18th/19th century|Of tall section with an rounded top edge, carved in raised relief to depict the Lingyan Shan temple complex of Suzhou and its iconic tower above a rocky tree-laden mountain, the reverse incised in a selection of poems about the Lingyan Shan region, each poem bearing cyclical dates equivalent to 1751, 1757, 1762, and 1765 and bearing a signature reading chen Bi Yuan jingshu [respectfully written by Bi Yuan] and seals reading Chen and Yuan; the stone of mottled sea-foam green hue.|9 1/4in (23.5cm) high|Provenancepurchased in Shanghai before 1947, by repute;thence by descent to the present owner.The four poems all bear dates which coincide with one of Qianlong's southern inspection tours and all take as their subject matter the temple at Lingyan mountain outside of Suzhou. The inscription is attributed to Bi Yuan (1730-1797), a well-known and important official in the Qianlong regime, also known by his hao of Lingyan Shanren, or the man of Lingyan mountain. Coincidentally, a fan bearing calligraphy also attributed to Bi is being offered as part of lot 6498 in sale 24266 in these rooms on December 19th, 2017. It is possible then this artifact was a personalized tribute to the court by a loyal subject to the Qianlong emperor to remind him of the good times his majesty had during his visits over the years. Indeed, the quality of the stone and several stylistic choices compare favorably with jades from the 18th century. For a specific example, compare the rendering of the trees with those on a boulder dated to the 'middle part of the Qing dynasty' in the imperial collection: Gugong Bowuyuan Cang Wenwu Zhenpin Quanji 42: Yuqi (xia) (The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum 42: Jadeware (III)) (Hong Kong, 2006), p. 85 no. 72. On the other hand, note that the final poem on this plaque as well as a line-drawing nearly identical to the carved landscape depicting Lingyan Mountain were published in the Suzhou gazetteer, (Suzhou Fuzhi), see the 1874 edition currently available on Google Books. Per He Li et al, Later Chinese Jades: Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century (San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2007) pp. 26-27, lapidaries supplying imperial commissions as well as domestic and foreign markets remained centered in Suzhou through the end of the dynasty and into the Republic era. Carvers later in the dynasty or afterwards could have used this gazetteer for inspiration, copying its depiction of a well-known hometown landmark and then attributing its production to one of its more famous past residents.