A LARGE ‘SHOULAO GROTTO’, DEEP CELADON AND RUSSET JADE, 18TH CENTURY China. Superbly carved in reticulated openwork to depict a craggy rock grotto, in it Shoulao flanked by his attendant and a deer below a towering, gnarled tree bearing longevity peaches and two bats in flight attempting to feed on them. The Daoist immortal carries a peach in his left and a gnarled staff in his right. His hallmark, the tall cranium, was given a sublime polish by an obviously devoted lapidary.

Provenance: From a noted private collection in Milan, Italy. Sotheby’s Milan, 19 October 2010, lot 31, sold for EUR 63,150 - EUR 77,960 in today’s currency after inflation. Roger Keverne, acquired from the above. Roger Keverne served as the Chairman of Asian Art in London and as the President of BADA. He began his 50-year career with Spink & Son, rising to head the Asian department by the age of only 28. He left Spink in 1992 to start his own gallery together with Miranda Clarke, his wife and business partner, in Mayfair, London, which eventually closed its doors in June 2020.
Published: Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and Ceramics - Winter Exhibition, London, 2011, no. 95. The price list for this exhibition shows ‘POA’ (price on application) for the present lot. Given the general minimum for objects listed as ‘POA’, the price for the present lot must have been >GBP 100,000.
Condition: Pristine condition with only minor old wear, few minuscule nicks, the stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.

Weight: 4,312 g
Dimensions: Height 27 cm, Width 17 cm

During his reign, Emperor Qianlong requested that jade mountains, as well as plaques and panels with mountainous landscapes, should take their artistic influence from the work of famous painters. The present lot gives clear evidence of this philosophy. Jade is a material that from ancient times has been associated with longevity and immortality. It is therefore a particularly appropriate medium from which to carve representations of the mountainous realm of the Daoist immortals.

The theme of longevity is clearly evident on the present boulder, with the depiction of Shoulao and the deer under a tree bearing large peaches. The elongated form of the boulder and the skillful layering of rockwork help to create a magical atmosphere, thereby contributing to the Daoist themes of mysticism and immortality.

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related but smaller (20.5 cm high) greenish-white jade grotto, with a similar depiction of Shoulao and attendant with deer and peaches, dated 17^th-18^th century, at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 21 March 2014, lot 2506, sold for USD 93,750. Compare a related but slightly smaller (23.4 cm high) pale celadon jade boulder with Shoulao and deer, dated to the Qianlong period, at Christie’s Hong Kong, in The Imperial Sale, Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 31 May 2010, sold for HKD 7,820,000. Compare also a related pale celadon jade boulder depicting Guanyin in a grotto, also dated to the 18^th century, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 7 April 2013, lot 3108, sold for HKD 1,480,000.

十八世紀大型青玉留皮壽老圖山子
中國，精美鏤雕山岩下桃樹旁，立著壽老和他的侍從和一只鹿。桃樹上碩果纍纍，兩隻飛舞的蝙蝠。壽老左手持桃，右手持杖。他的標志性額頭被技藝高超的玉匠打磨得極其潤澤。

來源：義大利米蘭知名私人收藏；米蘭蘇富比2010年10月19日 lot 31, 售價EUR 63,150 - EUR 77,960（換算成今日歐元價值） 。Roger Keverne私人收藏，購於上述藝廊。Roger Keverne 曾擔任倫敦亞洲藝術協會主席和 BADA 總裁。 他在 Spink & Son 開始了他 50 年的職業生涯，年僅 28 歲就成為亞洲部門的負責人。他於 1992 年離開 Spink，與他的妻子和商業夥伴 Miranda Clarke 在倫敦Mayfair成立了自己的藝廊 ，最終於 2020 年 6 月關閉。
出版：Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and Ceramics - Winter Exhibition, London, 2011, no. 95. 展覽價格單上顯示了此拍品當時的價格，鑒於展覽價格單上的價格是拍品的最低價格，因此可以推斷這拍品的價格應該高於GBP 100,000。
品相：原始狀態，只有輕微磨損，少量微小的劃痕，帶有天然脈絡的玉料，隨著時間的推移，其中一些裂縫可能已經發展成細小的裂縫。

重量：4,312 克
尺寸：高27 厘米, 寬 17 厘米

乾隆皇帝在位期間，曾要求玉雕山子、山水牌匾、畫板，都應藉鑒名家畫作。本拍品清楚地體現了這一理念。 玉是一種自古以來就象徵著長壽和不朽。 因此，它是一種特別適合用來雕刻道教仙人以及山水的媒介。

這件山子的長壽主題非常明顯，壽老和結著大桃子的樹下的鹿，洞窟巨石的形狀和巧妙的分層都有助於營造一種神秘的氛圍，更加體現了神秘和不朽的仙道主題。

拍賣結果比較：一件十七至十八世紀的青白玉壽老與童子的山子，但尺寸較小 (高20.5 厘米) ，見紐約佳士得 Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2014年3月21日 lot 2506, 售價USD 93,750；另一件乾隆時期青白玉壽老與鹿山子，但尺寸較小(23.4 cm high)，見香港佳士得The Imperial Sale, Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2010年5月31日 售價HKD 7,820,000；一件十八世紀青白玉觀音山子，見香港蘇富比Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art 2013年4月 7日 lot 3108, 售價HKD 1,480,000。