Lot 23. A rare pale green jade stupa and seated Buddha Shakyamuni, 18th century; 37cm (14 1/2in) high. Estimate HK$150,000-200,000. Sold for HK$ 1,060,000 (€ 126,653). Photo Bonhams.

Skillfully carved with a double-lotus base, the shrine decorated with three tiers of alternating stylised shou characters, interspersed between lotus blossoms borne on meandering scrolls beneath beaded drapes, the vertical spire of thirteen raised bands further surmounted by a circular parasol and a double-gourd finial; a figure of Shakyamuni seated cross-legged in dhyanasana above a lotus pedestal within the throne, his hands resting in dhyanamudra, his downcast eyes and serene expression framed by lobed ears and curly hair ending in an ushnisha.

Note: The representation of stupas in the prized jade material is very unusual making the present lot exceptionally rare. However, the Qing Court Collection, does include a number of jade figures of Buddha, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 8, Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pp.270-274, nos.234-238.

A related example of a pair of green and white jade stupas, 18th/19th century, from the Prince Kung Collection, was sold by American Art Galleries, New York, in 1913, lot 194, and one of the pair was sold later at Sotheby's New York on 26 September 1986, lot 215.

Bonham's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 2 June 2016