A pair of spinach jade 'Narcissus and Pine trees' plaques and cloisonné stands, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Photo Sotheby's

the dark green plaques, each of rectangular form and carved on the reverse with a key-fret band border, one carved on the front in high relief with blossoming branches of prunus and a lush pine tree on a rocky ground, the other with blooming narcissus and long leaves elegantly extending across the plaque, both set in turquoise-ground cloisonné trestle stands enamelled with key-fret bands and lotus scrolls issuing leafy tendrils and archaistic scrolls; plaque: 28.2 cm., 11 1/8 in.; stand: 31.5 cm., 12 3/8 in. Estimate 1,200,000 — 1,800,000 HKD

Provenance: Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard K. Crawford.
Sotheby's New York, 1st/2nd June 1992, lot 63.

Note: Table screens of this type decorated with images of nature were placed in the scholar’s studio to serve as sources of inspiration for reflection and as an escape from the duties of officialdom. Both plaques are steeped in auspicious meaning; the prunus, bamboo and pine trees together form the popular ‘Three Friends of Winter’ motif and represent fortitude and uprightness in adverse conditions, while the narcissus symbolises good fortune and prosperity.

Table screens with similarly carved designs of flower sprays and plants include a pair decorated with chrysanthemum and peonies among rockwork, sold in our New York rooms, 20th October 1989, lot 289; another with flowering prunus and bamboo, sold at Christie’s London, 10th May 2011, lot 221; and a pair of white jade table screens incised with chrysanthemums and poppies, sold in our New York rooms, 19th September 2001, lot 61. A set of four white jade panels from the De An Tang collection, each carved with a different flowering plant was included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 33.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. Hong Kong | 08 Apr 2014 - www.sothebys.com