清十八世紀 和闐青玉卧牛

the rich green boulder sensitively worked as a recumbent buffalo with its head turned to the right and resting on a bent leg with another leg propped up behind it, the head rendered with flaring nostrils and alert eyes, crowned with long ribbed horns with a small tuft of hair depicted with fine incisions on its forehead, the substantial body accentuated with taut muscles and a strong curved spine terminating in a bushy tail sweeping over its hind haunch, the even green stone with white inclusions and a mottled brown skin on the underside, wood stand

The carving is in overall good condition with just occasional expected minute nicks to the extremities, including the nostrils and horns of the buffalo. There are also natural flaws and areas of pitting especially to the underside. The catalogue illustration is slightly warmer than the actual colour of 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."

The buffalo’s qualities of strength and tranquility are handsomely captured in this large yet sensitively modelled figure. The large boulder, notable for its even light green hue, has been impressively transformed into a naturalistic buffalo: its broad confident features encapsulate its strength and gentleness while the solid curves of the muscular body disclose its power. The buffalo also holds strong Daoist connotations as it is the reputed mount of the philosopher Laozi.

A classic of Chinese painting, its bucolic character evokes the simple essence of life of the countryside, and thus represents a symbolic form of escape for the owner who would have been tied to his duties and responsibilities of officialdom. Traditionally, animal sculptures were created for ritual or burial and those created solely for pleasure are extremely rare in any medium in China. Exactly when these ‘monumental’ jade animal sculptures were first made is still a matter of debate. The almost eccentric choice of material for this and similar buffaloes, distinctly coloured and veined, might fit best with a late Ming (1368-1644) date, while the masculine strength, elegance and simplicity of the sculpting are in tune with stylistic principles of the Kangxi reign (1662-1722). What is certain is that these large buffalo, and similarly carved horses and elephants from high quality stone, were greatly treasured by the imperial family as several extant examples are known to have been removed from the Summer Palace in 1860.

Comparable carvings of buffaloes from the Summer Palace and fabled collections of the past include the spinach-green Pelham water buffalo, sold at Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury, 20th May 2009, lot 388. Further examples from this group include two now in the Woolf Charitable Trust, published in The Woolf Collection of Chinese Jade, a catalogue to accompany the exhibition Masterpieces of Chinese Jade from the Woolf Collection, Sotheby’s, London, 2013, pls 99 and 100;  the Jacob Goldschmidt buffalo, included in the exhibition Austellung Chinesischer Kunst, Gelleschaft fur Ostiasiatische Kunst and Preussische Akademie der Kunst, Berlin, 1929, cat. no. 1085, and the Baron Lionel de Rothschild buffalo, formerly in the collection of Somerset de Chair, later in the Eckstein collection, sold twice in our London rooms, 19th April 1937, lot 47, and 9th December 1948, lot 111. See also the Oscar Raphael buffalo, from the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, illustrated in James C.S. Lin, The Immortal Stone, Cambridge, 2009, pl. 36; the Alexander Ionides buffalo, later in the Hotchis collection, sold in our London rooms, 20th May 1954, lot 101; and another from the Mrs James Cromwell collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 30th November 1983, lot 275, and again, 19th March 2008, lot 436, from the estate of Leona M. Helmsley.

Similar carvings fashioned from grey and black jade stones include one from the Somerset de Chair and Mrs Parsons collections, sold twice in our London rooms, 18th July 1952, lot 50, and again, 9th June 2004, lot 151; the Lord Gladwyn buffalo, offered in our London rooms, 1st November 1966, lot 47, and now in the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pl. 26:19; another, from the Bulgari and Richard J. Robertson collections, sold three times at auction, most recently in our London rooms, 4th November 2009, lot 89; and a fourth example, from the Hall family collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th April 2010, lot 1909. The white jade Tutein Nolthenium buffalo, included  in several exhibitions including Oosterse Schatten – 4000 Jaar Aziatische Kunst, Amsterdam, 1954, cat. no. 86, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2009, lot 2009.