Bottle ID: 207

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WHITE AND GRAY, SAGE ON ROCK

Date: 1750-1800

Height: 54 mm

Nephrite, of rounded form, well hollowed, with slightly concave neck, the stone of a white and gray color, carved in low relief, on one side with a sage standing beside an immense rock, beneath pine, a young attendant holding a duck out to him; the reverse with a similar scene with the sage seated in a rocky garden amidst pine, the same attendant with his duck; the neck with a cloud scroll; incised on the gray rock to one side with two lines of a four character inscription in cursive script.
Attributed to the Suzhou School.

 

 

Similar Examples:

None found.

Provenance:

Clare Lawrence Ltd.
The Monimar Collection

Published:

JICSBS, Autumn 2007, front cover

In terms of material the Suzhou School has, at its zenith, a small number of bottles which use this dramatic stone. There are undoubtedly groups of bottles that would have come from one large boulder, and once that boulder was cut up, the availability of that particular colour combination would have been limited. Similarly, a boulder may have been cut up and distributed amongst different workshops in the same region, culminating in stylistically different works of art from the same original material. The Suzhou school certainly seemed to favor this distinct colour which was obviously reserved for the best of carving.

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