Lot 3004. A superbly carved yellow and russet jade 'three rams' waterpot, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Estimate HKD 4,000,000 — 6,000,000 (451,567 - 677,350 EUR). Lot Sold 4,880,000 HKD (550,911 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's.

the attractive stone of a warm yellow colour accentuated with attractive russet inclusions, boldly worked in the form of  a central vessel with a compressed globular body surmounted by a short waisted neck, the exterior with three bold recumbent rams detailed with curling horns flanking their heads, two depicted with legs neatly tucked beneath their bodies, the other with one foreleg propped up, their heads resting on the tapering shoulder of the waterpot, wood stand - 11.9 cm, 4 5/8  in. 

Provenance: Collection of Raymond Bushell (1911-98), San Francisco.

Note: Skilfully modelled in the round with three rams playfully resting their heads on a central vessel, this charming waterpot is outstanding for the sense of naturalism that is heightened through the rich hues of yellow and russet of the fine quality stone. Large yellow jade boulders of such even hue are particularly rare and the craftsman has shown his reverence for the precious material by composing a design that took full advantage of its colouration. Furthermore the soft round form of the vessel is echoed in the sensitively modelled rounded forms of the bodies of the rams, together with their curling horns, to result in a harmonious piece that would have fulfilled both aesthetic pleasure and functionality for its owner.

While the subject of ‘three rams’ is a motif commonly found in jade, it is rare to find them adorning a waterpot. Compare waterpots of related circular section form decorated with other animals, such as one carved with chilong, illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 50, and sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1501; and another carved with mandarin ducks, sold in our London rooms, 15th October 1974, lot 35. Carvings of three rams, with a larger ram with two of its young, include one, in the De An Tang Collection, included in the exhibition Romance with Jade. From the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 82; and another, from the collection of Robert von Hirsch, sold in our New York rooms, 17th/18th March 2015, lot 298.

Sotheby's. Emperors’ Playthings – a Connoisseur’s Collection, Hong Kong, 06 Apr 2016