Note: This group is of an unusually large size for an animal carving of this period. The quality of the carving and polish is nevertheless of the highest standard. The style of carving compares closely with a jade carving of a qilin in the Palace Museum Collection, Beijing, illustrated in Jadeware (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 114, no. 94 and a comparably large jade 'three rams' group sold at Christie's Hong Kong , Important Chinese Jades from the Personal Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, 28 November 2006, lot 1418. Compare also another jade deer group from the collection of the 3rd Baron Alington of Crichel sold at Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury, 17 November 2010, lot 340.

Deer have a number of auspicious meanings in Chinese culture. Shoulao, the Star God of Longevity, is usually depicted accompanied by a spotted deer, crane, peach and pine tree. Thus each of these, including the deer, has come to represent long life. Deer are also believed to be the only animals that can find the fungus of immortality. In addition, deer may represent Luxing, the God of Rank and Emolument. The Chinese word for deer, lu, sounds like the word for emolument or an official salary, thus deer are symbolic of the rank and wealth that are associated with such a salary. The word for deer is also a homophone for 'road' and for 'six'. Thus two deer suggest two auspicious phrases: Lulu shunli, 'May all roads be smooth', and Liuliu dashun, 'May everything be smooth sailing'.

Christie's. The Imperial Sale, Hong Kong, 1 June 2011