A VERY FINE WHITE AND GREY JADE BIRD GROUP18th century
The pebble meticulously carved as two two birds nestled beside each other, their beaks clasping together the same sprig of blossoming prunus, their finely detailed plumage and tail feathers crossing over intimately, the underside with finely carved legs, the stone of mottled grey, russet and white tones.
8cm (3 1/8in) long.Footnotes十八世紀 玉鳥
Provenance: The Oriental Art Gallery Ltd., London
A British private collection, acquired from the above on 20 November 1995, and thence by descent
來源：倫敦古董商The Oriental Art Gallery Ltd.
英國私人收藏，1995年11月20日從上處購得，並由後人保存迄今
Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: The Oriental Art Gallery Ltd., Oriental Jewellery and Works of Art, London, 1995, no.57
展覽著錄：The Oriental Art Gallery Ltd.，《Oriental Jewellery and Works of Art》，倫敦，1995年，編號57
According to Chinese tradition, the magpie xique 喜鵲 is a bird of happiness xi 喜 and a messenger bringing good news, while the blossoming plum mei 梅 signifies the arrival of Spring. Together, these two symbols form the pun 'blissful joy shown through one's eyes' xi shang mei shao 喜上眉[梅]梢. Pairs of cross-tailed magpies with prunus also symbolise fidelity, marital harmony and happiness, and would have made the perfect gift for a married couple.
Compare with a related white and russet jade carving of two magpies, mid-Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 2006, , p.102, no.82. Compare also with a related white and grey jade bird group, 18th/19th century, illustrated in Chinese Jades from the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1989, p.87, no.65b. See also a related jade carving of a pair of magpies holding branches of prunus blossoms, mid-Qing dynasty, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, acc.no.001934N.
See a related pale green and russet jade 'bird and peach' group, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 7 June 2021, lot 611; see also a related pale green and russet 'magpies and prunus' carving, Qianlong, which was sold at Bonhams New York, 20 March 2023, lot 52; a further related jade carving of a 'bird and peach' group, 18th century, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 28 February 2023, lot 3033.
A VERY FINE WHITE AND GREY JADE BIRD GROUP18th century
The pebble meticulously carved as two two birds nestled beside each other, their beaks clasping together the same sprig of blossoming prunus, their finely detailed plumage and tail feathers crossing over intimately, the underside with finely carved legs, the stone of mottled grey, russet and white tones.
8cm (3 1/8in) long.Footnotes十八世紀 玉鳥
Provenance: The Oriental Art Gallery Ltd., London
A British private collection, acquired from the above on 20 November 1995, and thence by descent
來源：倫敦古董商The Oriental Art Gallery Ltd.
英國私人收藏，1995年11月20日從上處購得，並由後人保存迄今
Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: The Oriental Art Gallery Ltd., Oriental Jewellery and Works of Art, London, 1995, no.57
展覽著錄：The Oriental Art Gallery Ltd.，《Oriental Jewellery and Works of Art》，倫敦，1995年，編號57
According to Chinese tradition, the magpie xique 喜鵲 is a bird of happiness xi 喜 and a messenger bringing good news, while the blossoming plum mei 梅 signifies the arrival of Spring. Together, these two symbols form the pun 'blissful joy shown through one's eyes' xi shang mei shao 喜上眉[梅]梢. Pairs of cross-tailed magpies with prunus also symbolise fidelity, marital harmony and happiness, and would have made the perfect gift for a married couple.
Compare with a related white and russet jade carving of two magpies, mid-Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 2006, , p.102, no.82. Compare also with a related white and grey jade bird group, 18th/19th century, illustrated in Chinese Jades from the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1989, p.87, no.65b. See also a related jade carving of a pair of magpies holding branches of prunus blossoms, mid-Qing dynasty, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, acc.no.001934N.
See a related pale green and russet jade 'bird and peach' group, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 7 June 2021, lot 611; see also a related pale green and russet 'magpies and prunus' carving, Qianlong, which was sold at Bonhams New York, 20 March 2023, lot 52; a further related jade carving of a 'bird and peach' group, 18th century, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 28 February 2023, lot 3033.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
