Lot 62. A white and russet jade carving of gourds, 18th century; 6.5cm (2 1/2in) long. Estimate £ £4,000 - 6,000. Sold for £ 27,562 (€ 31,285). © Bonhams 2001-2019

Carved as a large gourd joined to a smaller gourd, borne on gnarled branches issuing curling leaves, the stone of an even white tone highlighted with russet inclusions, wood stand.

Provenance: a distinguished English private collection

Note: During the last decades of the 18th century, a new taste emerged in Europe among the newly-rich commissioning and buying Chinese porcelain to decorate their houses and accompany entertaining their guests. Porcelain with the 'tobacco leaf' motifs was among the most popular and constitutes a family of motifs produced between 1765 to 1795. For a similar 'tobacco leaf' dinner service, see P.L.Debomy, Tobacco leaf and Pseudo: a tentative inventory, Sevres, 2013, p.107.

See a similar part set of twenty-four 'tobacco leaf' plates and soup plates, Qianlong, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 20-22 April 2018, lot 1082.