOUND SONG – MING DYNASTY |

superbly rendered crouching on all fours with the the tail curling over its back, the head portrayed in a raised position with an alert expression, accentuated with a half-open mouth below a bulbous nose and bulging eyes below heavy eyebrows, the forehead naturalistically marked with a rounded bump and flanked by a pair of pointed ears, the stone of a warm yellow colour with white inclusions and attractive russet skin

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1964.

Robert P. Youngman, The Youngman Collection of Chinese Jades from Neolithic to Qing, Chicago, 2008, pl. 101.

The hound in good condition, with minor natural inclusions/flaws to the stone.
"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."

Carved from a luminous yellow jade pebble, this piece displays the full range of the carver’s skill in his ability to incorporate the russet skin of the stone to reproduce the animal’s fur and to pick out elements of the creatures’ form. A very similarly carved animal in the Bei Shan Tang collection, was included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition Chinese Jade Carvings, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 147; and another was included in the exhibition Chinese Jades from Han to Ch’ing, The Asia House Gallery, New York, 1980, cat. no. 49. See also a green jade beast of slightly larger size, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 6, Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl. 245; a white jade example included in the exhibition The Chinese Scholar’s Studio. Artistic Life in the Late Ming Period, The Asia Society Galleries, New York, 1987, cat. no. 52; and a yellow jade animal carved with its head turned to the side, from the collection of Gerald Godfrey, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th October 1995, lot 866.