An extremely rare and large pale green jade carving of a Buddhist lion


18th century The recumbent beast superbly carved with its head raised and turned to the left, holding a ribbon in its jaws revealing its tongue flanked by the sharp teeth, below the bulging eyes and wavy eyebrows, the mane flowing in incised waves along the neck and on either side of the knobbly spine, terminating in its divided tail, seated on its four legs with clenched paws with sharp claws, wood stand. 18.5cm (7 1/4in) long (2).
|十八世紀 青白玉雕臥獅Provenance:Bernard Sunley (1910-1964) Collection of Important Jade Carvings, London, no.8/15, and thence by descentBonhams London, 16 May 2013, lot 125An Asian private collection來源：伯納德·桑利重要玉器收藏系列，倫敦，編號8/15，並由後人保存倫敦邦瀚斯，2013年5月16日，拍品125亞洲私人收藏Animal jade carvings of this remarkable large size are extremely rare and may be generally grouped as horses, water buffaloes, elephants, mythical beasts and Buddhist lions, with the latter group arguably being the rarest. Compare a related large spinach-green jade Buddhist lion (19.8cm wide), Qianlong, formerly in the collections of R. C. Bruce, the 3rd Baron Alington of Crichel, and the Hon. Mrs Mary Anna Marten OBE, illustrated by S.C.Nott in Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, Rutland, Vermont, 1973, pl.LXIII, which was later sold at Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury, 17 November 2010, lot 342. See also a related but slightly smaller pale celadon jade 'Buddhist lion' group, 18th century, which was sold at Sotheby's London, 6 November 2013, lot 32.青玉質，白中閃青，玉質溫潤。圓雕成回首獅形，鏤雕淺刻成其細部。背脊圓珠狀隆起，鬃毛蝸旋，散開兩側， 絲絲如縷，綬帶彎折自然，如有風動。獅子為佛教護法神獸，或為菩薩坐騎，或為佛祖講經場地護法。參考一件乾隆時期碧玉雕獅子，最初由英法聯軍時英軍最高全權大臣額爾金八世（Sir James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, 1811-1863）於圓明園所掠得，其後由巴隆·阿靈頓三世男爵（3rd Baron Alington 1896-1940）收藏，後來傳承給女兒·瑪麗·安娜·馬爾頓夫人（the Hon. Mrs. Mary Anna Marten 1929-2010，英國女王伊麗莎白二世母親瑪麗皇太后的義女），見樂提著，《中國玉器源流考》，拉特蘭，1973年，圖版LXIII， 後售於索爾斯伯里威力士，2010年11月17日，拍品342。另可比較一組青玉雕獅子，售於倫敦蘇富比，2013年11月6日，拍品32。Bernard SunleyBernard Sunley (1910-1964) belonged to a generation privileged with the availability of important and rare jade carvings sourced from China following the upheavals resulting from the decline and end of the Qing dynasty, the establishment of the Republic, the civil war and creation of the PRC, as well as from the disposal of earlier collections formed in the early 20th century by collectors such as R.C. Bruce, Sir John Buchanan-Jardine, George de Menasce, Oscar Raphael and others. He was a contemporary of other important collectors such as Sir John Woolf, Lord Cunliffe and Somerset de Chair.Sunley, a self-made man from modest origins became a legendary entrepreneur. He was an individualist - colourful, generous, outspoken, and, above all, a powerhouse of energy and ability. Larger than life in every way, he could be domineering and persuasive, but also charming, intuitive and far-sighted. His wife, Mary, was a tower of strength in her own right, working unstintingly to further Sunley's career, while managing the overlaps between business life and family life with sensitivity and flair. Sunley relied on her enormously and she played a significant role in his success.By the late 1930s Sunley owned and operated a string of building and civil engineering companies. During 1939-1945 as a government contractor he was in a 'reserved occupation'. He built more than 100 bomber and fighter aerodromes – part of the largest scheme of public works ever seen in Britain. In 1940, together with John Blackwood and Niall Hodge he formed a partnership to acquire franchises for importing giant earth-moving equipment from the USA, which would help speed airfield construction. Before the war was over he had taken control of the business which would become the world's largest earth-moving and contracting equipment distributor. Sunley was a pioneer in the post-war reconstruction of Britain: the funds made from the earth-moving business were partly re-invested in acquiring bombed-out sites for redevelopment. These property holdings were vested in the Bernard Sunley Investment Trust.In 1960 Bernard and Mary Sunley established the Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation. The foundation has and still is very much involved in important charitable work and was supported numerous organisations including St Paul's Cathedral, the National Gallery, the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, to name just a few.See S.Perry, The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation: Jubilee Celebration 1960-2010 An Historical Review, London, 2010.伯納德·桑利伯納德·桑利（1910-1964）的玉器收藏得益於清末以來，民國鼎新到國共內戰，至於共產主義中國建立這段時間的動蕩，亦受益於歐洲老一輩藏家的藏品易代，如額爾金勛爵，John Buchanan-Jardine爵士，喬治·德·梅納西斯，奧斯卡·拉斐爾等。其名與同一時期的重要藏家，如約翰·伍爾夫爵士，羅傑·康利夫三世男爵，英國前保守黨議員Somerset de Chair等人，不相伯仲。桑利生於中產，白手起家，堪稱一代傳奇，而為人謙恭，樂善好施，特立獨行。他精力充沛，長袖善舞，更有妻子鼎力相助。桑利夫人瑪麗個性鮮明，對桑利的生意大有助益，卻又能巧妙平衡生活與生意的天平。二人琴瑟和鳴，桑利的商務和收藏事業由此興榮。上世紀30年代末，他擁有並經營多家房地產與土木工程公司。 1939至1945年，他承包多項政府工程，建造了100多個專為轟炸機與戰鬥機起降的機場，這些機場屬於當時英國最大的公共工程之一。 1940年，桑利與約翰·布萊克伍德和尼爾·霍奇合夥，獲得了從美國進口土方工程設備的特權，二戰結束結束前，他在自己經營的領域已頗具壟斷地位，成為世界上最大的土木工程設備批發商，也因此成為一位傳奇的企業家。桑利亦是英國戰後重建先驅，他把資金重新投資在土地上，成為新興的地產商，這些股份最終歸入伯納德·桑利投資信託公司。1960年桑利夫婦成立了伯納德·桑利慈善基金，為很多機構提供了援助，如聖保羅大教堂、牛津大學和哈羅學校等，至今不輟。更多關於伯納德·桑利的信息，參見S.Perry，《The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation: Jubilee Celebration 1960-2010 An Historical Review》，倫敦，2010年。