- 288
A CELADON JADE RUSSET 'LUOHAN' BOULDER 17TH / 18TH CENTURY
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description
- jade
carved in high relief to one side with a luohan seated within a rocky grotto meditating beside a tripod incense burner issuing smoke, the reverse carved with a deer below overhanging ledges and lingzhi, the stone of a pale celadon tone with russet skin to the sides, wood stand (2)
Provenance
William Harris, acquired in China prior to 1910, and thence by descent.
Steven and Margret Lisberger, Santa Monica, California.
Steven and Margret Lisberger, Santa Monica, California.
Condition
There are some minor nicks to the extremeties, otherwise in overall good condition.
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
The depiction of Luohan in a mountain grotto is an extremely popular subject in Chinese art, and may have derived from a woodblock print on the theme in the eighteenth-century catalogue, the Gu yu tu pu, attributed to the Southern Song period. The luohan depicted in the present lot may be the eleventh luohan, the 'luohan deep in thought'.
Luohan is the Chinese term for arhat, who were enlightened monks regarded as holy figures or saints. According to Jessica Rawson in Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to Qing, London, 1995, "the cult of the luohan, who retreated to meditate in mountainous landscapes, probably developed in China from the mid-seventh century AD. It was shared with the monastic tradition in Central Asia, which may even have inspired some of the settings." See another jade carving of a luohan amid rocks illustrated ibid. p. 410, 29:19.
Another jade boulder depicting luohan in a grotto was sold recently in our London rooms, 16th May 2012, lot 35; and another in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd May 2005, lot 706.
Luohan is the Chinese term for arhat, who were enlightened monks regarded as holy figures or saints. According to Jessica Rawson in Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to Qing, London, 1995, "the cult of the luohan, who retreated to meditate in mountainous landscapes, probably developed in China from the mid-seventh century AD. It was shared with the monastic tradition in Central Asia, which may even have inspired some of the settings." See another jade carving of a luohan amid rocks illustrated ibid. p. 410, 29:19.
Another jade boulder depicting luohan in a grotto was sold recently in our London rooms, 16th May 2012, lot 35; and another in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd May 2005, lot 706.