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Expert’s note
Our preview visitors (and the winning bidder) are highly encouraged to admire the intricate openwork carving of this scholar’s object under natural light, when the interplay of light and shadow produced by the varying depths of the carving, together with the differing degrees of translucency in the stone and its beautiful pale-celadon hue, imbues the scenes carved throughout the boulder with an extraordinary sense of depth, atmosphere, and quiet vitality. The gradual discovery of the minute details concealed within the complex composition becomes in itself a contemplative experience, and one may readily imagine the erudite scholar for whom such an object was originally intended absorbed in its contemplation during a pause from his daily pursuits.
China, 17th-18th century. Deftly and deeply carved in openwork and varying degrees of relief from a large jade pebble, one side depicting a rocky landscape in which an elderly scholar plays the zither, accompanied by an attendant playing the flute, beside an incense burner from which a fragrant plume of smoke gently rises, all beneath the shade of a luxuriant pine tree. Beyond them stand small pavilions with hipped roofs beside a waterfall cascading among the rocks, above which a small bridge is crossed by a young man carrying a fly whisk.
The reverse presents a second scene featuring a bearded scholar seated at ease upon a rocky outcrop beneath a pine tree and beside a small construction, while below, another elderly figure contemplates the smoke rising from an incense burner on the bank of a stream.
The superbly polished, semi-translucent stone is of an attractive pale celadon tone, enlivened by extensive russet areas skillfully incorporated into the carved composition.
The pebble rests on a fitted dark wood stand finely carved in openwork with lingzhi fungus motifs. (2)
Provenance: The private collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, New York. Alan Hartman (1930-2023) was an influential American art dealer, who took over his parents’ antique business in Manhattan and established the legendary Rare Art Gallery on Madison Avenue, with further locations in Dallas and Palm Beach. His wife Simone (née Horowitz) already served as assistant manager of the New York gallery before the couple married in 1975, and together they built a renowned collection for over half a century and became noted art patrons, enriching the collections of important museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (which opened the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in 2013) as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum in New York. Alan Hartman has been described as the greatest antiques dealer of our generation, and was widely recognized as a world authority in Chinese jade, bronzes, and Asian works of art.
Condition: Superb condition with only minor wear and few minuscule nicks. The stone with natural fissures, few of which have developed into fine hairline cracks.
Weight: 1.7 kg (excl. stand), 1.9 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Length 16.4 cm (total)
The present jade boulder is elaborately carved to depict a hermit scene in the rugged mountains, home to immortals and reclusive scholars. These mountains, boldly and irregularly carved with rocky paths, waterfall, pine trees, and vegetation, are often inhabited by tiny figures. Pebble-form boulders depicting scholars or immortals engaged in their elevated pursuits were especially popular during the Qianlong period, as they symbolized the ascending career of the scholar-literati within the civil service. Boulder mountains testify to the jade carvers' tremendous skills and reflect their reverence for the natural qualities of the stone. They were able to carve elaborate and lively tableaus within the confines of the boulder, keeping the silhouette intact while artistically manipulating the natural 'imperfections' of the stone to enhance the design.
The Chinese literati fascination with carved jade boulders is discussed by Robert Kleiner in Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, p. 160, suggesting that they ‘represented miniature idealized landscapes into which the scholar himself could retreat without having to leave his study and they complement the miniature gardens and trees cultivated by most scholars’.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 14 May 2019, lot 246
Price: GBP 93,750 or approx. EUR 145,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A finely carved large greenish-white and russet jade ‘landscape’ boulder, Qianlong period (1736-1795)
Expert remark: Compare the closely related pebble form, stone, and manner of carving. Note the size (21 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 May 2007, lot 1416
Price: HKD 1,320,000 or approx. EUR 236,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine white jade mountain boulder, Qianlong period (1736-1795)
Expert remark: Compare the closely related pebble form, stone, manner of carving, and size (17 cm).
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