A WHITE JADE 'DOUBLE PEACH' CARVING, QING DYNASTY China, 18th to early 19th century. Deftly carved as two peaches issuing from a leafy branch, the gnarled wood naturalistically rendered in open work with bumpy knots and delicately furling leaves. The semi-translucent stone is of an almost pure white color with small scattered cloudy-white inclusions.

Provenance: Major Harry Stanley (1910-1997), who in 1957 was recruited from the Royal Automobile Club in London to run the newly formed Hong Kong Tourist Association. Thence by descent in the same family.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and few minuscule nicks here and there. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into minuscule hairline cracks over time.

Weight: 67.3 g (without the base)
Dimensions: Length 6 cm

With a carved and fitted hardwood base, possibly from the period. (2)

Peach trees have a sacred connotation in China and in ancient times the wood of the peach tree was used as a charm against evil. Thus, the branch of this jade serves both as a representation of the tree, and as a naturalistic feature connecting the two peaches. The peaches themselves are symbols of longevity, and the fact of there being two of them doubles the wish. The association of peaches with longevity arises from the Star God of Longevity Shou Lao, and is linked with the legend of the peaches which grew in the orchard of Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West. These peaches took three thousand years to ripen, and conveyed immortality on anyone who ate them. Items in the form of peaches were a popular birthday gift in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Small items for the scholar's table in the form of a single peach or two peaches, or indeed two lychees – another auspicious fruit – were especially popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related ‘double peach’ jade carving, of larger size (14.7 cm), at Christie’s New York in Fine Chinese Jade Carvings from Private Collections on 13 September 2018, lot 938, sold for USD 11,250.

清代白玉雙桃擺件
中國，十八世紀初至十九世紀。巧雕雙桃，枝葉捲曲。半透明玉料幾乎是純白色的，帶有白色絮狀物。

來源：Harry Stanley (1910-1997) 收藏，1957年，他從倫敦皇家汽車俱樂部被派去管理新成立的香港旅遊協會，拍品在同一家族保存至今。
品相：狀況極好，有輕微磨損，大面積的輕微刻痕。具有天然紋理的玉料，隨著時間的推移，其中一些可能已經發展成微小的細裂紋。

重量：67.3 克 (不含底座)
尺寸：長6 厘米

可能來自同一時期的木雕底座。 (2)

拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的玉雕雙桃，尺寸稍大 (14.7 厘米)，見紐約佳士得 Fine Chinese Jade Carvings from Private Collections 2018年9月13日 lot 938, 售價USD 11,250。