A JADE CARVING OF A PAIR OF MAGPIES Qianlong periodA JADE CARVING OF A PAIR OF MAGPIESQianlong period The love birds cuddle with tails crossed, holding a branch of prunus blossom in their beaks, their feet comfortably tugged underneath, the feather finely carved and incised, the stone with natural russet inclusions cleverly incorporated as part of the design, the prunus branches carved in openwork for stringing. 2 3/4in (7cm) length乾隆時期 巧色帶皮白玉《喜上眉梢》擺飾Provenance:Bluett & Sons Ltd., London, 1963From the Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-1969), Lancashire, EnglandSotheby's Hong Kong, The Pilkington Collection of Chinese Art, 6 April 2016, lot 58Published:Elegantly Made: Art for the Chinese Literati, J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 2020, no. 29Exhibited:Elegantly Made: Art for the Chinese Literati, J. J. Lally & Co., New York, March 13-27, 2020, no. 29來源：倫敦 Bluett & Sons Ltd. 古董行，1963年　　英國蘭開夏郡 Roger Pilkington (1928-1969) 舊藏 　　　香港蘇富比 2016 年 4 月 6 日，拍品編號 58 出版：《雅製：中國文人藝術》，紐約藍理捷中國文物，2020 年，圖版編號 29展覽：《雅製：中國文人藝術》，紐約藍理捷中國文物，2020 年 3 月 13-27 日，展覽編號 29In Chinese tradition, the magpie (喜鵲, xique) is a bird of happiness (喜, xi) and a messenger bringing good news, while the blossoming plum (梅, mei) signifies the arrival of Spring. Together they represent a 'blissful joy shown through one's eyes' (喜上眉[梅]梢, xi shang mei shao). A pair of cross-tailed magpies with prunus also represents fidelity and marital harmony, wishing the couple a lifetime of happiness together.A very similar jade carving of a pair of magpies in the Palace Museum, Beijing, from the Qing Court Collection, is illustrated in Gugong bowuyuan cang wenwu zhenpin quanji (The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum), Vol. 42, Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 102, no. 82.Another very similar jade carving of a pair of magpies holding branches of prunus blossoms, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated on the museum's website, number 001934N, described as Ming-Qing.