A rare and large pale green and dark grey jade 'Wang Xizhi and Geese' mountain


18th century Exquisitely and intricately carved in deep layers of relief with the bearded scholar Wang Xizhi seated on a craggy rockwork with his attendant standing beside him, observing a pair of geese swimming in a streaming and rippling river, encircled by a rugged mountainous landscape enclosing pine and wutong trees continuing on the reverse, all below scrolling clouds, the finely polished stone of a pale green tone with inclusions varying from light to dark grey, wood stand. 23.2cm (9in) high. (2).
|十八世紀 青灰玉雕「羲之觀鵝」圖山子Provenance: Mark Newman, Esq.Ashkenazie & Co., San Francisco, 1984Dr. Leonard and Mrs. Ann Marsak collectionChristie's New York, 18 September 2014, lot 1248來源：馬克·紐曼律師舊藏舊金山Ashkenazie & Co.，1984年馬薩克博士伉儷舊藏佳士得紐約，2014年9月18日，拍品編號1248The theme of this jade boulder alludes to the sage of calligraphy, Wang Xizhi's love of geese. The earliest extant example of this subject matter is the Southern Song dynasty artist Ma Yuan's painting of 'Wang Xizhi Playing with Geese', now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. The similarity of the figures and birds in the painting and on the present jade boulder suggest that the former was the inspiration for the latter; see Gugong shuhua tulu, vol.2, Taipei, 2013, pp.183-184. For a related pale green jade carving of a boulder with a similar figure to that of Wang Xizhi, Qianlong, see Gugong bowuyuan cang wenwu zhenpin daxi yuqi, Shanghai, 2008, no.53. 青灰玉質，體量頗巨，用刀深峻，劈出山崖石澗，一灣溪水從中流出，淺浮雕水波漣漪，其上高浮雕兩鵝浮游，水岸石臺上圓雕一高士，高士頭戴樸頭，長髯垂胸，寬袍大袖有魏晉風骨，旁邊侍立一總角小童，短衫，回首微笑，山石間散雕松木梧桐，頂上灰黑玉色浮雕流雲，盤亙之山子背面，背面雕孤松梧桐左右上下相應，山澗縱深數層。此件山子取材自「羲之愛鵝」的典故，為明清常見「四愛」圖之一。這一題材目前可見最早的例子是傳為南宋馬遠所繪《王羲之玩鵝圖》，現存臺北故宮博物院，其人物、動物構圖和本件極似，見《故宮書畫圖錄2》，台北，2013年，頁183-184。相似風格的玉雕山子可參考北京故宮藏一件清乾隆青玉題詩觀瀑圖山子，其高士趺坐之態和本品之王羲之形象頗類之，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系玉器（下）》，上海，2008年，編號53。