Adam's Fine Asian Art Preview 23 November 2021

16 A LARGE JADEITE JADE CARVING OF A ‘HEAVENLY HORSE’, TIAN MA 天馬 CHINA, LATE QING DYNASTY Carved out of a white, apple green and emerald green stone with a figure of a recumbent celestial horse amidst curly clouds or crashing waves, the mane and the clouds carved as locks finely detailed with incisions, a parcel or bound books on its back. H: 10,1 cm – L: 13,3 cm – w: 3,3 cm Weight: 815,5 grams €1,000 - 2,000 NOTES: 1. This horse is depicted carrying books while crossing the sea. It is known as the Tian Ma ( 天馬 ), lit. “Heavenly Horse”, also referred to as the Long Ma ( 龍馬 ), lit. “dragon horse”, i.e. an auspicious creature that according to legend emerged from the Luo River revealing itself to Fuxi ( 伏羲 ), one of the three legendary sovereigns of ancient China. 2. For a related jade carving of a mythical horse carrying books on its back while crossing the sea dated to the mid Qing dynasty and preserved in the Qing Court Collection, see “The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum: Jadeware (III)”, Hong Kong, 1995, p.110, no.90. 3. For a related pale green jade example of a longma carrying books across waves dated to the 18th century, please refer to Christie’s New York, “Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections”, 2011/03/24, lot 1507, sold for USD242.500 BP incl. Fig. 1 - Detail view of the waves Fig. 2 - Detail view of the books