A pale green jade 'crane and deer' group


Jin/Yuan DynastyIntricately carved in fine openwork with a standing deer detailed with well-incised eyebrows atop protruding eyes and high-relief twin antlers, a crane perching on its back depicted with sophisticated incised wings and tail feathers, all on a single-lotus pedestal issuing leafy lingzhi fungus, wood stand. 6.1cm (2 2/5in) high. (2).
|金/元 青白玉靈鹿仙鶴擺件Provenance:A French private collectionMarchant, LondonExhibited, Published and Illustrated:Marchant, 90th Anniversary Exhibition: Ninety Jades for 90 Years, London, 2015, no.17來源：法國私人舊藏倫敦Marchant展覽、出版及著錄：Marchant，《玉器九十，90週年特展》，倫敦，2015年，編號17The finely executed openwork and the attention to detail such as the hairwork to the eyebrows and tail, and the finely incised star decorations on its body indicate an attribution of the present lot to the Jin/Yuan dynasty. See two examples, Song dynasty, in the Shanghai Museum, each with a similar pose and a lotus branch in its mouth, illustrated in zhongguo gudai yuqi, 'Chinese Ancient Jade', Shanghai, 2009, p.200, nos.161 and 162.The deer, crane, peach and lingzhi are symbols of longevity. The deer and crane form the rebus luhe tongchun, which represents the universe is enjoying springtime or longevity.青玉質，瑩白透潤，圓雕鏤空並用作梅花鹿一隻，鹿角後伏，頷首立於蓮座，口銜壽桃，肩立仙鶴，鶴亦銜枝，仙鶴羽毛、鹿身梅花及蓮辦經脈皆以砣刀淺刻，密而不亂，匠心周致。鹿身背靠一隻靈芝，就皮色巧雕而成。整件用刀纖柔，打磨細膩，停勻秀美。鶴、桃、芝皆長壽靈物也，鹿通祿，鶴鹿同春則有福祿長壽之寓意。參看上海博物館藏兩件宋代鹿銜蓮花，著錄於張尉，《中國古代玉器》，上海，2009年，頁200，編號161及162。