Repose pinceaux ou poids. Chine, fin de la dynastie Ming, XVIIe siècle

Repose pinceaux ou poids. Chine, fin de la dynastie Ming, XVIIe siècle

sculpté de deux dragons au corps puissants et tortueux, émergeant de flots tumultueux et de nuages, pourchassant la perle sacrée entourée de flammes. long. 19 cm, 7 1/2 in. Est. 70,000—90,000 EUR. Lot Sold 70,350 EUR

NOTE : This fine jade carving of two sinuous dragons chasing a flaming pearl amongst tumultuous waves is a rare example of jade vessels made for the scholar's table. The composition of the design insinuates that the piece may have served as a brush rest, with a brush fitting perfectly in between the heads of the two creatures, or may have doubled as a paper weight. The subject matter is a reference to the carp swimming upstream and transforming into dragons (yulong bianhua), which served as an auspicious message for the scholar to persevere and overcome difficulties in order to achieve success and pass the examinations with distinction. For a comparable example, see a brush rest carved with two dragons amidst clouds, formerly in the Eisenbach-Erie collection, included in the Oriental Ceramics Society of Hong Kong exhibition Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 182, attributed to the Yuan or early Ming dynasties.

Sotheby's. Asian Art. 11 Jun 09. Paris www.sothebys.com