A MONUMENTAL LAPIS LAZULI MOUNTAIN, LATE QING DYNASTY
China, mid-19th to early 20th century. Finely and intricately carved in relief to depict a mountainous landscape with craggy rockwork and gnarled pines, with travelers walking along a winding trail leading over waterfalls and around peaks to pavilions nestled into the rock. The stone of an intense blue hue with gray and white inclusions as well as some mica.


Provenance
: Chicago trade.

Condition
: Expected minor losses, occasional nicks and light scratches. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into structural cracks, with associated old fills and repairs.

Weight: 16 kg
Dimensions: Height 50.5 cm


Lapis lazuli
has long held a prominent place in the realm of Chinese culture since it was first imported via the ancient Silk Road. During the Qing Dynasty, it was considered a precious material, often used for jewelry, such as court necklaces, and more rarely, with large specimens carved into decorative mountain landscapes and screens for furnishing the interiors of imperial palaces.


Literature comparison:

A related lapis lazuli boulder carved with similar decoration can be seen in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo Yuqi Quanji [Complete collection of Chinese jades], Qing Dynasty, vol. 6, Hebei, 1991, p. 180, no. 262, where it is dated to the middle of the Qing Dynasty.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2017, lot 3063
Price: HKD 250,000 or approx.
EUR 32,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved lapis lazuli mountain, Qing dynasty, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and manner of carving with similar rockwork, pines, and pavilions. Note the 19th century dating and the much smaller size (25 cm).


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 9 October 2022, lot 130
Price: HKD 1,512,000 or approx.
EUR 211,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved lapis lazuli boulder, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and manner of carving with similar rockwork, pines, and pavilions. Note the much smaller size (12.3 cm) and that this is an example from the 18th century.




清末青金石山子


中國，十九世紀中期至二十世紀初。青金石雕作山形，巨峰兀立，色藍如靛，純正雅麗，質地細膩，帶有金星，光輝燦爛。主體岩石挺拔嶙峋，松樹枝幹彎曲遒勁，枝葉繁茂。半山之間，一座小亭主靜靜佇立，一側一株蒼松橫生，氣勢不凡。整個山子景致佈局周密，鏤雕深邃，可謂集鏤、雕、刻、琢，鑽等多種表現工藝於一體，極富有層次感。


來源：
芝加哥古玩交易。

品相：
有輕微缺損、刻痕和輕微劃痕。石料裏有天然內沁和裂縫，其中一些已發展成結構裂縫，並有小修。

重量：16 公斤
尺寸：高 50.5 厘米


文獻比較：

一件相近的清代中期青金石雕山水圖山子，收藏於北京故宮博物院，《中國玉器全集‧清代》，卷6，河北，1991年，頁180，編號262。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2017年11月29日，lot 3063
價格：HKD 250,000（相當於今日
EUR 32,500
）
描述：清十九世紀青金石雕山水圖山子
專家評論：比較非常相近的主題和雕刻風格、山水、松樹和亭閣。請注意年代為十九世紀和尺寸較小(25厘米)。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2022年10月9日，lot 130
價格：HKD 1,512,000（相當於今日
EUR 211,000
）
描述：清乾隆青金石雕松蔭樓閣圖山子
專家評論：比較非常相近的主題和雕刻風格、山水、松樹和亭閣，以及尺寸較小(12.3厘米) ，且年代為十八世紀。