PROPERTY OF A LADY A Superb White Jade Figure of Semi-Recumbent HorseQianlong Carved in the Ming style with a recumbent horse with head facing to its rear and with left leg in a rising motion, the other legs tucked to the side of the body, the finely delineated tail swept to its left side alongside the back leg and its mane similarly finely detailed and parted in the middle to either side of the neck, the ears pressed forward, each hoof naturalistically carved, the stone with an attractive high polish. 3 1/2in (9cm) long 乾隆年間 白玉臥馬 Provenance: Spink & Son Ltd., London A Private English Collector in the US., 1970's to the present day 出處： 倫敦 Spink & Son Ltd. 美國英裔私人收藏，1970 年代至今 Skillfully fashioned and sensitively rendered, this horse has a restrained muscularity befitting its pose. Small jade horse carvings such as ours are usually shown in a reclining or seated pose which follows the general form of the jade pebble from which it is cut. This results in minimal wastage of the precious stone. Such carvings could be fondling pieces or more often made for the scholar's studio and used as paperweights or even brush rests. For a Qianlong marked example, of slightly larger size but similar pose and with finely detailed hair and hooves, from the Palace Museum, Beijing, see Liu Yang and Edmond Capon, Translucent World, Chinese Jades from the Forbidden City , Art Gallery of New South Wales, 30 August - 11 November, 2007, p. 209, no. 147. The horse represents strength, wealth and rank and is associated with official aspirations: carefree horses were symbolic of freedom from their daily duties and routine.