A pale green jade carving of a crane


Qianlong Crisply carved in high relief and openwork with its head turned backwards grasping a leafy stalk of two fruiting peaches in its long pointed beak, the feathers of the folded wings and curled tail meticulously incised, the stone of an even pale green tone, wood stand. 8cm (3in) long. (2).
|清乾隆 青白玉仙鶴銜桃擺件Provenance: An important Dutch private collectionChristie's London, 14 May 2014, lot 781Marchant, LondonExhibited, Published and Illustrated:Marchant, 90th Anniversary Exhibition: Ninety Jades for 90 Years, London, 2015, no.61來源：荷蘭重要私人舊藏倫敦佳士得，2014年5月14日，拍品編號781倫敦Marchant展覽、出版及著錄：Marchant，《玉器九十，90週年特展》，倫敦，2015年，編號61The crane, he and peaches tao form the rebus heshou yannian, 'May the crane and peaches extend your years', as both the crane and peach symbolise longevity.Compare with a similar 'crane and peach' group, 18th century, illustrated in Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong, 1996, pp.186-187, no.179; see a smaller example holding a wheat branch, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, Jade 9 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, no.153; a further example is illustrated by Spink & Son Ltd., Chinese Jade, An important Private Collection, London, 1991, pp.74-75, no.153.青白玉質，圓雕仙鶴銜桃，仙鶴曲頸回首，長喙，口銜雙桃，臥身，浮雕雙翼，其上淺刻翎毛，細密整齊，尾下收，尾羽陰刻，長腿俯臥，浮雕淺刻。仙鶴壽桃皆有長生不老的傳說，故而寓意吉祥，而銜桃者又有其他鳥類的例子，參看一例十八世紀白玉雕仙鶴銜桃，著錄於《中國肖生玉雕》，香港，1996年，頁186-187，編號179；另見北京故宮清宮舊藏一例，著錄於《《故宮博物院藏品大系玉器篇9 清》，北京，2011年，編號153；另見斯賓克有限公司曾著錄一例，《Chinese Jade, An important Private Collection》，倫敦，1991年，頁74-75，編號153。