Ming/Qing Jade Animal with Young, 14th-19th century CE
Jade
length 7.8 cm
length 3 1/8 in
length 3 1/8 in
EL.0058
The Ming Dynasty was an imperial dynasty in China from 1368 until 1644, following the Yuan Dynasty. It was founded by the Hongwu Emperor after a period of unrest in...
The Ming Dynasty was an imperial dynasty in China from 1368 until 1644, following the Yuan Dynasty. It was founded by the Hongwu Emperor after a period of unrest in which there were several rebel factions vying for power. Hongwu introduced a building programme, including defensive walls, palaces, and government buildings, and strengthened the military. During the Ming Dynasty, the country was highly organised under a provincial administration system. Many art forms flourished, including literature, painting, poetry, music, and opera, and the novel form became popularised.
This sculpture is made of a very pale green jade, almost creamy in colour. It depicts two feline animals, presumably a mother and her young. She is lying with all four legs bent underneath her, curving her body round towards the right. Etched lines show the details of the folds in her skin as well as the texture of her fur. A smaller animal is curled against her right side, resting its head on her flank. She is gazing out into the distance, perhaps keeping watch for threats to her offspring. The young animal lies in the same position as its mother, with its tail outstretched. They are connected all along the side of the young one’s body, and at the end of its tail, with a small gap along the length of the tail. The smaller animal seems at rest and contented, presumably feeling safe under the protection of its parent.
Jade is a highly valued material within Chinese artistic culture, and has been used for thousands of years for ritual objects, ceremonial weapons, small figurines, and dress ornaments. Until the 18th century, all jade used in China was nephrite (one of the two varieties of jade, the other being jadeite). It was mainly sourced from the riverbeds of Yarkand and Hotan, in the present-day autonomous region of Xinjiang. The material was prized for its beautiful, almost translucent, quality and the variety of colours in which it could be found. Objects made from jade would have been valuable because of their beauty as well as the effort required to make them; jade is too hard to be carved or cut with metal tools, and it would have been necessary to drill or saw it.
This sculpture is made of a very pale green jade, almost creamy in colour. It depicts two feline animals, presumably a mother and her young. She is lying with all four legs bent underneath her, curving her body round towards the right. Etched lines show the details of the folds in her skin as well as the texture of her fur. A smaller animal is curled against her right side, resting its head on her flank. She is gazing out into the distance, perhaps keeping watch for threats to her offspring. The young animal lies in the same position as its mother, with its tail outstretched. They are connected all along the side of the young one’s body, and at the end of its tail, with a small gap along the length of the tail. The smaller animal seems at rest and contented, presumably feeling safe under the protection of its parent.
Jade is a highly valued material within Chinese artistic culture, and has been used for thousands of years for ritual objects, ceremonial weapons, small figurines, and dress ornaments. Until the 18th century, all jade used in China was nephrite (one of the two varieties of jade, the other being jadeite). It was mainly sourced from the riverbeds of Yarkand and Hotan, in the present-day autonomous region of Xinjiang. The material was prized for its beautiful, almost translucent, quality and the variety of colours in which it could be found. Objects made from jade would have been valuable because of their beauty as well as the effort required to make them; jade is too hard to be carved or cut with metal tools, and it would have been necessary to drill or saw it.